Skiphil writes in Tips and Notes:
Too funny, too funny….. this is a serious matter, but funny when leading Greens and Hollywood types get caught on film in a genuine conspiracy to hide Middle Eastern “oil” funding to make an anti-Fracking film for the “movement” ….
(Added: One of them caught out in this sting was Ed Begley Jr., clearly Michael Mann’s hero, as this Twitter posting shows:)
Anti-fracking fanatics get seriously PUNK*D
Hollywood Greens in real life anti-fracking conspiracy
[from the Youtube page for this video]
In the investigation, an undercover journalist from Project Veritas posed as a member of a Middle Eastern oil dynasty and offered $9 million in funding to American filmmakers to fund an anti-fracking movie.
In video from a meeting with Ed Begley Jr., Mariel Hemingway and Josh Tickell, a Project Veritas investigator disguised as “Muhammed” offered $9 million for an anti-fracking film. “Muhammad” clearly states: “If Washington DC continues fracking, America will be energy efficient, and then they won’t need my oil anymore.”
In the same conversation, Begley and Hemingway accept the funding and agree to hide the source of funds for the anti-fracking movie. Hemingway agreeing that those who will know the source of the funding are “only at this table.”
Ed Begley Jr. is an outspoken environmental activist and current Governor on the board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science (the organization that brings us the OSCARS every year.)
Mariel Hemingway is a Golden Globe- and Oscar-nominated actress.
Josh Tickell is a Sundance Film Festival Winner and the director of environmental message movies “Fuel”, “The Big Fix” and “PUMP”.
Team Begley even submitted a video of Oscar-nominated actor Mark Ruffalo offering his unwavering support for the fictitious anti-fracking film project.
The meeting came about after a series of discussions with Josh and Rebecca Tickell. A Project Veritas journalist posed as an ad executive seeking to broker a deal for his client (“Muhammed”) to fund an American-made anti-fracking film.
In a phone call to Tickell, the ad executive states: “My client’s interest is to end American energy independence; your interest is to end fracking. And you guys understand that?”
Tickell’s response: “Correct. Yes, super clear.”
Tickell makes it clear on the tape that revealing the source of funding for an activist film can undermine its credibility. Tickell notes that the movie “Promised Land” undermined its own message because it was labeled as being funded by Image Nation Abu Dhabi. His advice: “So rather than putting that [the source of funding] up front, don’t mention that.”
In a follow-up call with Josh and Rebecca Tickell, Rebecca Tickell assures our investigator: “We would never tell about where the funding is coming from. That would be really awkward for us.”
Josh Tickell: “We’re confident that we can keep this zip locked, you know tight, air-tight forever. If we don’t protect who is kind of funding this thing, if we have to disclose that or that becomes a necessary part of it, the whole enterprise will not work.”
Project Veritas founder and president James O’Keefe stated Wednesday:
“This latest investigation shows the dark side of Hollywood’s environmental movement. Hollywood is willing to take and conceal money from Middle Eastern oil interests in order to advance their cause of destroying American energy independence.”
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Charles the Mod – and the funny thing is that if you chip in $25 to the film funding you get “AND digital downloads of exclusive, unreleased “unseen footage”, including behind-the-scenes footage! I wonder if this counts as behind the scenes?
@David Smith
The videos which will be coming out later will apparently expose more Hollywood “big names”.
To me it is irrelevant. Just stop buying their products and complain LOUDLY to their enablers in the entertainment industry and at the retail level. Look what the left wing, progressive extremists are doing to people who do not share their views on social issues…e.g. Mozzila, HGTV, Chic-fil-a.
@Saren
Please realize that the anti-frackers are also anti-oil, anti-nuclear, anti-coal, and anti-offshore energy. They are indeed anti-energy independence! By the way, we should check to see how many of Hollywood’s entertainment products are being produced by solar and wind power alone…
@ur momisugly Saren; You misunderstand. It is the Middle Eastern oil interests who wish to destroy American energy indepence, not Begley’s. No, Begley’s goal is far simpler; like Mann and his ilk, he wishes to pump up his already-bloated image and self-importance, to make him both look and feel as though he is helping to “save the planet”, and to be part of the Cause pushing said endeavor.
