Sunday we all got a chuckle (or a scare depending on your world view) from the Superbowl Green Police commercial. Some thought it was fine satire, others thought it hit a little too close to reality.
After watching this report about Cathy Zoi in the Obama administration, perhaps the “too close to reality” worry has merit. In this report from John Stossel, she visualizes and vocalizes the need for “swat teams” in neighborhoods to enforce energy efficiency retrofits for homes and businesses.
Zoi, formerly of the “Alliance for Climate Protection”, formerly Al Gore’s point person for his “Repower America” nationwide campaign, now heads up Obama’s DOE energy efficiency/renewables division.
Cathy Zoi, center, Al Gore, at right. Photo via Flickr
Treehugger has a report on her move from GORE to DOE.
So why is John Stossel reporting about her? It seems some cronyism might be afoot related to company that’s been getting some government handouts as part of the “stimulus”. Watch John Stossel’s eye opening report below.
I should add that I’m all for energy efficiency, which I demonstrate with deeds, but I’m against “swat teams” forcing retrofits on homeowners. People are smart enough to make a change if it will save energy and thus money.
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RocyRoad: Yes I believe that the team they deploy would be there to help.
If you listen to the tape, the term was used, as it is usually used in the Federal Government, as follows: A small team of skilled and experienced practitioners who can pull a failing project out of the ditch. This team does not tolerate political interference as it makes decisions and takes actions to bring the project to fruition.
That is just one several definitions. As a retired Federal employee I have been a member of SWAT teams. They were not police actions. The SWAT team in the tape was not forcing anything. I am afraid that Anthony totally misinterpreted the meaning. But Given the Super Bowl ad, which was funny, and all the Gate things, I can understand that. However, the emotional reaction to the term does not enhance the credibility of WUWT. It is best forgotten.
EYE opener, great find! thanks
Tim
Zeke the Sneak (17:33:44) : “You can still see that the groundwork for the ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL CIVILIAN COMMUNITY CORPS PROGRAM with “a focus on energy conservation, environmental stewardship or conservation” is being laid right now.”
Ooh! Ooh! Do we get jackboots? Can we goose-step?
Despite all the equivocation above, SWAT is an acronym standing for Special Weapons And Tactics. It’s an armed force to be used primarily against citizens. Just because some envious agency wannabes have adopted it for other uses doesn’t mean the primary definition has somehow been watered down. ♪Whatcha gonna do when they come for YOU?♫
You have to seriously ask yourself are these people HUMAN!. In my entire life (55) I have never come across this type of mindset that even when confronted with empirical proof that what they are postulating is pure and simply wrong if not criminally wrong!. They will twitch, twitch and then carry on with the same rhetoric as if they never heard you?!. Most disturbing!. If anyone can get a saliva sample DNA of Al Gore tested we would all be interested.?
I really hope the blockquotes work properly here….
Aiding in the election is totally separate from work product once appointed to an admin position – and there are laws that delineate at least to some extent where those lines get drawn in terms of what partisan activities can be taken by an appointed person. Its very much apples and oranges. The President and his Admin is sworn to serve EVERYONE equally, not their particular political party over the other party. Bias creeps in of course, they are human – but this particular situation is gross and pretty clearly utterly inappropriate if not outright illegal.
Yes, but Gavin S is a federal employee, and as such it is ILLEGAL for him to do non-work activities while billing the government as if he’s doing his job. Its also ILLEGAL for him to use government equipement (computer, modem, phone line or ethernet or T1, etc etc) and office space for personal/non-job related activities.
Unless you are also a gov. employee, what you are doing, depending on the particular company you work for may be just fine and accepted within reasonable degrees, or it may be against company policy and a punishable offense perhaps even to the point of termination, it may be considered ‘stealing’ from the company since they’re paying you to do their work not your personal activities – but its pretty unlikely to be illegal.
In Gavin S’s position, he’s almost certainly been to HR employee meetings on some regular periodic basis that re-iteriates the illegality of such activies, and almost certainly even had to sign statements that he’s aware of. complies with zero tolerance policies against exactly those sorts of activities, and acknowledges that they are illegal acts that can lead to criminal prosecution.
In other words, there’s virtually no question that Gavin S’s posts and time creating those posts, when from his office and during working hours is worse than inappropriate, its actually illegal.
Why do I doubt that this Admin and his superiors will choose to take any action on the matter, however? Sigh.
addition to the Gavin S/Realclimate on the taxpayer’s dime issue: Not to mention the gross impropriety of, while on the taxpayer dime, pretending to present unbiased science when in reality its a cover up and gross advocacy, aimed at the very public that is paying one’s salary to do a job and provide results that are to be unbiased science.
All the while also helping pull the wool over the citizens of other countries also.
Its sickening on so many different levels.
Don E (22:06:20) :
RocyRoad: Yes I believe that the team they deploy would be there to help.
If you listen to the tape, the term was used, as it is usually used in the Federal Government, as follows: A small team of skilled and experienced practitioners who can pull a failing project out of the ditch. This team does not tolerate political interference as it makes decisions and takes actions to bring the project to fruition.
That is just one several definitions. As a retired Federal employee I have been a member of SWAT teams. They were not police actions. The SWAT team in the tape was not forcing anything. I am afraid that Anthony totally misinterpreted the meaning. But Given the Super Bowl ad, which was funny, and all the Gate things, I can understand that. However, the emotional reaction to the term does not enhance the credibility of WUWT. It is best forgotten.
