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June 15, 2007
What goes around...
by Sylvia S Tognetti
Denialism blog blogs an article in Harpers Magazine by Ken Silverstein (available only by subscription) who reports on the strategies of major lobbying and public relations firms - based on information he apparently learned first hand by posing as a businessman with interests in improving the image of Turkmenistan, and who represents a front company that has some influence on the direction of oil revenues. Among the tactics proposed by APCO, winner of the PR Agency of the Year award from PRWeek magazine: organize campaigns against "biased" news stories and hold forums for journalists academics and politicians hosted by a third party. They also link to an earlier article in the Boston Globe about academic consultants being hired "to change the public conversation" about their client, against whom several charges had been filed by Eliot Spitzer, in part by raising doubt about the effectiveness of the legal and regulatory environment. But if these tactics are legal, we do indeed have an ineffective legal and regulatory environment.
In other news, a couple of Yes Men turn the tables on this tactic when, posing as representatives of ExxonMobil and the National Petroleum Council, they presented the keynote speech at the Go-Expo Conference in Alberta Canada, where they were expected to deliver the long-awaited conclusions of a study commissioned by US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. In the speech, "Shepard Wolff" (aka, Andy Bichlbaum) announced that:
current U.S. and Canadian energy policies (notably the massive, carbon-intensive exploitation of Alberta's oil sands, and the development of liquid coal) are increasing the chances of huge global calamities. But he reassured the audience that in the worst case scenario, the oil industry could "keep fuel flowing" by transforming the billions of people who die into oil.
He went on to describe a technology for turning human flesh into a new product called Vivoleum, using 3-D animations. "Exxon rep" "Florian Osenberg" (aka, Mike Bonanno) added that "With more fossil fuels comes a greater chance of disaster, but that means more feedstock for Vivoleum. Fuel will continue to flow for those of us left." Members of the audience even lit candles made of the stuff, to commemorate an "Exxon janitor" who dies after cleaning up a toxic spill, before become aware of the hoax when... oh just go read the press release. It reads like a modified soylent green scenario, which I sometimes point to as an example of the economic concept of substitutability between natural, manufactured and human capital. There may be substitutes for everything but whether they are acceptable or anyone would freely choose such substitutes is another matter.
The company that organized the event had them dragged away from reporters and detained by private security guards but they were released by the Calgary Policy as no laws were violated.
But hey, its legal...
Posted by Sylvia S Tognetti at June 15, 2007 4:08 PM
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