Man Bearpig says:
May 21, 2014 at 11:30 pm
As if further proof of hypocrisy of biblical proportions were needed after Prince Albert sold his TV channel to Al Jazeera, having previously lived off his dad’s ill-gotten (from Lenin & Stalin’s bag man Hammer) Occidental Petroleum dividends. Or built a new multi-million dollar sea-level mansion on the CA coast.
Hence, the name Ecoterrorist was born.
This sordid incident should leave me feeling disgusted, but I’ve seen so many examples of similar activity from those within the climate fearoshopere (albeit to a usually lesser extent,) that I’m left just saying “no surprise, just standard operating procedure for those people”. The reaction from Hollywood and the green press will be to circle the wagons. Just SOP, the end justifies the means.
So . . . . it’s news Hollywood’s elite are a bunch of whores? Some were surprised to find out that Ed is a part of that? (sorry mod, but I don’t know another word that captures the content of these people’s character quite so accurately)
Put it in the news, use it in the political conversation, try to educate the un-enlightened and lo-information population with it. Great.
But this isn’t news or even terribly interesting to me.
I’d wonder, if you got Mann’s opinion on this, if he’d disparage O’Keefe or Begley.
THAT would be interesting.
Back when I became a major skeptical voice on pre-ban era Phys.org, a very high traffic site for science news, complete with the usual army of Gorebots, Michael Mann himself singled out a comment thread there as smelling of Koch:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2013/10/23/why-doesnt-lewandowsky-study-this-phenomenon/
It was a good time for an activist skeptic since the site brought out the most twisted psychopathic taunts from alarmist trolls, on public display, on a rather conventional everyday news site for working scientists. After a year or two of unmoderated anarchy, they ban hammered both myself and the worst lunatics and even moderated some of their own overemphasis on climate so it’s no longer a hotbed of any kind, but when it was, the strategy against skepticism amounted to pure juvenile bullying and smoke screening with obnoxious nonsense to destroy civility, them having no idea how terrible this came off as a PR disaster.
The grand pre-ban finale was when the SkepticalScience kids had their Frankenstein paper published that used satellite temperature data to up-adjust ground data in a way that the satellite data itself falsified, and over a full weekend I methodically posted tidbits of the entire overall SkS secret forum embarrassments and hockey stick team debunking. This caused utter chaos and insane insults from Gore’s enthusiasts, not a single reasoned reply amongst them. Most pathetic were the comment ratings wars corrupted by clearly identifiable sock puppet accounts that were easy to use against Gorebot activism by simply pointing it all out.
My regular countering of Big Oil money taunts with mention of Mega Arab Oil Money influence fell on deaf ears.
A.D. Everard says:
May 22, 2014 at 12:55 am
OMG. This should be a sticky. This is treason. This is evidence.
________________
That all depends on how you define treason.
If you mean that it’s a treasonous act against the shared ethos of the United States citizenry, then it is clearly treason. If you mean instead, that it is treasonous against the government of the US, then it is not treason. In light of this government’s actions and pronouncements, Ed Begley, et al are heroes of the state.
Some comments from a good friend and neighbor of Ed Begley.
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/james-okeefe-ed-begley-jr-fracking-and-hollywood-smoke-and-mirrors/
Here’s the Ed Begley shouting match showing his thinking…
Peter Miller says:
May 22, 2014 at 1:11 am
CACA also plays into Russian hands, since it keep Germany from gasifying its coal reserves.
James O’Keefe is a national treasure.
The big get is Ed Begley Jr. Next time that pretentious fraud opens his yap, bam. Got you on tape traitor.
This would be the trailer for a movie that combines Ayn Rand and Hunger games.
– Promised Land (poor Matt Damon), another anti fracking bucket of lies, was funded by rich oil magnets out of Dubai.
– Al Gore was heavily funded by the Rich oil groups in the Middle East and enhanced by the ‘sale’ of his tv channel (money laundering) for mega bucks. The station has 200 viewers, not worth what was paid for it.
It is long past time for Dims to realize they have been played and scammed, not just on the environment (which has been thrown to the side in exchange for propaganda) but on ALL issues.
97% of Hollywood people can agree on this(in their heart):
Our job is to entertain people for money. That entertainment, at times can mean playing roles such as environmental activists.
RogerKnights
I have a different take. Their actions are treasonous and they should be prosecuted and jailed. They won’t be because this administration has Hollywood and the media conned.
