Yes Men Descend on Capitol Hill

Photo courtsey of <a href="http://www.theyesmen.org/plunge#videos">the Yes Men</a>.

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After creating quite the spectacle at the Press Club yesterday, the Yes Men were on Capitol Hill on Tuesday showing off their Survivaball suits to unsuspecting senators and passersby.

The Survivaball, as they describe it, is “the stupidest costume known to humankind,” intended to “highlight the absurdity of the Senate’s slow pace in responding to climate change.” They market the climate-change survival suits to potential customers as a “gated community for one.”

Today’s activities apparently included harassing Arlen Spector (D-Pa.), a senator who has been on the fence about passing climate change legislation this year. From their blog:

At another point, a fleet of Survivaballs chased Senator Arlen Spector outside the Hart Senate Office Building. “Anyone as wishy-washy on climate issues as the Senator, who thinks that clean coal is an answer, needs a Survivaball,” said Ross Finlayson, a top Surviva-model involved in the chase. “Maybe he ran away because he knew that even he couldn’t afford one.”

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We don't answer to billionaires. We answer to you.

You've watched it happen in real time: corporate media cutting staff, killing stories, and bending to power. The giants of American media have owners to protect, and the truth pays the price.

None of it should surprise us. The problem with American journalism has always been that we entrusted this vital public service to for-profit companies whose allegiance could shift with the political winds and the bottom line.

That is why Mother Jones is independent from billionaires, corporations, and any other deep-pockets owner—and has been since we were founded 50 years ago. We’re only answering to our readers. To you.

We’re funded by our readers too. This week, we have a generous $50,000 match for all donations, meaning that your donation—and your impact—will be doubled. Gifts from readers like you help keep us fiercely independent and telling the truth about those in power.

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