WAKE-UP CALL FOR VERIZON: Hang Up On the Climate Change Denial Rally
- Rob Perks
- Director, Center for Advocacy Campaigns, Washington, D.C.
- Blog | About
- Posted September 1, 2009 in Solving Global Warming
As a long-time customer, I was appalled to learn that Verizon Wireless has hopped into bed with Don Blankenship, chairman, CEO and president of Massey Energy, one of the largest coal companies in America and one of the driving forces behind the devastating rape of America's lands known as mountaintop removal coal mining. Blankenship is the evil mastermind behind the "Friends of America Rally" taking place on Labor Day in West Virginia.
Who is Don Blankenship?
He has been called "the scariest polluter in America." Just last December, my colleague Pete Altman exposed the videotape from a speech in which Blankenship indulged in his patented version of full-blown climate change denial and also called various pro-environmental elected officials "greeniacs" bent on destroying the American way of life.
His rally next week will feature speeches by prominent global warming denier Lord Christopher Monckton, the Science & Public Policy Institute (global warming skeptics), conservative Fox blowhard Sean Hannity. Ted Nugent and Hank Williams, Jr. are among those who will provide musical entertainment.
None of this should have caught Verizon by surprise. If company officials had done any due diligence before signing on as a rally sponsor, they would have found that Blankenship's extreme brand of looniness is well documented here, here and here ... and dozens of other places.
And it's not like Blankenship is trying to be subtle about his agenda. In the YouTube video announcing the "Friends of American Rally," the Big Coal CEO outrageously claims that the free event is designed to show "how environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your jobs."
[UPDATE: According to an AP story, Verizon officials claim their sponsorship of the rally does not necessarily reflect company policy; they paid the necessary fee to be allowed to set up a booth and sell their products to rally attendees. Guess that reduces the company's stated environmental commitment to run-of-the-mill "greenwashing."]
Shouldn't something that nutty have set off a few alarm bells at Verizon Wireless? As our friends at the Center for Biological Diversity put it so well:
"Verizon Wireless can't claim to be 'going green' and then join forces with one of the dirtiest companies in the world," said Tierra Curry, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. "Verizon can't keep its hands green and sponsor an event that supports the destruction of Appalachia and the extinction of a third of the earth's species due to climate change."
(In fairness to Verizon, it should be noted that Blankenship has slipped through security in other prominent places. He sits on the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce! Of course, that may not be so surprising, though, since the Chamber now openly engaged in Blankenship's don't-confuse-me-with-the-facts approach to global warming denial.)
If you are a Verizon Wireless customer -- or might ever be a Verizon customer of any kind --- be sure to let the company know how you feel about its direct support of global warming science denial.
Please take a moment to call or email Verizon Wireless and tell the company to hang up on the Blankenship rally. The email for the Verizon Wireless CEO is Dennis.Strigl@verizonwireless.com
I've already weighed in with Verizon Wireless and unless the company realizes the error of its ways and revokes its support of this blatantly anti-environmental event, I'll be switching to another provider. Can you hear me now, Verizon?
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Comments
Kevin Parnell — Sep 1 2009 06:37 PM
I'm personally outraged and would pull my phones from Verizon if I could get out of my contract. I have five accounts with them. What can I do?
Johnson Lee — Sep 2 2009 10:22 AM
Get a life.
This makes me happy to be their customer. Global warming is utter nonsense. Watch a few shows in the History Channel sometime about the history of climate change on Earth. The greatest risk to us is the next ice age!
Lisa H — Sep 2 2009 01:18 PM
Sent my e-mail -- we'll see if the CEO responds. Thanks for the heads up, Rob.
WaltC — Sep 2 2009 03:00 PM
Kudos to Verizon. It's about time some large corporations got a backbone and stand up the myth of global warming. For any human to think that we can alter the climate of the earth is an insult to God our creator. As for anyone that knowingly pollutes or disregards the environment, this is also not acceptable. Let's get on to some real issues like, will there ever be another golfer as good as Tiger?
Kenny D — Sep 2 2009 03:08 PM
Verizon sponsors many events, as do all companies, at the local level. I emailed Mr. Strigl and thanked him for his support of another local community. Every one of you seem to think yours is the hill on which eveyone else should die. The public has the right to hear all sides and should be given as many forums as possible to do so. Verizon isn't advocating destroying the Appalachian mtns they're supporting a community function. I don't use their services but support their right to support public activities if they chose to do so.
