Why Are They Shilling for Pombo Today?
Well since speculative posts are all the rage these days, I’ve got another doozy for you. While I was looking at my Topix.net XML feed on Richard Pombo and I saw the following headline, “Junk Science on Mercury Debunked.” I had heard that Richard Pombo and Jim Gibbons (yes the same guy who helped author the Pombo Amendment on mining) had come out with some sort of whitewash on the dangers of ingesting mercury. I clicked over figuring some enterprising scientist had debunked Pombo’s claims. Instead, I read a press release, dated today, from the Heartland Institute supporting Pombo.
Now before you all get uppity, you need to know that the Heartland Institute looks like another GOP astroturf group funded by the likes of the Scaife Foundations, ExxonMobil, and Phillip Morris. So it’s not surprising they’d shill for Pombo.
What is surprising is that the press release came out today when there’s apparently no news about this issue. I mean the press release itself essentially rehashed info (well really, rehashed bullshit) that’s been out since February. So I wonder if this is an attempt to provide some positive press for a pair of Representatives that have caused quite a stir (and not in a good way), even among their fellow Republicans.
Can anyone else think of another good reason for this press release? Please drop a comment if you have anything insightful to say about this.
posted by Matt @ 4:21 PM
3 Comments:
Well, I can see that you have started to use Harry Frankfurt's terminology to describe the Resource Committee PR "bullshit."
When you are in trouble, it is best to get out any positive news. The worst thing is to not do anything at all. So, they had to go back months to find something positive.
I am just surprised that they would have taken on that particular item.
The best analysis that I have seen of Pombo and why he does what he does came from Paul Anderson in the Aspen Times today. He sees Pombo as living in an 1890's frontier world that is long gone. I took a look at the way that Pombo and the Resources Commitee P(bs)R machine uses language today and Anderson is right.
I think I might have found an answer. From the Vote Gibbons Out! blog, which I heartily support, I found out the following.
Apparently the Nevada Department of Environmental Protection is holding hearings the week about establishing mercury emission standards for gold mining.
Quite a coincidence, huh?
I might have a partial answer to your question over at my website: Vote Gibbons Out. Nevada isn't alone among local governments that have recently rejected the Pombo-Gibbons bad guidelines for mercury emissions.
Like you blog. There is only one congressman worse that Pombo: Jim Gibbons of Nevada.
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