Thursday, January 18, 2007

Human Rights Violations - left vs. right

One of the anons commenting on the previous post attacked the information about Michael Shellenberger working for Hugo Chavez by denigrating the source as a "rightwing conspiracy website."

In the first place - I'd hardly characterize a site dedicated to outlining human rights violations in Venezuela as a right wing conspiracy site.

In the second place, in the course of my looking into Michael Shellenberger, I found exactly what Aleksander Boyd details in his report - Shellenberger is aligned with every far far left extremist group you can think of. To point this out is to report the truth.

In my observation, Michael Shellenberger has more domain names, email addresses and websites than any spammer on the planet. He appears to routinely form up little "groups" (like the so-called "Alliance for Ethical Business" here in Humboldt County). He is always the "founder," "co-founder," "executive director" or "spokesperson" for the "group." Then he cross-pollinates the "groups" using one to endorse the other, and calling it a "growing coalition of human rights organizations."

I started looking him up after Richard Salzman had him call me - regular readers of this blog will remember the story - Richard said he "couldn't promise" he "could call these people off," but he "would try." That was March/April 2003. Richard pronounced his name ShAllenberger - with an A - and it wasn't until stories in the paper had Gallegos supposedly surfing with his "college-buddy" Michael Shellenberger - with an E - that I was able to get any information.

What I found was evidence that Michael Shellenberger had been on the ground in Humboldt County on and off for nearly a decade, working with Earth First! EPIC, Salmon Forever (one of Ken Miller's groups), and more. What emerged was a picture of a 10 year effort to "get Palco." Getting Gallegos elected was a major coup, and provided these guys with a major new weapon.

One of the many UNTOLD STORIES of the Recall was the involvement of Michael Shellenberger.

And as you come to understand that he is someone who has the power to get celebrities like Woody Harrelson to climb the Golden Gate Bridge to unfurl a banner for a Headwaters campaign, and get Bonnie Raitt to play a concert for Headwaters, to get Dr. Laura kicked off the television airwaves, someone with access to George Soros, access to left wing Think Tanks, and access to huge Foundation grant money, you begin to understand more what is going on in "Salzman's Plan" to get Gallegos to solicit, accept and use special interest money to fund the public prosecution of PL.

He specializes in what he calls "structuring the debate" - or, in other words, manipulating public opinion. He brags on some of his self-promotional websites about pressuring public officials into doing what he wants.

What that meant here in Humboldt County was convincing you that Gallegos was not soft on crime, that PL was trying to buy their way out of a lawsuit. And unfortunately, Palco played right into his hands.

The Recall was portrayed as the gallant young David against the evil Goliath, Palco.

The fact was that Gallegos had a Goliath in his own right working for him. You can see by looking at the contract with Chavez the value of Shellenberger's services. And that was for a relatively limited effort.

What did it cost Gallegos to have this man on the ground in Humboldt County on and off from at least March of 2003 until he ultimately, by his own words, moved his family up here for the final weeks of Gallegos' campaign?

Did you read anything about Shellenberger's involvement in the local press? No. yet he reportedly met with editorial boards. In the final days he attended press conferences with Gallegos.

Yet after the Recall, Shellenberger trumpeted his success and proclaimed himself Gallegos' "Lead campaign consultant." Was that ever mentioned in the local press? No. How much did Gallegos pay for the privilege? Is it detailed on his campaign disclosure forms?

What services did he provide as "Lead campaign consultant" besides garnering Gallegos national press coverage? Image consulting? Debate prep?

These are questions that, to this day, remain unanswered.

And, after the Recall, Shellenberger began promoting himself as somewhat of an expert at helping politicians survive a recall attempt. Enter Hugo Chavez who was facing a Recall in Venezuela.

You want to make this about left and right wing politics?

Most "liberals" once cared about human rights violations and would care about the plight of the people in Venezuela and would recognize Chavez for the menace that he is, but since he declared his hatred for our President, he has become the darling of the left. In that sense you may be right.

And those same "liberals" - many of them my good friends - also abandoned their historic support for protecting women and children, for victim's rights in favor of hating Palco, and they turn a blind eye to the devastation in the DA's office as a result.

In that sense - you may be right. Maybe it is about "progressive" values.

Which side do you fall on?

28 comments:

  1. That's some impressive work.

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  2. SHIT Rose! Are you going to start with FPPC violations or just send this off to AG,PALCO,HSU what other initials can I think of??

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  3. Oh, Michael Schellenberger!! You big and powerful man!! No one would have seen through PL's $350,000 falsehoods without you!!

    And without you Rose we'd never see how much more powerful Schellenberger is than all of PALCO and Hurwitz combined.

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  4. You must be close to something Rose, they seems upset with you.

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  5. Claims (on Fenton website) to have orchestrated the Headwaters Deal by exerting pressure on public officials...

    ?We built a communications strategy around two key elements: consensus for protecting 60,000 acres of old-growth and casting the redwood conflict as a battle against corporate greed, embodied by Charles Hurwitz, the lumber baron and CEO of Maxxam Corporation, which owned Headwaters.

    For the next two years, Fenton provided media strategy and outreach on a broad range of initiatives to mobilize public support and pressure Hurwitz and policy makers to protect the forest. We went beyond the usual suspects - environmentalists - to build influential and newsworthy alliances with religious leaders, local residents, small business leaders, and celebrities such as Woody Harrelson and Bonnie Raitt.

