To the Editor:

On March 2 I will march from the campus of Georgetown University to the front gate of the White House with one simple demand—that President Obama fulfills his promise to the people of the United States and its future generations and blocks the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline. I will demand that  our government find courage in the face of adversity.

But I will not be alone. Instead I will be one voice among hundreds or thousands, including 15 Bowdoin students, as part of what will be one of the largest single demonstrations of civil disobedience by youth at the White House in over a generation—and all of it organized by students. 

Keystone XL is an issue that has turned into a shouting match.  There are even those who argue within the ranks that this is not the battle to be fought. We say this is not the battle to lose. 
For my generation, we have no choice. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. A failure to block this pipeline would be aiding and abetting a crime against humanity.

Although we may not speak with checkbooks or massive campaign donations, we are armed with our disobedience and our message: We will no longer sit at the sidelines as our future is squandered.  

Bowdoin does XL Dissent.

Sincerely,
Hugh Ratcliffe ’15