Friday, December 6, 2013

Trying to appease anti-oil-sands thugs is a big mistake - sue the bastards instead

Peter Foster - Oil sands industry risks death sentence if it climbs into bed with its enemies.
The industry has been the subject of a global campaign of demonization, disinformation and intimidation, executed by a wide range of interlinked environmental non-governmental organizations, ENGOs.  That campaign has been based on false or grossly exaggerated allegations of toxicity, sickness and environmental destruction, in particular regarding the significance of the oil sands for global warming.

... Some are now proposing that rather than counter misinformation, the industry should legitimize it by sitting down with its ENGO tormentors. Even more bizarre is the suggestion that the industry might use the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement, CBFA, as a model.

... The CBFA, does indeed offer lessons, but rather of which path to avoid. ...  the final months [of the agreement] were marked by ... Greenpeace’s assault on one of the corporate signatories, Resolute Forest ProductsResolute fought back ... sued for “defamation, malicious falsehood and intentional interference with economic relations.”

Some shills for the ENGOs, such as Avrim Lazar ... suggest that it doesn’t matter how the ENGOs came by their power. Since they have it, they have to be dealt with. [Sure, ends justify means. It doesn't matter how the Mafia comes by its power - murder, extortion, drugs, prostitution, robbery - you still have to negotiate with and appease them.]
Does the industry really want to sit down with these judges and negotiate its own death sentence?
Let's hope the oil industry unites and shows some backbone.  Resolute Forest Products has shown the way for it to fight the ENGO thugs.  Sue their asses off for “defamation, malicious falsehood and intentional interference with economic relations.”. Surely the entire oil sands industry can come up with the bucks needed to fight that war.


2 comments:

Alain said...

These eco-fascists belong to what I call the religion of neo-communism, for whom only their faith matters, not evidence, facts or truth. Once you understand you are dealing with religious zealots, then you understand appeasement, debate or dialogue is impossible. It would be akin to attempting to debate or reason with militant Muslims; again because it is solely about religious faith.

The only effective way of dealing with such zealots is actually imposing the rule of law and lawsuits to hurt them where it counts and to hold them responsible for their actions.

JR said...

Exactly, Alain. As Foster says, negotiation is a futile, lose-lose approach. Taking the offense through the rule-of-law would be taking the high-road to victory.