    We publicized civil disobedience and lock-downs, lawsuits and high-level government meetings. We drew on the expertise of the state's top scientists, and leveraged the support of law makers to lend credibility and political traction to the cause. As the drama escalated, so did the media coverage, spreading beyond California to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, and all the major national TV networks.

    In 1998, feeling the heat on their necks, government officials brokered a $380 million deal with Hurwitz to buy the crown jewel of the forest, the 7,500-acre Headwaters Grove.

    Once the deal was struck, however, our work was far from over. Part of the agreement involved the Orwellian-titled "habitat conservation plan", which gave Maxxam the green light to log much of the company's remaining 200,0000 acres.

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  6. "Michael Shellenberger" Important to spell correctly for Google...

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  7. Rosie my girl - somehow 9:14 got his knickers twisted. Atta girl.

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  8. I've never seen him in knickers, but something is definitely twisted alright.

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  9. Aargh!

    That is sure a bad visual Rose - don't even want to think of seeing him in knickers.

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  10. It makes me giggle! Thinking of him punching the wall out last night, hopping mad at Rose, drinking too much and probably stubbing his toe (knickers or not) very funny!

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  11. hahahahahhahahahahaha Go get em Rose!!! The "truth" always hurts and you just nailed them (him).
    Good Job!!
    D.

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  12. Hey did anybody catch this weeks Humboldt Beacon's letters to the editor? Go Rhonda!

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  13. Oh so now Rose is concerned about human rights in Venezuela because it can somehow be connected to Paul Gallegos. Wow.

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  14. 12:27 Can you read? Or do you post without reading what you're posting about?

    Yet after the Recall, Shellenberger trumpeted his success and proclaimed himself Gallegos' "Lead campaign consultant." Was that ever mentioned in the local press? No. How much did Gallegos pay for the privilege? Is it detailed on his campaign disclosure forms?

    Do you understand FPPC violations may have (probably) been committed?

    Michael Shellenberger has more domain names, email addresses and websites than any spammer on the planet. He appears to routinely form up little "groups" (like the so-called "Alliance for Ethical Business" here in Humboldt County). He is always the "founder," "co-founder," "executive director" or "spokesperson" for the "group." Then he cross-pollinates the "groups" using one to endorse the other, and calling it a "growing coalition of human rights organizations."

    And some of us remember reading that Michael Shellenberger charged $60,000 for consulting services to 'restructure the debate' in the recall of Hugo Chavez.

    Re-read Sixty grand for 6 months published 1/15/07

    -A Rose Fan

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  15. I can't believe Ken Miller has a OP in the T-S today talking about meth. He's just upset that he can't turn a profit off it.

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  16. Yep-its connected.
    -Always a Rose Fan

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  17. The Times Standard giving Ken Miller space makes about as much sense as quoting Salzman.

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  18. Where did you get such a dippy photo of Gallegos?

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  19. Bravo Rose !

    I have been to Venezuela since Chavez took power but I will not go back again. Hugo Chazez is a danger to South and North America.

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  20. Maybe Bush can add Chavez to the Axis of Evil and make a preemptive strike at the HumCo DAs ofc? The rest of you people oughta get outta there too!

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  21. The new (North coast) axis of evil ! Pablo G., Ken M&M, ugophree.com, & Michael Shellgamer.

    Nothing left but to joke.

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  22. Shell-gamer! Good One!

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  23. PL bites the dust

    good riddance

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  24. Chavez is a dogmatic blowhard, but so far I'm not aware that he's violated his country's laws. He's been democraticly elected several times over and quite convincingly. He's the leader the country wants, and until he acts unconstitutionally or violates international law there's really no grievance.

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  25. Eric - you sound like an idiot.

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  26. Those interested in the Chavez/Venezuela scene need to read Daniel at http://daniel-venezuela.blogspot.com/.
    He is no right wing wacko (a social democrat) and has good command of english. Having spent considerable time in Venezuela I can assure you he knows what he is talking about.

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  27. Thanks ΛΕΟΝΙΔΑΣ ! daniel-venezuela "Written from the Venezuelan provinces, this blog started as private letters to my friends overseas, letters narrating the difficult days of the 2002/2003 strike in Venezuela. These letters became this mix of news, comments, pictures of the Venezuelan situation. Unknowingly, I have written the diary of Venezuela slow descent into authoritarianism, the slow erosion of our liberties, the takeover of the country by a military caste, the surrendering of our soul to our inner demons."

    My heart breaks for these people. What happens when the good people of our world, like you Eric, write this off so blithely?

    Why should it surprise me. You are doing it here as well.

    How long before bloggers like daniel are shut down?

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  28. Chavez just got approval of the legislature (100% chavistas) to rule by decree for 18 months. He has been "asked" by members of that body how he wishes the constitution to be amended to allow him to serve for life. The Venezuelan constitution can be amended by a majority vote of the legislature. They do not have a secret ballot in Venezuela and Chavez has a list of his "non supporters" all of whom have been fired from PDVSA, the socialized oil company. Just to be safe he has appointed all the members on the electoral commission. The only tv station that did not enthusiastically support him is being nationalized as of next month. He doesn't "violate" the law. He IS the law and good buddies with Robert Kennedy and Jimmah Carter.

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