Cursor notes that Bush was sent a letter encouraging him not to attend an Earth Summit conference in Johannesburg at the end of August. This was covered in more detail at the Guardian. There, they note that one of the organizations that signed the letter was The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. This group received $35,000 in 2001 from ExxonMobil as part of a Public Information and Policy Research program. As ExxonMobil puts it, "Funds were assigned to support organizations that address policy alternatives in a balanced, objective, and methodologically sound manner."

Who is The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, and what are they all about? It appears to be a two-man operation, but that's besides the point. What's notable is how anti-Green they are. For example, here is the charming graphic that decorates their Green Shot section:



Cute, huh?

Of some interest is their archives collection. In it, we read commentary like:

For eight long years, environmental activists could pull up to the White House, pile out of their VW Things, and expect to shuffle their Birkenstocks across a red carpet right into the West Wing. But now that the lava lamps and "Gore 2000" signs have been removed, things are a little different over at 1600 Pennsylvania.

Who said the 60's are over? Apparently they still live on in the fevered minds of conservatives.
posted by Quiddity at 8/20/2002 06:51:00 AM