It’s tradition for the opposing political party to deliver a response to the president's annual State of the Union address, and this year the Democrats dutifully weighed in, as in years past.
But this year's speech earned another rebuttal of sorts, this one from Greenpeace.
It was what you might call a non-verbal response, delivered at the Washington Monument, quite literally.
On Jan. 29 at about 6:30 p.m., the day after President Bush’s speech, the environmental group projected an image on the side of the 555-foot-tall landmark that read, “U.S. Global Warming Plan: Hell and High Water,” with an image of rising sea levels, the expected consequence as the earth continues to warm.
The image was quite large, perhaps 200 feet in height.
The guerilla stunt was done at almost no cost--and of course without permission.
The only real expense: the fines incurred by two activists. They were charged with two parking violations apiece, and one was cited for demonstrating without a permit, which carries a maximum penalty of six months behind bars and a $300 fine.
The projection was only up for five to 10 minutes, about enough time to shoot some pictures. About then park police came along and ordered them to take it down.
But it was still worth the effort, says Greenpeace’s Steve Smith.
“A photo was in the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle and on Greenwire,” Smith says, referring to an online publication that covers energy and environmental policy issues and is read on Capitol Hill. The story was also picked up by TV stations around the country.
