Laurie David:How Inconvenient Science a la Joe Camel

[cal04]

At hundreds of screenings this year of "An Inconvenient Truth," the first thing many viewers said after the lights came up was that every student in every school in the United States needed to see this movie.

The producers of former vice president Al Gore's film about global warming, myself included, certainly agreed. So the company that made the documentary decided to offer 50,000 free DVDs to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) for educators to use in their classrooms. It seemed like a no-brainer.

The teachers had a different idea: Thanks but no thanks, they said.

(snip)
Still, maybe the NSTA just being extra cautious. But there was one more curious argument in the e-mail: Accepting the DVDs, they wrote, would place "unnecessary risk upon the (NSTA) capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters." One of those supporters, it turns out, is the Exxon Mobil Corp.

(snip)
It's bad enough when a company tries to sell junk science to a bunch of grown-ups. But, like a tobacco company using cartoons to peddle cigarettes, Exxon Mobil is going after our kids, too.
more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400789.html

[Mabus]

1. Incredible.

Incredibly sad. There's so many things wrong with this. I'm speechless.

[IndyOp]

2. Oh. My. - Don't miss benefits of genetic engineering by Monsanto!

"Along with propaganda challenging global warming from Exxon Mobil, the curricular offerings included lessons on forestry provided by Weyerhaeuser and International Paper, Borowski says, and the benefits of genetic engineering courtesy of biotech giant Monsanto.

"The materials from the American Petroleum Institute and the other corporate interests are the worst form of a lie: omission," Borowski says. "The oil and coal guys won't address global warming, and the timber industry papers over clear-cuts."

We've GOT to ban corporate money from the classroom!

Holy Shit!

On edit: Unnecessary bold removed.

[CrispyQ]

13. I believe the lie of omission

falls under corporations freedom from speech. They assert that they have a First Amendment right "not to speak" to avoid informing customers about issues as they choose.

Revoke corporate personhood.

[gulliver]

3. Using your gas money to propagandize your children and ...

... writing it off on our tax returns. Exxon Mobil. We're drivers too.

[Fridays Child]

4. More from the article: "An API memo leaked to the media as long ago as 1998...

...succinctly explains why the association is angling to infiltrate the classroom: 'Informing teachers/students about uncertainties in climate science will begin to erect barriers against further efforts to impose Kyoto-like measures in the future.'"



They should offer the film to the schools by another venue. Hell, send it out through the teachers' unions. Fuck the NSTA and their dirty little friends at Exxon Mobil.

[XOKCowboy]

5. Corporate funding of schools - another Repug Great Idea

Hell let's deregulate everything. After all we can trust Corporate America not to screw us. Right?

Edited to add :sarcasm:

[Fridays Child]

6. Uh huh. Right. Now pass the vaseline, please.

:(

[sandyd921]

7. Just one more example of how the corporations have their tentacles

into every aspect of our society. It doesn't bode well for us If our kids can't get an education that promotes critical thinking and is free of propagandizing by the corporate overlords.

[XOKCowboy]

8. Campaign Reform Laws with government funding of elections...

is the only way to get the corporations out of government or at least lessen their influence. When we level the playing field and you don't have to be a billionaire to get elected then we'll have a true representative democracy.

As to your post, the present regime doesn't WANT much less promotes critical thinking. That has to change also.

[thingfisher]

9. Can anything be done

to control corporations? It seems like they have become so,powerful and so independent of any regulating body theat they can and do pretty much what they want. Let's face it: government is infested with corporate water carriers and politicians are held captive by coporate dollars. I doubt that the ployicians of either party will ever be able to legislate corporarte money out of the political process, but that is the only way to begin to get some control over these evil entities.

[hsher]

10. I've Leibowitzed this one

Check it out on General Discussion.

I'm pissed about this, and right now a comic is all I can do.

[annabanana]

11. Contact NSTA here:

http://www.nsta.org/feedback

They should know that we know why they are demurring on this excellent documentary.

[earth mom]

12. Those corporate bastards are PURE EVIL!

They are systematically ruining this country! :grr:

We need Gore in 2008 more than ever!