Via Think Progress:
Last month, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) announced a congressional investigation of the DC lobbying firm Bonner & Associates. The firm, which has a long history of astroturfing, was caught forging anti-clean energy reform letters — purportedly from groups representing women and people of color — to Congress. Coal front group American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy was eventually revealed to be Bonner’s client in the anti-clean energy campaign. Now, more forged letters have been uncovered.
Today, Markey revealed five new letters, and dozens more may be out there. According to a statement from Markey’s office, the faked letters came from “elderly services and senior centers” and were sent to Democratic Reps. Tom Periello (VA), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA), and Christopher Carney (PA):
The five letters revealed today brings the total number of fraudulent letters to 13, now representing 9 different community groups. Letters released today were staged to look like they were sent by groups representing senior citizen services like the non-profit Erie Center on Health & Aging. Previous letters already made public were from the Charlottesville-based NAACP, Creciendo Juntos, a hispanic advocacy organization, the Jefferson Area Board on Aging, and the American Association of University Women. […]
“We’ve seen fear-mongering with our nation’s senior citizens with health care, and now we’re seeing fraud-mongering with senior citizens on clean energy,” said Chairman Markey. “Lately, democratic debate has been deceptively debased by fake facts and harsh rhetoric. We must return to an honest discussion of the issues, and ensure that this sort of campaign does not further poison the well of trustworthy debate.”
Between the five new forged letters and last week’s leaked memo revealing that the American Petroleum Institute will be manufacturing “Energy Citizen” rallies to oppose clean energy reform, it is clear that the energy industry is willing to go to any lengths in their efforts to halt clean energy reform.
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They will get away with it. They always do. If MSM ever picks this up it will have forgotten about it in a few days. The problem is MSM uses the same K street crowd to lobby for their interests.
I’ve seen many leftist websites in the past that had canned letters already typed up ready to be sent to newspapers and politicians. What’s the difference between this and what Bonner & Associates are doing?
Big Oil companies do this kind of stuff all the time. Check out this video about Chevron’s attempt to weazel out of a $27 billion lawsuit brought by communities affected by their dirty practices in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Even Andy Rooney hates what Chevron is doing!
http://chevrontoxico.com/ news-and-multimedia/ 2009/ 0818-60-seconds.html
Mr. kramer, the difference is obvious.
Many websites have form letters for people to send. In those cases, the letters are really sent by the people they claim to be from, even though they are not written by those people.
In this case, the letters are not really sent by the groups they claim to be from.
Man… that one wayward, unethical employee at Bonner must have been the hardest working person in DC!
What’s the difference between this and what Bonner & Associates are doing?
Forgery ≠ form letter.
This has been another edition of Simple Answers to Disingenuous Questions.
Best,
D
Well, the first shots across the bow were fired here in Houston today. Our ABC affiliate channle 13 reported that the American Petroleum Institute organized a rally and employees of the energy industries, oil and gas, showed up to protest the American Climate and Energy Security Act. The usual claims of rising costs for oil at $4.00 a gallon, higher costs for electricity costing thousands more per family per year were bantied about along with the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs by 2015. Of course if there is no serious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 we will be on track towards a climate that will not be able to sustain our current civilation.
Thanks for sharing that information,I agree, oil companies do this kind of stuff all the time.
This is a great post…direct lift of statements almost word for word used by homeland institute for both tobacco and climate change.
http://climatesight.org/ 2009/ 08/ 17/ a-well-documented-strategy/
We know it is unethical and contrary to how a healthy democracy should operate.
But can this be legal?
Making, forging a signature and sending a misleading document is a deliberate lie. Why does their corporate charter allow that?
Are not stockholders liable for the consequences of that action?
Next car I buy might be a Renault…
Electric car industry boost as leading developer plans production of tens of thousands of vehicles a year
http://www.guardian.co.uk/ environment/ 2009/ aug/ 18/ renault-electric-car
Carmaker developing three models with Renault for sale in Denmark and Israel, with plans to expand scheme further
NY Times just posted a story that includes coverage of this further down in a story about the first of the American Petroleum Institute’s rallies against the climate bill (and connecting the two as astroturfing basically).
Oops, meant to include the link to NYT story:
http://www.nytimes.com/ 2009/ 08/ 19/ business/ energy-environment/ 19climate.html
Rally only lasted about an hour, not sure if that will be the case for the others…
kramer wrote: “I’ve seen many leftist websites in the past that had canned letters already typed up ready to be sent to newspapers and politicians. What’s the difference between this and what Bonner & Associates are doing?”
I take it that you would have no problem if I wrote a letter to your elected representatives supporting legislation that you oppose, and signed your name to it.
Another fallacious equation between “leftist” and “person that acknowledges anthropogenic global warming”. As if global average temperature were a function of individual political leanings. I think we know what kramer’s leanings are. Too bad the world’s still getting hotter.