The request was rejected. But on Thursday, to the protesters’ delight, it will be green anyway, for another reason: an “Emerald Gala” for the 70th anniversary of the film “The Wizard of Oz.”
Organizers have notified their email lists, and many demonstrators plan to stand under the building and cheer when it lights up in the evening. Photographers documenting the protests plan to post the view online for inspiration around the globe, organizers said.
“The universe is smiling and the stars are aligned!” wrote one blogger, named Anonymous Iran. “I’m so happy I could cry!”
The green lighting will happen the same day demonstrators plan to unfurl a nearly mile-long green banner across the Brooklyn Bridge. Sadra Shaba, a 24-year-old graduate student and protest organizer for Voices for Iran, said protesters “consider anything that’s green part of our movement. Even the Statue of Liberty is green.”
"We cannot allow government officials to target individuals or companies because they do not like what they have to say," McConnell said. "Is this what we believe as a Senate -- that this body should debate a trillion-dollar health care bill that affects every American while using the powerful arm of government to shut down speech?"Hmmm.
