43 Replies to "Shell @ Terminal 5: Next round of protest events announced, including 'luminary flotilla' Friday"

• jImClark June 2, 2015 (5:22 pm)

  I think it should read a few people

  • WSB June 2, 2015 (5:53 pm)

    What should? Anyway, two people are at the “welcoming” tent at Delridge/Genesee right now; we just went over to look. Adding a photo.

• sam-c June 2, 2015 (5:55 pm)

  wait, they are going to try and stop shell and in the process, litter the environment with floating lanterns? that doesn’t make any sense.
  https://westseattleblog.com/2015/05/happening-now-first-ever-flipper-fest-with-seal-sitters-friends/

  (last photo)

  • WSB June 2, 2015 (6:00 pm)

    Looking at the Facebook invite we linked, I don’t see anything about Sky Lanterns, which are the ones lit and tossed into the sky, a very specific brand (used at weddings, memorials, etc.). For this, so far as I can tell, the lower-case-l lanterns appear to be planned as decorations to be carried along with kayaks, hand-made.

• sam-c June 2, 2015 (6:11 pm)

  Oh, ok, sounds good. They mention ‘floating lanterns’ I assumed floating in the sky cause if the lanterns float in the water, well, then they wouldn’t be lanterns anymore. that would make sense if they carry them.

  I am curious where the land blockade will be.

• JayDee June 2, 2015 (7:10 pm)

  You could light the inside of your (cough) plastic kayak with a flashlight.
  –
  I need a new dose of hypocrisy to distract me from the long 5-day work week.

• Smitty June 2, 2015 (7:25 pm)

  This “story” is tired and boring.

  Let’s all move on and quit giving these folks a disproportionate amount of coverage.

  • WSB June 2, 2015 (7:37 pm)

    Sorry you’re bored; every story we report, as with other news organizations, is bound to bore somebody. As editor, I feel we haven’t given any aspect of this story a “disproportionate amount of coverage”; if anything, I think we’ve undercovered it all (last mention, 3 days ago, with sighting of Shell’s Tor Viking II tug thanks to two reader photos), but we’ve done the best we can. Whether you oppose, support, or could not care less, the fact that another wave of protests is reported to be coming back to West Seattle is newsworthy, for a variety of reasons, and that’s why we’re reporting it, among the dozens of other types of stories we report. – Tracy

• I. Ponder June 2, 2015 (7:50 pm)

  I continue to be amazed by folks who discount the efforts of protesters as silly hypocrisy. I’m waiting for those same folks to say what they plan to do to make the world a better, safer, healthier place for this and future generations. Talk about hypocrisy. The old saw about the plastic kayaks and flashlights that use electricity is ridiculous. Must protesters live like the Amish in order to be justified in their push to stop Arctic drilling?

• Jim June 2, 2015 (8:03 pm)

  I think it’s the other way around – they come back because they know you’ll report it.

  • WSB June 2, 2015 (8:10 pm)

    Common old myth. None of this new round was even called to our attention. I found it by digging around online, which is how we get many of our stories, whether it involves liquor-license permits for new restaurants, development applications, criminal charges and sentencings, etc., various documents related to all this (the appeals filed by Foss and the Port, etc.) … no research assistant so I gotta get back to it.

• Slanted June 2, 2015 (8:21 pm)

  I agree with Smitty. Also, I believe the category of the story should be under “Business” or “Economy”…not ” environment.”
  The environment has yet to and I believe will not be effected bet Shell. The earth is very resilient.
  New story please!

• JayDee June 2, 2015 (8:29 pm)

  @ I.Ponder: Hypocrisy is defined as:
  –
  the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.
  –
  I claim no such pretense. I drive a car, I ride Transit, and I ride a bike less often than I should. But I don’t proclaim that these offset the simple impact of my being alive in the U.S. Nor do I paddle a plastic kayak (formerly) trailered on a car to a protest about fossil fuels.
  _
  My observation about flashlights in plastic kayaks was meant to highlight that this would be effective as being a “Lantern”, and I am assuming all batteries were recharged by renewable options.

• respect your mother June 2, 2015 (8:33 pm)

  Slanted and Smitty,

  Even Republicans oppose this. My father went to the White House, national conventions and was a friend of Dan Evans. Look him up.

  He was an intellectual AND a business man and conservative.

  He was a Sierra Club member. He was an outdoorsmen, hunter, fisherman and boater. And, again, a businessman.

