The Republicans, backed with oil-industry money, are doing an all-out "Shock Doctrine" war on green energy, and trying to use their own ginned-up FauxGate on Solyndra as the excuse.
But they're obviously worried that even with their media allies' aid, the general public's not buying their bull. So they and their oil-company masters have turned to one of Big Oil's longtime favorite blackwashing groups, the morally-withered husk of what once was the Congress for Racial Equality, or CORE. CORE has dutifully put out a press release bashing green energy in language that, aside from the amoral insinuation that green energy hurts African-Americans, is nearly interchangeable with that used by GOP congressmembers and Republican operatives. (For those who don't want to click on the link, the full text is after the jump.)
We need to counter their narrative before the corporate media unquestioningly spams it as "news". If the GOP/Media Complex is willing to mindlessly parrot Republican garbage points on Solyndra, they're definitely capable of spamming this blackwashing attempt.
Before we go to the press release, here's a little background:
Since 1968, CORE has been led by National Chairman Roy Innis, who initially led the organization to strongly support Black Nationalism. Subsequent political developments within the organization led it turn more towards the right. CORE supported the presidential candidacy of Richard Nixon in 1968 and 1972. In 1970, CORE voiced its support for racially-separate, segregated schools.[9] An article in Mother Jones magazine said of the modern organization that it "is better known among real civil rights groups for renting out its historic name to any corporation in need of a black front person. The group has taken money from the payday-lending industry, chemical giant (and original DDT manufacturer) Monsanto, and ExxonMobil."[10] In his book, Not A Conspiracy Theory: How Business Propaganda Hijacks Democracy, Donald Gutstein wrote that "In recent years CORE used its African-American facade to work with conservative groups to attack organizations like Greenpeace and undermine environmental regulation. It’s fair to say that CORE was for sale to anyone with a need for visible black cheerleaders in its campaign."[11]
Recently, on same sex marriage and black health in the U.S.: "When you say to society at large that you have to accept, not only accept our lifestyle, but promote it and put it on the same plane and equate it with traditional marriage, that's where we draw the line and we say 'no.' That's not something that is a civil right. That is not something that is a human right," said Niger Innis, national spokesman for CORE, and son of Roy Innis.[12] COREcares, an HIV/AIDS advocacy, education and prevention program for black women, was dismantled due to pressure from Project 21. Innis is on the board of the conservative Project 21 organization. [13]
According to an interview given by James Farmer in 1993, "CORE has no functioning chapters; it holds no conventions, no elections, no meetings, sets no policies, has no social programs and does no fund-raising. In my opinion, CORE is fraudulent." [14]
Now here's the CORE press release. Notice its reliance on the same talking points the oil companies crafted for the GOP to use? Notice the insistence on blaming environmentalists as opposed to Wall Street for everything?
Mark my words, the GOP/Media Complex will latch onto this and treat it like the Word of God, without questioning the group or its motives (or its patrons). That's why we have to get out there now and nip it in the bud before they can spread it:
From: "Niger Innis"
To: xxx
Date: 09/15/2011 12:21 PM
Subject: CORE Launches Ad Campaign Exposing the Obama Extremist Green Agenda
For immediate release: September 15, 2011
Contact: Niger Innis, national spokesman, (702) 633-4464
CORE Launches Ad Campaign Exposing the Obama Extremist Green Agenda
Rather than spending more money on failed green hysteria, we need real
action in the African-American community, jobs and economic growth
NEVADA – Today the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) launched a print
advertisement campaign highlighting the growing numbers in the
African-American community facing unemployment while the Obama
administration further harms this constituency through inflexible support
for a radical green agenda. The advertisement was placed today in the
African-American community newspaper Washington Informer ahead of next
week’s Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Annual Legislative Conference; it
features CBC Member Representative Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) recent criticism
of President Obama’s disregard for the African-American community during a
visit to the American Midwest.
“Unemployment amongst African-Americans is over 16 percent. So why does
President Obama continue to spend taxpayers’ dollars on a radical green
agenda that stifles innovation and destroys jobs at home and abroad? From
day one, President Obama has set job creation as a priority. And yet
through embracing extremist green policies the president has placed an
undue burden on jobs, consumers and small businesses,” said Niger Innis,
spokesman of the Congress of Racial Equality.
“President Obama has yet again stated that job creation is his priority,
even addressing a joint session of Congress. However, rather than
repeating the mistakes of the past, President Obama must stop writing
checks for these green gimmicks. Instead he must use this opportunity to
move government out of the way and allow the private sector to invest and
create opportunities for the millions of African-Americans who are out of
work.”
“Worse, the poor in America are a lot higher in numbers than what might
appear. More than 1 out of 4 African-Americans and Latinos are below the
poverty level. And what defines the poverty level? $11,000.00 per year.
So in other words if you are making $12,000.00 per year, you are not
considered poor!” Innis continued.
The advertisement highlights three inexcusable developments of President
Obama’s extremist green agenda:
• Green Bankruptcy: Solyndra, a California-based manufacturer of solar
power panels, received $535 million in low interest loans from the Obama
administration. On August 31, Solyndra filed for bankruptcy and immediately
laid off 1,100 employees, worsening America’s record unemployment figures.
• Green Jobs: President Obama has stated ‘Green Jobs’ are among his
priorities. Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayers’
money, the New York Times reported “Federal and state efforts to stimulate
creation of green jobs have largely failed.”
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): This radical forestry certification
scheme is a vehicle used by environmental extremists to rig the economy
against the poor. Supported by taxpayers, FSC forces poor countries to
abide by unaccountable and deeply flawed standards that raise costs for
American consumers during a time of deep economic recession.
To view the Washington Informer ad, click here.
CORE is the acronym for the Congress of Racial Equality. Founded in 1942,
CORE is the third-oldest and one of the ‘Big Four’ civil rights groups in
the United States. From the protests against Jim Crow laws of the 40's
through the sit-ins of the 50's, the Freedom Rides of the 60's, the cries
for Self-Determination in the 70's, Equal Opportunity in the 80's,
Community Development in the 90's, to the demand for equal access to
information, CORE has championed true equality. As the ‘shock troops’ and
pioneers of the civil rights movement, CORE has paved the way for the
nation to follow.
730 West Cheyenne Avenue, Suite 150, North Las Vegas, NV 89030 | Phone:
702-663-4464 | Fax: 702-485-2379
www.congressofracialequality.org