Monday, March 28, 2005
Center for Consumer Freedom
Hello,
Have you seen the anti-PETA ads that sometime appear in Newsweek? They are produced by the Center for Consumer Freedom and, to put it mildly, these guys are a bunch of bell ends. However, their website, activistcash.com, really pisses me off. It is unbelievable that they call what they are doing “in-depth” when topical partisan hackery is an understatement.
Some highlights of an email:
The purpose of activistcash.com is providing detailed information about the funding source of radical anti-consumer organizations and activists. You state that because these organizations are tax-exempt the public has the right to know “what they're up to”. Sounds fair to me, if a cause is just no one should feel the need to hide their involvement. However, it is rather curious that Center for Consumer Freedom is purposefully oblique when it comes to the source of its own funding. I did not find a copy of your 990 or annual report on your website. I did find a vague description of your funders and their desire for anonymity (citing concerns of safety and privacy). It begs the question; wouldn’t the foundations and fellow 501(c)(3) organizations you profile have the same concerns?
At the suggestion of your website, I did some research and found your 2003 990 online. I find it rather interesting that Berman and Company is listed in part V of the 990 as one of the Center for Consumer Freedom’s Officers, Directors, Trustees, and Key Employees. I wouldn’t expect a public relations firm to be listed as a key employee of a tax-exempt organization. I really did not expect the firm to be working on the exact same issues as the (I assumed) independent nongovernmental organization. Wow! How many of Berman and Company client’s are benefiting from this gaming of the tax code? Talk about shifting the debate.
Really, what is the difference between leftwing activists trying to force us to live according to their vision of society and the Center for Consumer Freedom and the Berman and Company’s clients trying to force us to live according to their vision of society? The color of your stripes?
I look forward to your response.
Greydon Clark
PS: Your “biography” of David Brower is a real piece of crap. The intentional omission of the man’s accomplishments does not strengthen your argument against him. Who knows, maybe one or two of your one thousand supporters has enjoyed visiting one of the national parks David Brower helped establish. Also, in case you missed the news, David Brower is deceased. You might want to update the “Background” section of your “biography”.
For an excellent take on Brower read Encounters with the Archdruid by John McPhee.
