Blog post

I took this photo inside the Bella Centre today (Wednesday, December 16), some two hours prior to the widespread protests that took place outside the building. What do you see? Do you see indigenous South American farmers displaying handcrafts to a small but interested audience? That’s what I saw. Here’s what a reporter from CNBC, standing 15 feet away, said during a live broadcast to millions:

“And behind me we have what’s called a sit-in protest. I don’t know what they’re protesting, to be honest, but it’s this kind of sitting protest that is happening all over the Bella Centre right now that is causing security nightmares for the U.N. staff.”

Come again? What did he say? As it turned out, his cameraman and I got into a wee bit of a tussle over my live on-air correction of his criminally misleading description. Yes, I suppose I should have just kept my mouth shut, representing as I am both an esteemed global think tank and a coalition of local U.S. governments, but I can’t stand this type of bald-faced lying to the public, especially when so much is on the line. I repeatedly asked the reporter and cameraman if they felt they had any responsibility to tell the truth. No answer, just anger that my corrections may have leaked to their viewers. I wanted to grab the camera and start speaking a whole lot of truth, but instead I skulked away angrier than I’ve been in a long time.

Minutes later, I learned that the U.N. had decided to deny entry previously credentialed organizations Avaaz and Friends of the Earth. That was it for me. I couldn’t take it any longer at the COP15 sham and left the Bella Centre.

I ended up missing tonight’s Naomi Klein/George Monbiot discussion, and I’m still kicking myself over this. However, I did pass by this great little advertisement by Coca-Cola on my way back to the flat (see pic). I was intrigued to learn that the global mega-corp is not only saving the planet, but they’ve somehow managed to bottle Barack Obama. Pepsi must be pissed at getting one-upped like this. The Yes Men are on the case, having punked Coke with a faux press conference (watch the video over at Grist) a few days ago.

The Yes Men may have succeeded where the protest marches failed here in Copenhagen. Their action against Canada embarrassed the Canadian government publicly and prominently, something the chanting masses likely failed to achieve. This isn’t to say that taking to the streets to fight for the future is a bad tactic, only that the attempts in Copenhagen, from my perspective, were less than successful for a whole lot of reasons. We’ll get ‘em in Mexico City, right guys?

A few hours ago, I was fortunate enough to be invited into the Yes Men’s Copenhagen secret lair, where I fulfilled a lifelong dream: Thanks to Ashley Anderson, I was able to experience the joy, freedom and deep security that is life within a Survivaball.

Tomorrow? Who knows. Most of us aren’t allowed back into the Bella Centre, so we’re going to have to come up with some sort of game plan. At this point, I’m thinking maybe we try to convince the world’s poorest nations to declare war on the U.S., Russia and Canada. Maybe then people will start to understand how serious the situation is. . . and who, exactly, is responsible. So that’s what I’ll be working on tomorrow. Getting some canoes together off the coast of the Maldives….