Astroturf Gone Wrong: Fake Protesters Offered $20 To Stand At Anti-Wind Energy Rally

[ProSense]

Astroturf Gone Wrong: Fake Protesters Offered $20 To Stand At Anti-Wind Energy Rally

By Rebecca Leber

Most Americans like clean energy. So when conservatives wage campaigns against clean energy initiatives, they have typically resorted to fronting astroturf groups and paying fake protesters to generate noise.

Needing 100 anti-wind protesters by next week and apparently unable to find them, a mysterious firm advertised a “quick and easy $20″ on Craigslist. According to the ad, the only thing the “volunteers” would need to do for their pay is “stand next to or behind the speakers and elected officials/celebrities” at a rally against a wind turbine project in the UK.

View the screenshot (the ad was quickly pulled down after Grist made the catch):



We do not know who is behind the ad, but there is at least one wealthy opponent of windmills in Scotland, since they would obstruct the view of his golf course.

- more -

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/01/24/1493101/astroturf-wind-protest/

The RW becomes more despicable and pathetic.

[cali]

1. Man, you don't have to pay anti-wind protesters here

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20130108/NEWS02/701089811/1003

http://blogs.burlingtonfreepress.com/politics/2013/01/03/call-for-wind-moratorium-draws-crowd-from-all-sides/

http://vtdigger.org/2012/10/12/protestors-throng-to-statehouse-lawn-to-oppose-industrial-wind/

[ProSense]

2. And people wonder

why oil companies aren't going anywhere. From the third link.

At intervals the whole crowd would shout out words like “shame,” “greed” or “Shamlin” to deride Gov. Peter Shumlin’s support of industrial wind.

With beating drums and anti-wind signs held high, the protest culminated with the issuance of a “Certificate of Public Harm” to Shumlin, his administration, 11 wind developers and other government bodies. The symbolic “certificate” is a send-up of the Public Service Board’s certificate of public good, which is a required permit for certain energy developments.

Issued “by the People of the State of Vermont,” the certificate accuses the aforementioned entities of violating “Vermont’s environmental, social, and economic well-being,” and it cites examples of how they have done so. The document, which can be viewed below, points to issues with particular wind projects across the state, such as the Georgia Mountain Community Wind project, Lowell’s Kingdom Community Wind and the Northfield Ridge project.

[geomon666]

3. Why would you protest something that's going on in another country?

I don't get that.

[ProSense]

4. From the OP:

"We do not know who is behind the ad, but there is at least one wealthy opponent of windmills in Scotland, since they would obstruct the view of his golf course."

Here's the link embedded in the text "view of his golf course": http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/03/16/446515/donald-trump-windmills-are-disgusting/

There is money to be made.