Science teachers reject free copies of "An Inconvient Truth" under pressure from ExxonMobil
The National Science Teachers Association was offered 50,000 free copies of the Al Gore documentary An Inconvenient Truth for classroom use. The group however decided to decline the offer because they didn't want to upset Exxon\Mobil. The oil company is a major financial supporter of the organization and decided it wasn't worth the risk of upsetting a contributor. The NSTA said they didn't want to offer any political endorsement of the film and saw little benefit to the group or it's members in accepting the DVDs. In their rejection letter to producer Laurie David, they said that accepting the DVDs would place, "unnecessary risk upon the [NSTA] capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters." One of those supporters is the ExxonMobil Corp." Clearly, the group cares more about keeping the flow of oil money going than they do in providing kids exposure to a viewpoint contrary to that of the oil companies.[Source: BoingBoing]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mario 7:55AM (4/05/2008)
You guys must be reading those liberal newspapers and the sad part is that you have been hoodwinked to think that an inconveient truth is more than what it is - liberal propoganda - It belongs right up there with that with Moore and his clearly unintellectual views.
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Tim 2:11PM (11/28/2006)
Always, always, always follow the Money!!! The love of it is the root...
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Ron Fischer 3:17PM (11/28/2006)
The thought of cowards like these teaching my kid is upsetting. What does this teach our children? What does this say about the scientific process? Isn't truth more important and powerful than money in the long run? Isn't that an American value we should teach? Even if the movie was considered 'political,' NSTA could have proposed a creative alternative, reselling the DVDs to make a donation, editing sections of it into a special presentation, etc.
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Peter 6:41PM (11/28/2006)
What does it say about the lack of public support for the National Science Teachers Association?
If they had enough funding from federal or state governments that they could be independent of third party funding, they wouldn't have to make judgements like this.
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Adam 6:40PM (11/28/2006)
I think I just threw up a little.
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Tim 7:50PM (11/28/2006)
Peter- Typical! If it's broken, throw someone else’s money at it. First, do we really need this National Science Teachers Association? I see they’re doing a great job! And... The Federal and State governments have no money! It's my money. I worked damn hard for it and I'd like to retire on some if it instead of depending on the government to “hold it for me.” I’m not quite sure that they would give it back. You know… the Social Security “trust” fund… insolvent… what a joke!
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Peter 8:13PM (11/28/2006)
Tim. You're right, the government wouldn't give you your money back, they would give it to the education system to educate the next generation. When they grew up, they would give their money to the generation after theirs, and so on.
Where do you think ExxonMobil gets the money they use to support the NSTA? From the profits they make taking your money to give you your gas.
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Joseph 2:06AM (11/29/2006)
I agree with Ron.
And someone please fix the Title:
"Inconvient" to "Inconvenient"
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Manu Sharma 2:58AM (11/29/2006)
"The thought of cowards like these teaching my kid is upsetting"
What is even more distressing here is the implication that Big Oil influences even the US education system!
We already knew the oil companies exert tremendous control over the media and the government but education....shocking!
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Tim 8:52AM (11/29/2006)
Peter- Educate or Indoctrinate? I see they are doing a great job and yes, I can tell that the more of my tax money that they throw at the problem, the more kids can't spell when they graduate high school. And yes, teachers unions are very powerful do-nothing organizations. GOOD JOB!!! Grades… Parents 2, Gov’t schools 1, Teachers Unions 0. We and they are failing our future because it’s more important that we have that 3rd car, big house, fancy clothes, expensive vacations etc. than spend time teaching our kids. Always follow the money!! The LOVE of it is the root….!!
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Tim 9:10AM (11/29/2006)
Peter- By the way, ExxonMobil (BIG OIL) gets the money they use to support the NSTA from my tax subsidy dollars and by lobbing (paying) politicians to keep CAFE standards low and give my tax dollars to research and development in alternative energy that they can Monopolize like Hydrogen. Monopolies keep prices high and quality low. Competition lower’s prices and increases quality. When it comes to Monopolies like Big Oil, Big Auto, or Big Gov’t, economy of scale is irreverent. Only money which is power counts.
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Bogdan 9:17AM (11/29/2006)
I hope this is not entirely true, because otherwise those teachers are nothing short of prostitutes. Maybe there are some other nuances here that we missed?
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Randi 11:16AM (11/30/2006)
http://www.nsta.org/contact
Write to NSTA at the above location and ask them if it's true. Tell them you're outraged if it is. Insist they get this film in front of our children. At the very least, we should make sure our voices are heard, whether it does any good or not.
