Oil Industry Planning Town Hall Protests Against Climate Bill
August 14, 2009 · Print This Article
As angry, misinformed mobs take over town halls to scream in people’s faces about health care issues they don’t understand, the oil industry is quietly taking notes – and planning to use similar tactics against the climate bill.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the American Petroleum Institute and other energy groups are funding rallies in 20 states where they will hand out a flier that says things like “Climate change legislation being considered in Washington will cause huge economic pain and produce little environmental gain.”
The flier says the bill passed by the House in June and expected to come to the floor for a vote later in the year, “will cost 2 million American jobs, raise gasoline and diesel prices up to $4,” and threaten both U.S. competition and energy security.
“Let our U.S. senators know they need to ‘get it right’ and not make the same mistakes as the House,” the flier reads. Local organizers fill in the location, date and time slots.
The rallies will be organized in about 20 states, include those whose Democratic Senators aren’t strong supporters of a stringent bill, such as Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Mark Begich of Alaska.
“We’ve all seen those angry folks raising heck about health care,” said Frank O’Donnell, head of the environmental advocacy group, Clean Air Watch. “So I guess it was inevitable a special interest would try the same thing on the climate legislation,” he said in an email.
The ultra-dirty tactics – like outright forgeries – didn’t work, so Big Oil figures that it will merely take advantage of the public’s fear about the economy and their jobs to manufacture an anti-climate movement.
What’s really scary is how easily people are manipulated. If millions of people are willing to swallow outrageous lies about health care reform (i.e. Sarah Palin’s “death panel” comment), there’s no telling what else they’ll believe.
Link [The Wall Street Journal] via [Treehugger]
Photo credit: The Huffington Post
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So basically the fight is getting dirty. How could the American Petroleum Institute hand out leaflets stating such lies? The movement towards change is indeed going to be struggle.
Just passing through and noticed this site’s slight comments concerning “misinformed mobs” and even “outrageous lies” commentary concerning those opposed to Pres. OBama’s so-called Health Care reform. (IE Death Panels, etc.) I would hope, for the sake of honest discussion that the owner’s of this site would actually publish the documentation as the House of Reps have written it. There is nothing like the truth of FACTUAL content and actual wordings to encourage civil discourse instead of wildly making pronouncements (by this site and other persons also). You may be surprised to find that in the part known as 12:33 there is, in fact, wording that would have governmental boards, panels, or similar “advisors” that would indeed, make decisions as to ill citizens being mandated to consider euthanasia or self-life taking, or just take “pain killers” and return home, rather than otherwise being provided options necessary to prolong or improve their lives. I respectfully submit that those printed and factual portions / requirements as stated in the House Bill would have the effect and cause to decide life (and the quality of it) and death (due to lack of further health care measures. These decisions would indeed be made by a “panel” of a name or so, and would result in higher mortality rates. Therefore, the description usage of the term “death panels” is more closer to fact than not. To deny this, after reading the actual text would then call into question the seriousness and factuality of this entire site.
Thank you for you consideration and interest. the truth and facts know no politics and in fact, it is moreso that political interests have less truth and hate facts. I would be interested on what side you are on?? factual or farcical.