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