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Houston Energy Citizen Event not a Rally - it was a Company Picnic

Note: the times, dates and locations of all the upcoming American Petroleum Institute "Energy Citizen rallies" are at the end of this post.

As regular readers will recall, DeSmogBlog was the first blog to report on an API memo obtained by Greenpeace outlining a series of "energy citizens" rallies that would rely heavily on local oil companies bussing in their employees to create the appearance of a grassroots uprising against the Waxman-Markey clean energy bill.

Since then, I have received a lot of emails from oil company employees who know these fake rallies are wrong. Members of the Texas Public Citizen group attended the rally, and as they rightly report these were more like a company picnic than a spontaneous uprising of citizens.

If you've received an invitation to one of these energy citizen rallies, send me an email: desmogblog@gmail.com or call me at 778-240-6343 and let me know the details so we can continue to send folks out to report on these company picnics.

Here's a list of upcoming astrturf events:

8/18 (11:30 AM). Houston, TX. Verizon Wireless Center. 8/20 (11.30 AM)

Roswell, NM. Eastern New Mexico State Fairgrounds, Arts and Crafts Building

8/20 5.30 PM Greensboro, NC. Greensboro Coliseum.

8/21 (11:30 AM). Lima, OH Veterans' Memorial and Civic Center.

8/21 (11:30 AM) Farmington, NM. Convention Center at McGee Park

8/22 (11:30 AM). Atlanta, GA. Marriott Century Center.

8/25 (11.30 AM) Nashville, TN. Wild Horse Saloon.

8/25 (11:00 AM). Elkhart, IN. RV Hall of Fame.

8/25 (TBD) Greeley, CO. Island Grove Regional Park, Exhibit Hall

8/27 (11:30 AM). St. Louis, MO Hilton at the Ballpark.

8/27 (5.:00 PM) Tampa FL, Tampa Convention Center

8/27 (TBD). Bismarck, ND National Center of Energy Excellence at Bismarck State College, 4th Floor

8/31 (TBD). Anchorage, AK Anchorage Convention Center

8/31 (5:00 PM). Greenville, SC. Carolina First Center.

9/1 Springfield IL Time TBD Venue TBD

9/3 (Time TBD) Detroit MI Burton Manor Banquet and Conference Center.

9/3 (4:30 PM). Philadelphia, PA. Venue TBD.

9/3 Richmond, VA. TBD.

9/5 (2:30 PM). Lincoln, NE. Embassy Suites Lincoln.

9/7 (1:15 3 2:15 PM). Huron, SD. Freedom Stage, South Dakota State Fair

I will report out anymore details I can get so you can show up with your video cameras and ask questions, like: "Do you know why you're here today," or "Are you here because your boss made you come?". If media are at the event, be sure to urge them to report these events as fake astroturf events organized by oil companies. Maybe you'll get some footage like this:

What's next?

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#706534
Frank Bi. +1; Thu, 2009-08-20 09:47; COORDINATED LOCAL ACTIVISM!!!!!

I feel a bit sorry for the lady in the video. Clearly, she's not getting paid enough for this job.

-- bi

About the climate cover-up

About the climate cover-up

Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.

There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.

Although all public relations professionals are bound by a duty to not knowingly mislead the public, some have executed comprehensive campaigns of misinformation on behalf of industry clients on issues ranging from tobacco and asbestos to seat belts.

Lately, these fringe players have turned their efforts to creating confusion about climate change. This PR campaign could not be accomplished without the compliance of media as well as the assent and participation of leaders in government and business.

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