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Randi 11:58AM (12/07/2006)
http://www.nsta.org/main/pdfs/20061130LetterToLaurieDavid.pdf
You know, we don't help out cause by not getting this right. Here is a copy of a letter went out about this offer to send the free copies of An Inconvenient Truth (see URL above). The NSTA has given lots of options, all of which should be taken. The group is now saying it can't distribute the films because of their policy against endorsement, which makes good sense. But it has offered other things. I can't say whether the other letter said what was reported here, but now common sense has prevailed.
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GUSS LYNN 5:13PM (12/09/2006)
OK SO MANY OF YOU LIKE TO RAIL ABOUT BIG OIL, THE BIGGER QUESTION IS "WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?" . IF YOU OBJECT TO THE PROFITS OF BIG OIL, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED CUTTING BACK ON THE AMOUNT OF GAS YOU BUY? LIKE ALL COMPANIES, BIG OIL NOTICES WHEN ITS PROFITS GO DOWN. I LIVE IN OIL COUNTRY (WEST TEXAS), AND HAVE GROWN UP WORKING IN AND AROUND THE OIL COMPANIES, BUT I GOT TIRED OF THE HIGH GAS PRICES LAST YEAR AND DECIDED TO SEE WHAT I COULD DO TO CUT DOWN THE AMOUNT OF GAS I BOUGHT. WHAT I DID WAS DO (MYSELF) A CONVERSION ON A FORD ESCORT FROM GAS TO TOTAL ELECTRIC! THE ESCORT WAS CHEAP TO BUY ($50)AND AFTER THE CONVERSION, A REAL LAUGH TO DRIVE! IT IS VERY QUIET, AND HAS A TOP SPEED OF 75MPH. OF COURSE IT WONT GO THAT FAST FOR TOO LONG. BUT IT WILL TAKE ME TO AND FROM WORK AT 65 MPH WITHOUT A RECHARGE IN THE MIDDLE (A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 50 MILES). WITH THE CURRENT COST OF ELECTRICITY , IT COSTS ABOUT 1.8 CENTS PER MILE TO DRIVE!! DO I STILL OWN A GAS FUELED VEHICLE? OF COURSE I DO! I DRIVE MY EXPLORER 4X4 (24MPG) WHEN I GO ON LONG TRIPS, OR TO THE MOUNTAINS. THE ELECTRIC CAR JUST DOES NOT HAVE THE RANGE FOR THAT. BUT IT SURE HAS CUTDOWN THE AMOUNT OF GAS I BUY. SO IF YOU ARE SERIOUS ABOUT BIG OIL, DO SOMETHING MORE THAN JUST FLAP YOUR LIPS!!
OTHERWISE, ALL THAT LIP FLAPPING IS JUST NOISE!!
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Gerfried 8:18AM (12/09/2006)
No existing information may be not disclosed in the age of the internet ;-)
http://www.greenfleet.info
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joe cross 3:27PM (12/24/2006)
Just wait until the pope puts his 2 cents in about global warming, then we will see an about face from these conservative groups. Even the high court that just halved Exxon-Mobil's fine for valdez will be shaking in their boots about judgement day.By the way why hasn't Exxon-Mobil payed this fine yet, they dumped all that oil way back in 1989!
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James 12:01AM (1/04/2007)
I agree with Gus to a point, we all should be doing something on a daily basis to cut back our contribution to the toxic emissions going into the air. The automobile is our biggest cause of toxic emissions that each of us are accountable for. However, if anyone is outraged by the school systems not wanting to show the video, my suggestion is that you sit down with you kid(s) and watch it together and discuss it after the movie. Schools are nothing more that a place for the dumbing down of humanity. Nothing that is truly needed to be learned for life here on earth is even taught. Its like one big trivial pursuit game. How much can I remember. I do my part everyday with Ethos FR and you can too. If you don't know what it is, look it up and you'll be amazed that the EPA won't even give it a thumbs up because they can't afford to make it look like they are giving the company a monopoly. Each and everyone of us are responsible for everything that goes on in this world. Just look and see how many people don't vote each election. Don't put it off on someone else. Watch THE SECRET.....
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Stuart 3:10AM (1/27/2007)
To Guss Lynn,
Although driving an electric powered car seems all anti-oil companies and I'm being a green citizen, but at the end of the day electricity comes from an even less efficient process (burning fossil fuels, heating turbines etc) than the one that happens in your gas powered car. Driving electric cars therefore is not the answer to solving fuel emmisions and you need to look at the bigger picture. Not buying gas from big oil companies will only provide the customer with a glint of satisfaction that they are not giving money to gas companies but it will never solve this huge problem that will face our next generation.
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Kaitlyn 3:04PM (5/25/2007)
My teacher did show me this video and I'm glad that the teachers declined the offer. this movie is one: way too political and personal. and two: full of bad Science!
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