Wow. This one's rich.
First let's start with the protester's name: "Maya Smeloff." No wonder the poor bitch had to turn to "serious" endeavors like hanging protest signs on the WRONG bridge. Can't get that failure SMELL OFF??
Here are the best sentences of this story:
• "I've been raised to do this," she says, noting that her father is an environmentalist. --Way to go your own way, darling! So it's not that she's doing what she feels is right, but merely trying to please daddy. How alternative. How original. How Manchurian.

•(the activists didn't climb the existing I-5 bridge, because they would have faced stiffer charges).---Good thing there weren't activists of this stripe in Selma 40 or so years back or Obama would be running for Elevator operator! I can just see the news story on them back then: "the Freedom Riders rode to Trenton, because hoses and dogs might have been turned on them further south..."

•Sloan indicated the Convergence group would have at least one more—and bigger—civil disobedience action this week.---It wouldn't be hard to have a bigger protest. It would be hard to have a smaller one.

Maybe I'm a twit, but isn't gridlock for two hours and no means of electric mass transit worse for the enviroment? Populations are growing on both sides of the Columbia, and commerce between the two sides will increase. Without adequate roadways and alternaive methods of travel we are all going to suffer. Besides once the shift towards alternate fuels gets into full swing more lanes will just help efficiency. Then again maybe I'm just a twit.

I'm perfectly happy with children getting out there anger towards the world while it's far from the location of the issue... they should have more outings like this, it will be good for the kids to get fresh air... how bout using one of the bridges further south next time.

I think this organization will go far in this country... the sooner they start and the farther they go, the better!

Jackaroot:

I wholeheartedly concur with your position. Nicely stated.

A similar situation exits today in London, England, in that a bridge is proposed in East London, an area that has long suffered economic blight. As you might expect, exactly the same protests are occuring using exactly the same arguments and ignoring wholecloth the same ecological damage gridlocked traffic occassions.

This proves that there are twits on both sides of the Atlantic. To use the vernacular, you ain't one of them.

I remain your humble green-tinged servant,

Jacomus