DeSmogging the DeSmog Blog
In February, we came across an article by Brendan DeMelle, editor of the DeSmogBlog.com which purported to have conclusive proof that the tea party movement is ‘fake grassroots’ because it was started and funded by big tobacco and continues to take in large amounts of money. Of course we wrote to Brendan to advise him that this was not true and that the movement was in fact started by liberty activists in late 2007 when they decided to toss boxes of ‘tea’ into the harbors across America to call attention to issues such as the Federal Reserve (and all other things to do with money), undeclared wars, and loss of personal freedoms. They also held a rally in Boston on December 16 of that year.
DeMelle kept up his absurd insistence that we get money, but somehow, the founders who open the mail here at NHTPC, (myself included) probably don’t know about it. He kept asking me in the most patronizing and faux sympathetic way if I wasn’t furious and didn’t feel terrible knowing now that I had been ‘used’ as a ‘corporate pawn’ because well, he certainly would… What a joke. Seriously, all that cash that is supposedly being funneled to us, well, where is it? There is no such thing. Feel sorry for yourself DeMelle.
After going back and forth in emails with Mr. DeMelle who was quite arrogant and sophomoric in his attitude, he gave up because he had no real proof of his argument except to say that some group once called one of their 2002 events a ‘tea party’ which of course never took off as a movement as ours did in 2007. He said he gave up talking to us because we were not willing to ‘parse’ fact from fiction…
We then did a bit of our own research on his group, DeSmogBlog. We were not surprised. Talk about fake grassroots!
It never fails… if you want to ‘parse’ fact from fiction, behold the information here.
The Truth about DeSmogBlog and SourceWatch
According to the SPPI Blog both DeSmogBlog and SourceWatch are funded by some rather large donors.
Just as the radical environmental group 350.org is funded by the Rockefeller Bros, the worlds WEALTHIEST OIL FAMILY, DeSmogBlog and its sister site SourceWatch are both funded by large corporate PR interests and used to randomly smear other groups and movements with the very same accusations.
Lo and behold DeSmogBlog, as well as their sister group Source Watch, is funded by radical leftist George Soros — a BILLIONAIRE!!!!
DeMelle ought to be ashamed of himself for accusing others who get 0, yes that’s ZERO as in nada, zip, zilch, NO money from anywhere, of being ‘astroturf’ or ‘pawns’ of anyone…
From SPPI:
“DeSmogBlog is a smear site founded by a scientifically unqualified public relations man, James Hoggan and funded by a convicted money launderer, John Lefebvre. The irony here is their favorite tactic is to attempt to smear those they disagree with as funded by “dirty money”. Since its creation in 2006 the site has done nothing but post poorly researched propaganda with a clear intent to smear respected scientists, policy analysts or groups who dares oppose an alarmist position on global warming.”
The site goes on to say:
“So who is James Hoggan? He’s a public relations man, based in Vancouver. His firm, James Hoggan and Associates, is positioned as a feel-good local operation with clients in all the “right” public and private sectors. He also sits on the board of the David Suzuki Foundation.
One of his side efforts is a blog operated out of Hoggan and Associates. Funded by retired internet bubble king John Lefebvre, the blog has one full-time and three part-time staff. They spend their time tracking down and maliciously attacking all who have doubts about climate change and painting them as corporate pawns.
There has been no mention on the blog, nor on The Fifth Estate, of James Hoggan’s client list. They include or have included the National Hydrogen Association, Fuel Cells Canada, hydrogen producer QuestAir, Naikun Wind Energy and Ballard Fuel Cells. Mr. Hoggan, in other words, benefits from regulatory policy based on climate change science.”
Cui bono? As usual, there is money to be made in the business of smearing.
TALK ABOUT CORPORATE PAWNS. They even offer advice on “How to spot you’ve been suckered by a fake grassroots movement”. I guess they themselves are the biggest example of just such a phenomenon.
As we were in 2007, we do not accept donations or money from ANYONE. All we ask is PARTICIPATION of your time, your expertise, your presence at various efforts around the state to expose and diffuse issues of concern to us.
How do you sleep at night Mr. DeMelle? You should be ashamed of yourself.