—————————
Reply:
So the acronym “SWAT” to you stands for what? Can you expand on that, please?
I was horrified to learn that the green police superbowl ad wasn’t as far fetched as it appeared (at least to me) – but rather was actually based on some of the current laws in San Francisco.
I didn’t have a clue that anywhere had gone quite this far yet, although I knew California was further down the slippery slope than the majority of the USA. Talk about government intrusion and ultimate nanny state! I suppose its fine as long as its local – or statewide, because if you don’t like it you can move and that’s what our nation is supposed to be about…. but its an entirely different story for the federal government to mandate these things by fiat. It really is the slippery slope the entire nation is on and the direction the triumvirate of Obama/Pelosi/Reid is trying to force the entire nation.
Right now they’re putting together the latest version of the ‘childhood nutrition act.’ It’d give the federal government total control over exactly what foods could or couldn’t be in school cafeteria’s and vending machines throughout the nation, and they think that’s utterly reasonable, no, actually essential! These people have no clue what our constitution and federal republic is even all about.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35299173/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/
Schools are SUPPOSED to be local, not federal…. and local parents, school boards, PTA, etc., supposedly aren’t capable of deciding what is or isn’t ok to be in their own cafeterias and vending machines (if they allow vending machines in those particular schools). Talk about nanny state insanity and massive waste of taxdollars.
Anyhow, the ‘green police’ in San Francisco:
Why the “Green Police” Is So San Francisco
Audi car commercial “hits home” for Gavin Newsom and other city dwellers
By JACKSON WEST
Updated 5:39 AM PST, Tue, Feb 9, 2010
Audi’s “Green Police” Super Bowl ad was clearly out to mock environmentalist fervor — and it hit close to home in greener-than-thou San Francisco.
Perhaps that’s because it was the brainchild of Audi’s advertising agency, San Francisco independent Venables Bell & Partners.
Sitting squarely in the “I am white, middle-class man, hear me roar” school of ads, the Cheap Trick-scored commercial suggested a world in which the type of individual decisions that seem meaningless but in the aggregate make a difference are enforced by enthusiastic law enforcement professionals in green uniforms.
The implication: You can only escape the zealots if you buckle under and forego plastic grocery bags for paper (when you should be bringing your own, but you knew that).
One moment in particular resonated with San Franciscans: A man standing at a sink prepares to dump a rind in his sink’s disposal unit — an act ostensibly banned by San Francisco’s new composting mandate, one of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s many green initiatives.
Unless, of course, you buy an Audi. Because nothing says “I’m a real American, and not some effete liberal environmental lunatic” like an Audi.
The locally conceived advertisement was enough to get Newsom, who has pushed for the type of recycling and composting mandates that give the spot its believably authoritarian edge, was moved to tweet, “Ok .. That “green police” Audi commercial hits home.”
If Venables Bell really wanted to twist the knife, though, wouldn’t they point out that an Audi designed for ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel would probably emit less pollution than the city-owned hybrid SUV Newsom is currently being driven around in?
I’m am in the “too close to reality” crowd. Thanks for the article and the voice of reason.
Rational, I too work for the Federal Government, I write what I do to help to dispel irrational fears, I wish more people in the Federal Government would speak out against what they know to be false projections and impossible scenarios based on false premises.
> People are smart enough to…
Any sentence that starts with those words is doomed.
Rockyroad: Special Weapons And Tactics (or Training). It is more of a military than police concept. The Federal Government does have more of a military mindset e.g., the War on Poverty. Rescue efforts (Natural disasters, pandemics, economic disasters; the public jobs program in the 70’s) are often conducted in a military type organizational structure; command and control, rapid deployment etc. Special weapons can be people with specialized skills or training. The tactic can be saturation. If you watch TV re special teams of federal experts helping local officials deal with a unique problem is an example, although those are often police dramas.
Don E (20:06:01) :
“David: there are several definitions of SWAT teams on Wikipedia. You are cherry picking”
When I Google “Swat Team” the first hit is to the Wiki article that I cliped from. It’s at; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWAT It does not mention Swat teams of the type you describe. It does not mention any type of SWAT team other than the police Swat team.
The second hit is Anthony’s article
The 3rd hit is to an online dictionary definition. It defines SWAT as :
n. 1. a special group of police trained to deal with unusually dangerous or violent situations, and having special weapons, such as rifles more powerful than those carried by regular police officers. They are employed, for example, in situations when hostages are being held, or heavily armed persons need to be captured. Called also SWAT or S.W.A.T..
4th hit shows videos of SWAT teams in action. (Definitely police)
5th hit Training – Special Operations.Com ( more police)
I don’t come across an environmental Swat team until the the 9th hit.
So how am I cherry picking? I believe I used the most common understanding of the term.
When I hear the government talking about SWAT teams I think Ruby Ridge and Waco. Perhaps they should find a new term that doesn’t have such historical negativity.
Here in the uk we seem so much further down the road to ruin. Put your refuse out on the wrong day,lid not fully closed,wrong type of refuse, organic waste too large to be kitchen scraps(sproit stems for example), bin overfull etc. It doednt end there. Buy alcohol in a supermarket with your teenage offspring, not allowed this one from the fat police, a customer was not allowed to purchase a slice of quiche ffs(no one knows why, store said over zealous till checkout operative but there must exist somewhere in the rules something along those lines. Figure that out.
D. Gallagher – When I hear SWAT, I think of Lt. Hunter on Hill Street Blues. I do remember Ruby Ridge and Waco, but HSB predated them so I have a more benign vision of SWAT.