  You might want to inform yourself about the current wisdom on climate change and then you might want to reconsider what you think being a conservative and being a moral business person might mean.

  True classic conservatives would NEVER allow such flagrant disrespect for the earth just because it can heal. What the hell kind of logic is that? It is immoral to destroy unnecessarily. The TRUE conservative and the TRUE ethical business person will demand innovation. That is what real leaders will do. Slanted and Smitty are full of crap and will be the minority left behind in short order.

• cj June 2, 2015 (9:14 pm)

  Hang in there protestors, I cant be with you but I truly appreciate what your doing. I see the same counter point people are right on time with every new article on this subject. As for Earth’s resilience of course the Earth will heal but if the damage is enough it may not be the same Earth we once knew and may not support as much of our kind of life and the food and water we need as it once did.

• Jon Wright June 2, 2015 (9:16 pm)

  For the umpteenth time, I can still drive a car and own things made of plastic and care that the oil comes from responsible sources that do not threaten pristine ecologically-sensitive areas. I accept that may drive the price of gas up some in the process and I am very willing to pay the higher price to help preserve the environment.
  .
  It’s sort of like people who buy organic food. They are not hypocrites just because they still eat while being against pesticides and inhumane, unhealthy treatment of animals.

• Wseattlelite June 2, 2015 (9:18 pm)

  I believe their sign should read “A few people against the Obama Administration”. Bringing Shell into the conversation distracts from the real issue (That Arctic drilling is sanctioned by the Federal Government) and really is nothing more than a marketing ploy.

• joel June 2, 2015 (10:39 pm)

  if Shell does not get the oil then Canada or Russia will – the oil is going to be drilled – whether you like it or not – so why not it be the US?

• Wb June 2, 2015 (11:29 pm)

  Oh Joel, please take a look at shell’s deplorable record. Look up Exxon valdez–wasnt that long ago and deep water horizon. Then study up on solar power. Protestors, there are people supporting you.

  Oh, people who are bored. Yes democracy is boring. 1st world problem.

• they June 3, 2015 (12:09 am)

  The protesters efforts seem to be selected to make the most noise but have little to no impact on the issue. This has to be the plan these people are to smart to ignore actions that promote change, like who you vote for how you spend your dollars to state a couple. If you want Shell to go out of business don’t be a customer. Last time I check businesses without customers fail quit quickly…

• DP June 3, 2015 (5:21 am)

  What’s really tired and boring are all the “OMG, these people are hypocrites, they use oil-based products, LOL” comments. Yawn @ back-of-the-classroom-with-a-spitball-shooter commentary.

• Brian June 3, 2015 (6:57 am)

  “Curse these enterprising individuals out on their confounded kayaks! Why, if I didn’t know any better I’d say they were getting exercise and raising awareness to a huge environmental issue!”

• Slanted June 3, 2015 (8:24 am)

  Respect your Mo…

  I love you too!

• Felix June 3, 2015 (8:29 am)

  All you people complaining about WSB’s coverage of this story, but continue to read it and comment, are…..wait for it…..HYPOCRITES

• miws June 3, 2015 (9:06 am)

  Felix; +1

  .

  Mike

• Felix June 3, 2015 (9:24 am)

  And for all the folks who think Royal Dutch Shell is such a great company…one word…Nigeria..

• Chris W June 3, 2015 (9:43 am)

  For everyone complaining that the protesters are just ineffectual complainers: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/19/climate-change-shell-annual-meeting-oil-global-warming-resolution-shareholders

  Congrats, kayakers!

  (And no, that’s not a US media source I used to demonstrate my point…)

• Kevin June 3, 2015 (10:23 am)

  I do mind that people protest, I just would like the protest barge to stop playing the loud music that can be heard all the way up California Ave. “Noise pollution”! A few nights it has seemed to be a party barge….Hope you are recycling and not throwing the bottles overboard.
  I will say that a local food establishment close by has lost some business as the music was so loud many of us chose to go else where.

• I. Ponder June 3, 2015 (10:57 am)

  Kevin: Do you really think active environmentalists will be throwing bottles into Puget Sound? Your comments are an example of trying to shoot the messengers…with a peashooter.

• Smitty June 3, 2015 (11:59 am)

  “Do you really think active environmentalists will be throwing bottles into Puget Sound?”

  Considering they originally dropped anchor in a protected octopus habitat, then yes.

• I. Ponder June 3, 2015 (2:36 pm)

  Smitty: Do people who’ve expressed hostility toward the protests hate the protesters or love Shell or are just whining trolls? Concerned about the octopus habitat but not about the Arctic habitat?