What Begley and Hemingway are offering to do is undermine the USA for the benefit of a foreign power at the behest of that power. That is treason.
If only we had a true 5th Estate in this country instead of a polarized mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and cause celeb’.
Bill
J. Philip Peterson says:
“Here’s the Ed Begley shouting match showing his thinking”
Interesting that Mr. Begley sites the catalytic convertor as an example. I strongly agree and think this was mans greatest pollution fighting invention in history. One car from the 1960’s created the pollution of something like 25 cars today.:
However, he is debating about global warming. Maybe he is unaware of what a catalytic convertor does:
A three-way catalytic converter has three simultaneous tasks:
1.Reduction of nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and oxygen: 2NOx → xO2 + N2
2. Oxidation of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide: 2CO + O2 → 2CO2
3. Oxidation of unburnt hydrocarbons (HC) to carbon dioxide and water: CxH2x+2 + [(3x+1)/2]O2 → xCO2 + (x+1)H2O.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter
This is my favorite part: 2 out of 3 of those processes CREATE CO2!
According to the definition(CO2=pollution)of the EPA and this administration, catalytic convertors create global warming pollution is steps 2 and 3.
There was almost 100% agreement in science, politics and elsewhere that CO2 created from catalytic convertors tremendously reduced harmful pollution a few decades ago.
Now, CO2 is pollution.
Please, no one forget Steyer, the epic Green hypocrite and liar supreme.
He is paying any dem cash to vote his way and will profit generously for it.
After making his trillions in coal to the benefit of China, he wants to ensure our supply is shut down, so his continued investments and mutual funds in China coal grow.
Also an avid anti-Koch and anti Keystone pipeline, his investments in green and a competitor to Keystone will benefit greatly.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/04/the-epic-hypocrisy-of-tom-steyer.php
escerpt:
“O’Keefe is a graduate of Rutgers University. A congressional resolution was introduced in 2009 with 31 cosponsors praising him for his work. He is the recipient of the Robert Novak Award for Journalistic Excellence (2011), has been named “Fox News Power Player of the Week” twice by Chris Wallace, and was placed on the Forbes 30 under 30 for media moguls.”
It doesn’t say if O’Keefe’s degree was in journalism but the tactics used remind me of Bait Car.
Is it legal to record a phone conversation without someone’s knowledge? Is it legal to pose as someone else and tape conversations?
I’m very surprised they didn’t bother to research the individual they were about to do business with.
Tactics aside, it very disturbing to find people willing to stoop so low to make a buck.
As expected, here’s Ed Begley Jr. and Mariel Hemingway responses:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/05/20/fake-mideast-oilman-traps-mariel-hemingway-ed-begley-in-video-sting/
“We can all do something about this. Stop buying their entertainment products and let everyone know about their shameful behavior.”
I already have. Haven’t been to a movie in years, watch very little TV (and then mostly eductional shows NOT on PBS), don’t buy or rent movies. In other words, I have an actual life.
More people should try it.
Two things. First being totally committed to a cause leads you to accept some allies you might otherwise shun. Churchill’s comment on joining with the Soviet Union to fight Germany in WWII applies here. Second the old adage “the perfect is the enemy of the good” is often on display among the totally committed (True Believers).
True Believers tend to act as if merely wanting the perfect solution will somehow make it happen, limited only by spending enough of other people’s money. This is an emotional, political, religious attachment, not one based in technical reality. They want “carbon-neutral, sustainable, renewable” energy and there is nothing on the horizon (with the possible exception of fission) which can meet that description on the scale we are currently using, let alone supply the expected demand increase. A person determined to make at least some progress towards the carbon-neutral goal would embrace substituting natural gas and more nuclear for coal, not liking it perhaps, but accepting it as a necessary and hopefully temporary measure until a better solution becomes viable. But True Believers hold on to their ideal goal as the only permissible one and if it falls short of an adequate replacement for fossil fuels, then it’s our fault for wanting “too much” energy.
It’s perfectly understandable why Tickell, Begley and Hemingway don’t even consider the possible downsides of taking Big Oil® money to support their cause; to them no price it too high for other people to pay . It’s kind of the reverse of another common progressive mantra; they are thinking locally but acting globally.