Environmentalists demonstrate over pipeline; occupy govt. bldg, smash computers.

[No Elephants]

Not in the U.S. of course. People hate us for our freedoms, even though we can't be arsed to exercise many of them.

No, this happened in China, where people are apparently too foolish to just accept their government's word for everything at face value. Only bad, bad communist people would stand up to both a communist government and communist/capitalist job creators for their environment! Thank heavens, most Americans know better.

:sarcasm:

Angry Chinese occupy government office, smash computers in environment protest

By John Ruwitch

QIDONG, China | Sat Jul 28, 2012 3:30am EDT

(Reuters) - Angry demonstrators occupied a government office in eastern China on Saturday, destroying computers and overturning cars in a violent protest against an industrial waste pipeline {from a paper factory} they said would poison their coastal waters.

The demonstration was the latest in a string of protests sparked by fears of environmental degradation and highlights the social tensions the government in Beijing faces as it approaches a leadership transition this year.

<sni>

Demonstrators rejected the government's stand that waste from the factory would not pollute the coastal waters.

<snip>

Several protesters entered the city government's main building and were seen smashing computers, overturning desks and throwing documents out the windows to loud cheers from the crowd.

Reuters witnessed five cars and one minibus being overturned. Over 1,000 police - some paramilitary - guarded the city government office compound in lines.

<snip>

On Friday, in an effort to stave off the protest, the Qidong city government announced it would suspend the project for further research.

<snip>

"If the government really wanted to stop this project, they should have done it right from the beginning. At this point they are too late," said Xi Feng, a 17-year-old protester.

<snip>

In Shifang, the government halted construction of a copper refinery following protests by residents that it would poison them. It also freed most of the people who were detained after a clash with police.

The leadership has vowed to clean up China's skies and waterways and increasingly tried to appear responsive to complaints about pollution. But environmental disputes pit citizens against local officials whose aim is to lure fresh investment and revenue into their areas.

(Additional reporting by Carlos Barria; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/28/us-china-environment-protest-idUSBRE86R02Y20120728

Photo slide show (worth thousands of words) http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow?articleId=USBRE86R02Y20120728&slide=1#a=1



Hmmm. Coastal waters, government, job creators.

Anyone else been reading about all the orange, yellow, blue and calico lobsters coming from the waters off Maine lately? And that's not even the Gulf! (Red or orange lobsters after cooking =normal. Orange right out of the sea, not so normal at all.)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/reports-of-blue-orange-and-other-odd-colored-lobsters-on-the-rise-as-crustacean-harvest-grows/2012/07/22/gJQAn5EX2W_story.html


But, no reason for us to demonstrate.

None.

I said none.

After all, we're not freakin' communists, for feck's sake.