• kevin June 3, 2015 (4:33 pm)

  Smitty: If a bottle did fall over, they could say the are creating a new octopus habitat as they can squeeze into small spaces :)
  I. Ponder: I would gather to bet that all the people that were on the barge were not active environmentalist. I am more concerned for their lack of respect of neighbors in the area that do not have the choice to leave with the loud music with speakers facing the land…they are not gaining support.
  I lived in Alaska for most of my adult life….so I am concerned about all habitats (on land and water). I do not hate shell or the protesters and the only way you can be a true troll is live below the Mackinaw bridge….Yuppers and Trolls!

• JayDee June 3, 2015 (5:30 pm)

  If you want to eat organic food, you can shop at PCC and live the values you preach. However, by simply living your life you will use dirty polluting petroleum and natural gas. No oil company is clean because drilling for oil is more akin to sausage making than anything else. They all pollute, some more, some less.
  –
  Decreasing demand is the best way to prevent oil companies from drilling in the Arctic because of the costs. Lower the demand, and the cost will be too low to pay for multi-decade drilling projects.
  –
  We have met the enemy and he is us. Equipping your home with solar panels is probably the easiest thing to do to lower petroleum use.
  –
  I am an oil junkie, and will admit it and not engage in cheap feel-goodisms to assuage my guilt and complicity.

• ketchup June 3, 2015 (9:16 pm)

  Excellent photo btw.

• Dawn June 3, 2015 (10:16 pm)

  Yes, the Earth will indeed be “just fine”. After we’ve driven ourselves to extinction and are no longer around to f it up.

• Seabird June 3, 2015 (10:33 pm)

  WSB – how is this barge legal? I live across the street from Don Armeni, and the movies and noise are terrible! I can’t believe they can get away with this noise pollution! Have you spoken at all to SPD about it?

• I. Ponder June 4, 2015 (1:54 pm)

  Seabird: What you call ‘noise pollution’ may have something to do with free speech rights. I’m sure there are limits as to time of day. But since you live across the street and are bothered by it perhaps you could find out for us. Google the number for SPD and let us know what they say.

  • WSB June 4, 2015 (4:51 pm)

    Neighbors actually have been trying to figure out who enforces noise rules on the water. I’ve heard from a couple. Apparently the Coast Guard, which allowed the barge, told them to call police, and supposedly police told them to wait it out. I haven’t gotten beyond that; it’s all I can do to get a hold of police for crime-related questions. But those within earshot might be forewarned, sounds like a big concert is planned tomorrow (Friday) night in connection with the lantern flotilla http://www.shellnoflotilla.org/luminary_flotilla

• Kevin June 4, 2015 (6:46 pm)

  I guess they are not waiting until tomorrow the noise/music is louder tonight than in the past….So this will be another night that a group of us will not be eating or drinking at Marination! This is the third time we have chose not to go their! It is just plain loud. Plain and simple free speech or not it is down right rude and disrespectful.

  • WSB June 4, 2015 (7:27 pm)

    Marination has nothing to do with it.

• kevin June 4, 2015 (8:12 pm)

  WSB- I totally understand that Marination has nothing to do with it, and SPD, USCG, and Harbor Police need to figure out who has jurisdiction. My point about Marination is we frequent the establishment a lot even in the slow times. But, with the loud music we have chose to go elsewhere. They could be losing other business as well. I have heard others comment it is simply to loud. I totally believe in protecting our environment, and I believe everyone has the right to free speech (including me). Just I have a hard time when one right affects another including the local residences who can’t leave and businesses who I will speak for myself have lost $$$$.

• I. Ponder June 4, 2015 (9:47 pm)

  As with any festival I believe there are times past which loud music isn’t allowed. I think it’s 10PM but I’m not really sure. I suppose I can complain about the West Seattle Junction Festival this summer. Then there’s Seafair and the Blue Angels. There’s also lots of fast-car activity down at Alki on warm nights. I imagine the protest bargers want to be good neighbors within the law, but that doesn’t mean they won’t make any noise. This loss of $$$$ you speak of is mythology. Living on Alki is a mixed bag in the summer and always has been.

• Steve June 5, 2015 (12:29 am)

  Change starts at the bottom. You will never get those at the top to change things for you. To change the world you must start with yourself. When I see Americans actually walking the walk rather than just talking the talk I’ll pay attention. Until then, ho hum.

Sorry, comment time is over.