Ian Bunn | Political & Popular Culture Arts

Suzanne Goldenberg the British environment correspondent based in Washington DC, award winning writer and author of Madam President, about Hillary Clinton’s historic run for White House, has published an article on Mother Jones titled ‘Billionaires Secretly Funded Vast Climate Denial Network’ referring to how  the conservative dark-money group ‘Donors Trust’ contributed huge sums to battle against climate-change science. Goldenberg states “Conservative billionaires used a secretive funding route to channel nearly $120 million to more than 100 groups casting doubt about the science behind climate change … helped build a vast network of think tanks and activist groups working to a single purpose: to redefine climate change from neutral scientific fact to a highly polarizing “wedge issue” for hardcore conservatives. The millions were routed through two trusts, Donors Trust and the Donors Capital Fund, operating out of a generic town house in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. Donors Capital caters to those making donations of $1 million or more. …By 2010, the dark money amounted to $118 million distributed to 102 think tanks or action groups which have a record of denying the existence of a human factor in climate change, or opposing environmental regulations. The money flowed to Washington think tanks embedded in Republican party politics, obscure policy forums in Alaska and Tennessee, contrarian scientists at Harvard and lesser institutions, even to buy up DVDs of a film attacking Al Gore. The ready stream of cash set off a conservative backlash against Barack Obama’s environmental agenda that wrecked any chance of Congress taking action on climate change. Those same groups are now mobilizing against Obama’s efforts to act on climate change in his second term. A top recipient of the secret funds … put out a point-by-point critique of the climate content in the president’s State of the Union address.”

Inspired by Suzanne Goldenberg, Mother Jones ow.ly/i0XBB Image source YouTube ow.ly/i0ZjU

Héla Ammar the 43 year old Tunisian photographic Artist a participant in the Printemps des Arts [Springtime Art Festival] has been interviewed by Yasmine Ryan for Aljazeera in regard to the rise of conservative moral and violent religious censorship of her home land’s artists and intellectuals. In the interview Ammar states “A misleading video montage showing a painting has been widely shared online, presenting artists as non-believers. It’s this diffusion of dishonest information and images which has provoked hatred and condemnation from a fringe of society. …The concept of national or sacred values is just a pretext to muzzle artists and creativity. These concepts can be interpreted in many different ways, especially the most restrictive, which will ultimately result in Tunisia having official art and dissident art. This is very serious and echoes dark periods in history… In reality, the artists have been used as scapegoats. This affair has been entirely manufactured to eclipse more serious issues. We are in the middle of a war between several political movements, with the Salafists and other reactionary movements which are pressuring the present government against moderation and appeasement. …What is happening is definitely very serious because the personal details of some artists have been published on extremist [Facebook] pages which have thousands of fans. They are calling for the murder of these artists. My friends are receiving endless phone calls and insulting messages and death threats. We are very worried because we don’t have any protection, and even the cultural ministry, which should be defending us, has abandoned us.”

Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/cbFmF image source Twitter ow.ly/cbIVs

Outnumber them and we have the guns (October 3rd)

Andrew Breitbart the 42 year old US publisher, conservative commentator and key note speaker for the Tea Party has told an audience in the event of a civil war with liberals, to fire the first shot stating that “We outnumber them in this country, and we have the guns.” Addressing a gathering of Tea Party followers who had paid $45 to attend the function in Lexington, Breitbart spoke to the current #occupywallstreet protest, stating “Bring ‘em on!”, then going onto the civil war analogy. “Because I know who’s on our side. They can only win a rhetorical and propaganda war. They cannot win. We outnumber them in this country, and we have the guns. I’m not kidding. They talk a mean game, but they will not cross that line because they know what they’re dealing with.”

Inspired by Tommy Christopher http://ow.ly/6DEeW image source Neon Tommy http://ow.ly/6DEry

Glenn Edward Lee Beck the 47 year old US conservative television political commentator and former host of the Fox News Channel show titled after his name has commenced his alternative internet based show, after giving his last chalkboard sermon on Fox News. Beck’s Fox show initially had very high ratings, however his distorted and inflammatory rhetoric was too much for most viewers and eventually even for Fox. While Beck’s supporters praised him for defending the so called traditional American values, critics describe him as a promoter through incendiary rhetoric of marginal conspiracy theories. Beck prefers to describe his TV show as a movement to inspire people in their homes and neighborhoods; others describe him as a showman ranting and scrawling wacko theories on blackboards to resemble college lectures.

Inspired by Brian Stelter http://ow.ly/5wKDZ image source Gage Skidmore http://ow.ly/5wKKb

Judson Phillips the head of a conservative US political organization the Tea Party Nation Corporation, renowned for his advocacy to disenfranchise voting rights to only those Americans who own property, has again become outspoken with his conspiracy theory relating to the death of Osama Bin Laden. Phillips claims the military don’t like Obama, proceeded with the mission to seize Bin Laden without Obama’s approval, giving him only minimal notice of two days, and that Obama had spent that time attempting to stop the mission. To support his theory, Phillips claims that Obama’s serious expressions during the operation and later announcement confirms he was angry with the mission’s success, and that any real American would have had Bin Laden’s body wrapped in pig fat before burial.

Inspired by Right Wing Watch ow.ly/4Q7mf image source Republican Retard Club ow.ly/4Q7AQ

Angelo Bagnasco the 67 year old Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference a known conservative has criticized Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi who stands accused of paying for sex with prostitutes including an under-age dancer. Berlusconi denies having done anything wrong, while refusing to attend before prosecutors to answer questions related to his embroilment in the sex scandal. Bagnasco while not naming Berlusconi directly, stated that whoever accepts a public position must understand the sobriety, personal discipline, sense of measure and honour that come with it. Less formally he deplored the cunningness, social climbing, showing off and selling oneself that falsely promotes self success.

Inspired by Nick Squires ow.ly/3JJri image source Wikipedia ow.ly/3JJ91