Going to bed with strangers - Downwinders at Risk.....

[Piiilot]

I sat in on part of the Council Meeting last night. I expected to hear the spokesman for the Downwinders at Risk speak on their behalf. He was recently quoted in the paper so I naturally assumed we would see him at the podium. I was surprised when he did not speak, but some of his minions spoke on behalf of the Downwinders. I was curious as to why Schermbeck would speak to the news and not speak to the Council. Well it appears Schermbeck may not have been anxious to speak because he is not a resident of Frisco, it appears he may not be a resident of North Texas. Schermbeck appears to reside in Lubbock.

This link will give you some additional information about the Downwinders and who the organization really is;

http://www.undueinfluence.com/downwinders.htm

Schermbeck is something of a film maker, his 2 most notable films were about the Tom Delay trial and something about drug testing in school. It appears his primary roles have been that of an activist. He appears to be the only paid employee of Downwinders. Here are some published findings about Schermbeck......

"Schermbeck worked for over two decades as a community organizer, focusing on environmental health issues in the Dallas Fort Worth area."

Schermbeck campaigned against TXI in Midlothian, and their concrete plants. The former spokesperson for TXI was interviewed about Schermbeck and here is an excerpt of that interview;
"A couple of weeks ago I spoke via phone with Harold Green, formerly of TXI in Midlothian, Texas. TXI is a cement manufacturing plant; Green was from 1995 to 2000 its director of corporate communications. Schermbeck has spent the past ten years harassing TXI over a permit it sought from the state to burn waste in its kilns. Termed hazardous waste, TXI sought to burn inks and other flammables as fuel in order to manufacture cement. Schermbeck fought against the permit to burn, but on behalf of the hazardous waste disposal industries. Their purpose, according to Green, was to force TXI into paying them to remove the waste from TXI's plant and then burn it--for fuel--themselves. Schermbeck was merely their paid activist foil to force TXI to pay them for services TXI didn't need, and would have had no impact on the environment at all, since the waste would have been burned either way. About Schermbeck, Green was unequivocal:
"First of all, he's not a filmmaker. Jim is a paid political activist, pro-Democrat, anti-Republican, anti-business liberal activist. Jim will manipulate the truth in order to make it do what he wants it to do."

You will see the Downwinders get some of their funding from the Texas Fund for Energy and Environmental Education. This organization appears to have a reputation as being an "Anti-Exxon" group.

http://www.undueinfluence.com/tfeee.htm

You will see in addition to being aligned with the Downwinders, this group is aligned with some very interesting groups as well......

Pressure Point - Direct action group aimed at "calling out corporate power" and to "target the fossil fuel business." Internet-savvy protest organizer. Stunts and confrontation. Linked to Ralph Nader networks (Green Party, PIRGs), and Greenpeace. They appear to get their funding directly from Downwinders.

Uproar - a small quasi-Marxist radical direct action group in Dallas. It typically supplies logistical and organizing support, but does not appear to take part in strategic direction of the anti-capitalist movement. The Registered Agent of this organization is a former employee of ACORN

The Ruckus Society - A radical anti-corporate group that trains activists in revolution, and to commit unlawful acts under the rubric of "nonviolent" direct action and "peaceful" protests.

USPIRG - This is a one of Ralph Nader's anti-corporate groups

Radical Encuentro - Radical training camp organization putting on occasional events using all-volunteer labor with activities located on private property, then proceeding to perform at orchestrated protest demonstrations in urban areas.


This is from the Frisco Unleaded website........
"Frisco Unleaded is a member of the Downwinders at Risk network, which provides us with access to technical help and resources." Frisco Unleaded is aligned with some interesting organizations.

I learned the hard way in college about getting into bed with people I don't know..........

[PugLover]

Should I infer from this that the group(s) against Exide are potentially radical, marxist, anti-corporate groups?

If so, then I would expect that NO corporation would/should be interested in locating in Frisco, TX.

[lucas mccain]

Oh my! The big bad political environmental activist are involved! Maybe we should wave our white flags and show Exide the door. I fear the repercussions.

[Piiilot]

Originally Posted by lucas mccain

Oh my! The big bad political environmental activist are involved! Maybe we should wave our white flags and show Exide the door. I fear the repercussions.

Lucas, I am going to be very honest with you here. You are simply too stupid to truly grasp the implications of this issue as it relates to Exide, the politicians that have aligned with this group, and what is really at play here. So with that, you should probably wander off to your backyard, with your folding chair, your bible, and stay out of this discussion.

[bizguy]

Originally Posted by Piiilot

Lucas, I am going to be very honest with you here. You are simply too stupid to truly grasp the implications of this issue as it relates to Exide, the politicians that have aligned with this group, and what is really at play here. So with that, you should probably wander off to your backyard, with your folding chair, your bible, and stay out of this discussion.

He can't, its too noisy....

[Max Optimizer]

Post fail. Jim Schermbeck did speak last night.

[bizguy]

Originally Posted by Axle Hongsnort

Post fail. Jim Schermbeck did speak last night.

Nope, yours is the fail. Whether he spoke last night is irrelevant to the discussion of who is behind downwinders at risk and who he is...

[Piiilot]

Originally Posted by Axle Hongsnort

Post fail. Jim Schermbeck did speak last night.

i only saw 3 woman and 1 man speak about the Exide plant, then a mother got up and talked about baking at home and i left. None of those 4 people were Schermbeck, the hired gun supported by anti-business, left wing, Marxist organizations.


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[Piiilot]

Originally Posted by El Burro Loco

This is priceless.

So he gets the chicken littles all worked up for his own personal profit/notoriety.

This just keeps getting better all the time.

yes, its funny when you start peeling back the layers - now for the record, would the Elected Officials that support this effort please step forward ?


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[Max Optimizer]

Schermbeck spoke last night after the gluten lady. Jim was a longtime Dallas resident, went to Austin College, now splits time between Lubbock (wife is a professor) and Dallas. Exide hires lobbyists from out of state, Frisco hires consultants from out of town, so why does it matter that Jim works alongside Frisco citizens that seek his guidance and expertise?

I'll speak for my fellow pro-business Republicans that have actually met Jim...his agenda is taking up environmental causes, big F'in deal, he's a good guy that makes a whopping $45,000 a year on these types of issues.

Getting Exide out of Frisco is not a left / right issue, its a public health issue, but have fun dragging Marxist ideologies and other irrelevant crap into your position.

Anyway, I've lurked here long enough to know that engaging in a civil intelligent debate on this topic is a tall order on this board, plus, the end is near do it's not really worth the effort.