On June 28, 2012 the Pennsylvania Environmental Council honored former Gov. Tom Ridge with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Ridge’s acceptance speech is entitled “Turning US versus THEM, into WE, As Leaders In Sustainability”.
I would like to focus on one particular portion of Ridge’s speech:
“Some groups fear the development of the shale gas fields, or at least find a thrill in causing others to fear it. Some foreign nations, like France and Vermont, have even banned it. “
There are 3 points I would like to make
1. The use of “SOME” is a time worn tactic. Fox News is very good at using the terms SOME PEOPLE or SOME GROUPS, etc. to lump all into one pile. It’s a way to point a finger without specifically pointing a finger at any one individual or group.
2. “…finding a thrill in causing others to fear it.” Could the American Lung Association (ALA) be considered a part of “some groups” finding a thrill in causing fear of “dirty coal”, along with Chesapeake Energy? Chesapeake Energy, through its front group, the American Clean Skies Foundation, is a major donor and co-sponsor of the “Dirty Faces” campaign. I understand the American Lung Association’s concern with the use of coal is the health impact, and doubt they find any “thrills” in educating the public. I don’t know if Chesapeake Energy’s management or Board of Directors is “thrilled”.
I know of no groups, “some” or otherwise, which find a thrill in any aspect of the Natural Gas issue. What I have found are real people in real communities with real concerns who are trying to make real changes.
3. Vermont is not a foreign nation. I did check the news and the most recent maps of the United States and, yes, Vermont is still part of the United States of America and rumors to the contrary are unfounded.
I should also mention the Ridge Policy Group, funded by Ridge, was a lobbyist for the Marcellus Shale Coalition. Mark Campbell, and Mark Holman , both with the Ridge Policy Group are members of the Marcellus Shale Coalition.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
But Dory, Vermont was at one time not part of the union, along with “some” other states.
If we have deceptive information it is because we have been given deceptive information. The gas industry is spending over 100 million dollars to create an untruthful and inaccurate version of what they are doing. That is “The Gas Reality”. They have hired the same PR company that sold America on the healthy effects of smoking cigarettes and ex-military PSY-OPS/propaganda personel to create “The GAS Lie”. If it is “all good”, why go through this and spend over 100 million dollars to create a myth. To the point thought, many of the people who are taking “The Hard Look” at the gas industry are college trained researchers like myself and are fully capable plowing through the real information, data, statistics, impact reports and the tens of thousands of pages of litigations against the gas industry for crimes against the environment and crimes against individules. It should be noted that all these supposed trouble-makers have lives of their own and those lives do not include being intentional “trouble-makers”. They are Americans in service to America. Remember what JFK said? We are some of the Americans that are following his request to give what we can of our selves to our nation. We have government and industry “obstructionists” who do not want us and others like us getting in their way and making the graft and misdirection more difficult. To the government and the gas industry, “If you can’t tell the truth and your still talking, your just making up more lies.”, Erwin D. Brown
You don’t meant that Tom Ridge is an idiot, now do you????
He’s in the same category as Corbett, a complete and total GASWHORE!!!
Wonder how much his stipend was for that pro gas speech, or was it part of his regular $900,000/year compensation package for working for the gassers?
Wow, the spoonerisms just keep a ‘comin.
Tom “Code Orange” Ridge knows from fear mongering don’t he ?
Who the hell is the Pennsylvania Environment Council, and what kind of morons are on it? Are they really that stupid or ignorant, or just shills ?