(JOHN BENNET used to be my husbands roommate and friend in university, so its rather grand that they are at totally opposite ends of the climate scam, Gerry Gagnon proving, once again, that he was/is right) The Sierra Club has found a new enemy to target in its never-ending war to save the planet: Big Billboard. It appears Big Billboard has been assisting Big Oil and Big Pipeline by agreeing to carry a message the Sierra Club disagrees with, by a group the Sierra Club does not like. National program director John Bennett is not pleased with this. What does Big Billboard think it’s doing, accepting business from climate change deniers? The billboard in question is sponsored by a group calling itself Friends of Science. This really bugs Mr. Bennett {Yes, because they have science backgrounds and he doesnt...}. They’re not friends of science, he harrumphs. They’re deniers pretending to be friends of science. And their claim – that the sun is the main driver of climate change – is absolutely not true, he says. The notion that the sun causes climate change “has been totally debunked,” he says. That makes the billboards’ message blatant disinformation. Just in case we don’t know what that means, he explains it for us: “Free speech is the right to express a point of view – a right I will rely on, and defend, every day. Disniformation, however, is the intentional use of untruths in an attempt to misinform and confuse. It comes from war propaganda techniques designed to lead the enemy into drawing wrong conclusions.” You see what he’s saying, right? Big Billboard is using wartime methods to sow propaganda to gull you into believing stuff that just isn’t true. There you are in your car, driving along, totally innocent to the fact you’re being targeted by a clandestine and totally nefarious effort to disinform you, financed by Big Oil. And there it is: Wham! The billboard. Before you know it, you read the message: It’s the sun...! Not the tarsands! And, just like that, you change your mind. You forgive the tarsands and start blaming the sun. Another potential donor lost to the Sierra Club. In case you still miss the point, in which case you must be pretty thick, Mr. Bennett offers a further explanation. This one’s about grammar: “If Friends of Science … had used the words ‘we believe’ they would have been technically expressing a point of view, but they didn’t. They stated in absolute terms: “The sun is the main driver of climate science.” So get with it, OK, Big Billboard? Learn English. You skip composition class or something? Mr. Bennett could perhaps tolerate the expression of an opinion, but flat-out disinformation? No way. For its failure to properly express itself, Mr. Bennett has nothing but derision for Friends of Science. For agreeing to carry their message, he wants punishment for Big Billboard -- which in this case means Jim Pattison, head of one of Canada’s largest privately-owned companies. “What’s so appalling is that a global billboard company, Pattison (Pattison Outdoor Advertising), would participate in such a blatant disinformation campaign. It’s shocking that an advertising company would be so reckless with its reputation and its credibility,” he writes. That’s right! When Kentucky Fried Chicken pays for a billboard that says “Finger Lickin’ Good,” it sure better BE finger lickin’ good, otherwise they’re going to hear from the Disinformation Police over at the Sierra Club. And they’ll want proof, I can tell ya. Where’s your evidence? Where’s your licked fingers? You got photos of that? Rather than complain to the Advertising Standards Council, which would take too long (and is in the pockets of the disinformers anyway, Mr. Bennett suggests), he urges loyal Sierraites to just click on the conveniently-provided icon, which opens a window in which an angry message has already been written and addressed to Mr. Pattison and his colleagues in evil-doing. All you have to do is fill in your name (or any name, for that matter) and click send. Another example of heart-felt concern over global warming. Here’s the pre-packaged message: “By accepting to publish billboards on behalf of “Friends of Science” in the Montreal and Calgary region, your company has facilitated a campaign of public disinformation on climate change. …“The “Friends of Science” billboards are clearly part of a national campaign to mislead Canadians about their impact on the climate, and your company’s name has now been directly associated with it.” “I ask that you do the right thing. Reject this shameful disinformation campaign and remove the signs immediately.” Immediately, got that Pattison? Otherwise we’ll have to put you down as being in league with Big Oil, Big Pipeline, Big Emissions and all those climate change deniers who fall for messages like the one from Friends of Science. Do the right thing, Jim. Purify your billboards. Otherwise, another iceberg will die... --Big Oil, meet Big Billboard. Sierra Club finds a new enemy in global plot against truth, Kelly McParland, National Post, December 5, 2014 fullcomment.nationalpost/2014/12/05/kelly-mcparland-big-oil-meet-big-billboard-sierra-club-finds-a-new-enemy-in-global-plot-against-truth/
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 17:51:51 +0000
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