Green – a different kind of Texas tea

SAN ANTONIO–When far-right Tea Party radicals held their meeting here on Sunday, February 21, Texas progressives were ready for them.

The Tea Party had “Joe the Plumber,” but we had “Mike the Plumber,” who installs solar water heaters. We also had The Solar and The Geothermal Guys as speakers, too.

A small group of tea partiers had gathered at the restaurant nearby to hear speaker “Joe” at their one year anniversary.

Texas progressives had close to 100 people singing “Happy Birthday” to the Recovery Act.

Later in the day, the tea partiers listened to a global warming denier speak in the restaurant. The progressive rally was in the street by the old railway station. Randy the Geothermal Guy spoke there and explained how Texas has about 500,000 ready-made geothermal drilled wells set up that could be turned into immediate sources of heated energy to produce clean, cheap and renewable electricity.

The most urgent danger to the environment is the use of coal, he said, and if Americans and the rest of the world do not turn to better, cleaner, safer and more renewable energies by 2030, we may be beyond the point of no return as far as the Earth’s atmosphere and the livability of the planet are concerned.

The rally focused on green jobs. Plus speakers and sign holders used the word “progressive” repeatedly since rightwing TV personality Glenn Beck has been using it in an evil and denigrating way.

 

 

Photos: Vivian Weinstein/PW

 

 


CONTRIBUTOR

Vivian Weinstein
Vivian Weinstein

Vivian Weinstein was born and raised in New York City. She moved to New Jersey and raised two sons. A working mom, Vivian held jobs in factories and offices, and finally, as a welder in the Brooklyn Shipyard.

Later, she graduated as an RN from Bronx Community College specializing in ICU/CCU. She then got a BA from University of Oregon.

Throughout her life Vivian has been active in the civil rights movement and for peace, most notably organizing against the war in Vietnam.

Vivian moved to Texas to be close to her son and his family after she suffered a catastrophic illness and lost all her money and her house. She began to expand her writing into journalism with her son's gift of a digital camera.

 

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