Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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May 31, 2007 8:51 PM
ExxonMobil's CEO Goes Rumsfeldian On Global Warming
I attended the ExxonMobil shareholder meeting this week down in Dallas as part of some reporting I am doing for my book. When the issue of global warming and climate change came up at the meeting, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson pulled what was a pretty hilarious Don Rumsfeld impression - even though he probably didn't even realize it.
You may recall that on 2/12/02, Rumsfeld was asked how he was so sure "Iraq has attempted to or is willing to supply terrorists with weapons of mass destruction?" In an answer that would become fodder for late night comedy jokes, he actually said:
"There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
Well, 5 years later, here's what ExxonMobil's Tillerson said on 5/30/07 to the annual shareholders meeting when asked why the company has funded groups that deny global warming is a real problem in the face of scientific consensus that says it is:
"There's much we know and can agree on around the climate change issue, and there’s much that we just don’t believe we do know…and we want to have a debate about the things we know and understand, the things we know about that we don’t understand very well, and the things we don’t even know about around this very complex issue of climate science. So that is what will continue to be our position."
Got that?
For total disclosure, I'll stress that in the space represented in Tillerson's quote above by an elipsis, there's about 30 seconds of him going on about the need to improve technology - but I splice them together because these were his direct quotes about what we supposedly "know" and "don't know" about climate change. It is positively Rumsfeldian. You can hear the Rumsfeld and Tillerson excerpts spliced together here on YouTube. The Tillerson excerpts are spliced together straight from my digital recorder.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
a good solution is:
http://www.freepublictransit.org
There needs to be more than just intra-urban mass transportation.
There needs to be more support for inter-urban land transportation aka passenger rail.
Passenger air is a major polluter. It is inconvenient, cramped, uncomfortable, and expensive, considering what few services you get anymore. Even getting you bags to the same airport that you are arriving at is becoming more and more of a gamble.
Considering, passenger rail is less polluting, capable of hauling more passengers for less fuel, is more comfortable, with more room to stretch your legs, and walk around, and capable of supplying beds and meals, it can be a less-stressful way of going on vacation, or even going on business trips, if time constraints aren't extremely tight.
There is already a movement dedicated to expanding and improving railroad passenger service.
Check out www.narprail.org.
What you think they'd actually give you a straight answer? of course they like every other fortune 1000 corporation has high paid PR fronts to polish the multitude of turds they lay. Rove has Limbaugh and Exxon has PR fronts.
The thing is Exxon is like any other profit motivated entity, its in business to make money anyway they can, and sadly in this instance at the expense of people and the environment.
No, the only way you could get the truth out of Exxon is to physically torture their executives given that the executives have perpetually lied throughout their career like most managers.
I did a fubar left over from some troubleshooting with my speakers last night. Both had the volume turned all of the way down.
When I saw the video, I saw 40 seconds of silence, 20 for Rumsfeld and 20 for Rex Tillerson. I thought it was some kind of gag artsy thing. You know: here's what he had to say about WMDs and then about global warming . It was pretty funny when it happened, but a little bit of a let down.
When I figured out that my speakers were off and listened to it "again", it got much funnier. Frankly, though, with the sound quality of the video, you could almost have made a silent version and it would have worked.
~NATIONALIZE THE AMERICAN OIL INDUSTRY~
This is the best solution to so many of our nations troubles and issues..and the best way for us to move forward into the future as a together nation that applies it's national assets in a positive manner and work for our nations mutual best interest..!
When you realize that Exxon-Mobil spent $37 billion buying back it's stocks and then only applied $824 million to inf..
rastructure repairs and exploration and alternate energy development it's obvious that the time has come to Nationalize this huge industry and run it non-profit..
The Oil companies are not in the business of putting themselves out of business..!
This is an $80 billion plus a year business and we have seen that even BP the most so called "green" of them has not done the proper prevention work and I am talking about all Oil companies all holdings here and all Oil service companies..!
The Oil companies doing the best world wide are state owned entities Russia and China and we see that this leverage is what the future calls for..
Also employment would increase as many of these companies for profit sake are under employed company owned stations as Exxon has around 3,800 could be bid out and then 3,800 new businesses owned and those would pay mortgages and tuitions and health care needs of so many families..
Think of all the money that would go to new renewable energy sources and alternative energy and our being nationally self sufficient and new engine development such as the Compressed air engine the India developed and goes 68 mph and runs all day for $2.00, or other engine vehicle and energy research for our own National Security as well..!
This debate and issue most be considered call it Socialism I don't care isn't your local electric company run non-profit many are..!
I'm just scratching the surface I would love to discuss this with Prof. Peter Orzag and see the advantages he could project..or Don Rubin for that matter..
Also the profits of this could likely be used to underwrite a Single Payer Health Care System..along with other funding for America which would also help so many industries suffering here and keep them in America..
Also the industries that these new energy research driven entities would create would be a great new place for so many to put their money and thus help propel us into the future..
We are following a 19th Century business model and it is out of date..
The wealth is overly concentrated and the other businesses that would be aided by this as everything is effected by energy availability..
Costs would go down and supply up..!
Also there would be more choice of energy to apply to your needs..
Start talking about this how would we not be better served if America Nationalized it's Oil Companies..?
~NATIONALIZE THE AMERICAN OIL INDUSTRY~
This is the best solution to so many of our nations troubles and issues..and the best way for us to move forward into the future as a together nation that applies it's national assets in a positive manner and work for our nations mutual best interest..!
When you realize that Exxon-Mobil spent $37 billion buying back it's stocks and then only applied $824 million to inf..
rastructure repairs and exploration and alternate energy development it's obvious that the time has come to Nationalize this huge industry and run it non-profit..
The Oil companies are not in the business of putting themselves out of business..!
This is an $80 billion plus a year business and we have seen that even BP the most so called "green" of them has not done the proper prevention work and I am talking about all Oil companies all holdings here and all Oil service companies..!
The Oil companies doing the best world wide are state owned entities Russia and China and we see that this leverage is what the future calls for..
Also employment would increase as many of these companies for profit sake are under employed company owned stations as Exxon has around 3,800 could be bid out and then 3,800 new businesses owned and those would pay mortgages and tuitions and health care needs of so many families..
Think of all the money that would go to new renewable energy sources and alternative energy and our being nationally self sufficient and new engine development such as the Compressed air engine the India developed and goes 68 mph and runs all day for $2.00, or other engine vehicle and energy research for our own National Security as well..!
This debate and issue most be considered call it Socialism I don't care isn't your local electric company run non-profit many are..!
I'm just scratching the surface I would love to discuss this with Prof. Peter Orzag and see the advantages he could project..or Don Rubin for that matter..
Also the profits of this could likely be used to underwrite a Single Payer Health Care System..along with other funding for America which would also help so many industries suffering here and keep them in America..
Also the industries that these new energy research driven entities would create would be a great new place for so many to put their money and thus help propel us into the future..
We are following a 19th Century business model and it is out of date..
The wealth is overly concentrated and the other businesses that would be aided by this as everything is effected by energy availability..
Costs would go down and supply up..!
Also there would be more choice of energy to apply to your needs..
Start talking about this how would we not be better served if America Nationalized it's Oil Companies..?
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