How can you identify an astro-turf organization? Please help!

[booley]

By astro turf I mean a suposedly "independent" organization that is really a shill for corporate interests.

I know there are plenty of such groups that try to undermine any enviromental science with misleading names liek the greening earth society and such.

but with billions of dollers, big business can cause such groups to sprout up faster then I by my little lonesome self can keep track. Much less remember my sources (which may not even exist anymore by the time I go back to them)

Ok, here's the long version of the story...

for instance, I am arguing with a freeper about global warming (who seems to have taken the conservative rhetoric to heart..he not only argues that global warming isn't happening, but that the effects of global warming will be great! and never does he see the apparent contradiction there...)

Now this guy is an idiot and he is not the issue. But he likes to C& P posts from these orgs (conveniently not listing the URL or source when he does) and the latest is a blurb on how global warming (which again, wil be great, even though it isn't going to happen;-) can't be caused by CO2 becuase it's cosmic rays that drive the Earth's climate.

I tracked down the source which is the Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change. That name sounds so familiar but while I can find plenty of references to the org, it's almost always in relation to other known astro turf orgs..like Milloy's junk science or OISM. And I want more then mere guilt by association. I am sure it's an astro turf org (even i can see logical flaws in thier theories, no matter how many algebraic equations they try to cloud the issue with) but i can't find the proof I need.

Is there anybody keeping track of these orgs (which do thier best to hide any corporate backing or connections they have)? And if there isn't shouldn't there be? I mean, I am seeing these orgs quoted in news stories with no mention as to the credibility of thier "science" or any conflicts of interest they may hold.

Oh, and just for completeness sake, here's a link to the post on another forum that started me into this. it's post 313 by Kahn (or Kahned as I call him...)

http://groups.msn.com/RushversusReality/rushvsreality.msnw?action=get_message&mview=0&ID_Message=74686&LastModified=4675442250285753106&openpopup=1&posturl=rushvsreality.msnw%3Faction%3Dmb_post%26mview%3D0%26ID_TopParent%3D74686%26ID_Parent%3D91741&pps=k

[GAspnes]

1. didn't take long

Google on "Center for the Study of Carbon Dioxide and Global Change"

click on the 3rd link down and go to

http://www.mediatransparency.org/search_results/info_on_any_recipient.php?recipientID=1993

click on the supporter's name and get

http://www.mediatransparency.org/funders/scaife_foundations.htm

If you don't recognize the name "Scaife" as a *huge* right-wing, conservative, vicious source of money (guess who funded "The Arkansas Project" to smear Clinton), then I guess my research was wasted.

[booley]

2. cool thanks..but ...

yes I know who richard mellon scaife is. however, i was not talking about just this oen particular site. not all astro turf orgs are goign this simple as to list thier contributers anywhere on thier site . OISM sure as hell doesn't.

So is there a place which tracks these false groups with the misleading name the hidden agenda?