Rob Perks — Sep 2 2009 03:18 PM
Well, Walt, just as people often are judged by the company they keep, so too should companies be judged by the causes they support. If you refuse to accept the science on climate change and approve of Massey blasting America's oldest mountains into molehills for dirty coal, then I can see why you'd cheer Verizon. As for me, I think only God should move mountains.
Lynn Madsen — Sep 2 2009 03:34 PM
Our country still needs to use its natural resources to allow people to use the internet, cell phones, cars, buses, trains and planes. Until some miracle source of energy is discovered we need coal and oil to move our country forward. Thanks to Verizon and Massey for sponsoring this event and other events.
Mike Mike — Sep 2 2009 03:59 PM
Global warming isn't a myth....it's an outright lie...Polar bears are not dying out.....they have quadrupled in the last 20 years....Now I want to breath clean air, but the Earth is a dirty planet...and 150 years ago there was a summer of ice throughout the world....because of a volcano, not human activity...if you want to control the tempature of the earth, turn down the sun...In the meantime, try looking at some acurate history, not the fudged science that all too many of us are becomming aware of... Oh And if I forgot to mention it....There is no global warming.....One more thing.....people have reoccupied Love Canal... and they aren't dying any faster than anywhere else!!!!
Amazing!!!
brian — Sep 2 2009 04:04 PM
good for verizon and its ceo...stand up for these idiots that believe the global warming lies....now its called climate change because they now are convinced the world isnt warming and they need to continue their liberal agenda with something...verizon should continue to sponsor events like this one...thanks ....a shareholder and proud of it..
Francis Gjefle — Sep 2 2009 04:37 PM
I applaud Verizon and encourage them to not back down from their position to support local programs.
My experience is that most environmental, social, and other similar activist groups give little or nothing to communities all they do is ask for money from groups like verizon and expect them to not give to causes they oppose.
I am a member of a local service club and we give to any organization we feel will benefit the varied memners of our community.
I also am amused by all of the envionmental activists that drive hybrid cars which over their entire life span create a greater carbon/ pollution foot print than does say a V W jetta Diesel which get comparable mpg.
The answers are in the middle not on any extreme end. The world goes through cycles of global warming and Ice ages. How will we react to an Ice age?
Tom K — Sep 2 2009 04:38 PM
Oh no, Rob Perks, NRDC’s director was appalled to learn that Verizon Wireless has hopped into bed with Massey Energy.
Who is Rob Perks? Why should anyone care what he says?
He uses a medium that consumes electricity and then has the arrogance to complain about Verizon.
Rob, did you have to go to school to become this arrogant or did it come naturally?
Johnathan Kidd — Sep 2 2009 04:47 PM
This is about the dumbest complaint I have ever seen. Why is it that unless people agree with you, they have to be silent?
Get a real life and let others live theirs.
Lance — Sep 2 2009 05:14 PM
This makes no difference to me.
WaltC — Sep 3 2009 04:10 PM
Well Rob, it looks like most agree that global warming is a myth. Global warming would be good as most food plants require warm weather to produce the food we all consume. Global freezing would make us all go hungry, not good. My grandparents and parents worked in the coal mines in Ky. I've seen the mountains, the destruction and the reclamation. God put the coal in the earth for us to use, along with the oil, salt and water. Maybe you should get a real job and produce something rather than just consume.
carter rod — Sep 6 2009 08:32 PM
Wow. You flat-Earth Christian psychos have no problem wrecking the whole planet for a buck, do you? There are so many alternative resources out there but you just LOOOOVE living in the bronze age.
If you really think that you are going to live forever with an imaginary Father-figure in the sky then you have no business making decisions about the real world.
Green Redneck — Sep 8 2009 02:58 PM
I'll be withholding my business from Verizon as long as they oppose science-based climate policy. To the religious folks: if your Magic Space Fairy exists, He gave us a perfectly good planet which WE messed up. Any god with a finger on the thermostat is equally improbable and less worth believing in. In terms of setting policy, let's deal with facts, instead of your metaphysical beliefs.