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U.S. Chamber of Commerce President: Environmentalists Behind Resignation of Apple, Others
Environmental groups are trying to discredit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by persuading companies to quit the business group over its stance on greenhouse-gas regulation, chamber President Tom Donohue said.
Computing giant Apple has defected from the US Chamber of Commerce, as a growing rift emerges over the group's opposition to tough climate change rules. in response, Chamber president Thomas Donohue (pictured in this file photo) said Apple did not understand the chamber's goals. (AFP/Pool/File/Jeff Christensen) Apple and PG&E are among companies that have quit the chamber, citing the group's opposition to legislative and regulatory proposals for curbing emissions of carbon dioxide. New Mexico-based PNM Resources and Exelon of Chicago, also said they will leave.
"There is under way an orchestrated pressure campaign by a couple of environmental groups," Donohue, 71, said at a Washington press conference Thursday. The chamber, which calls itself the world's largest business federation, won't give in and change its position, he said.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment on the spat Thursday, pointing back to Apple's original letter from Monday that outlined why it is leaving the chamber.
"If they want to quit, we're sorry to see them go, but it's sort of interesting that we have turnover all the time and these four companies sort of woke up one morning and all decided they were on their own, going to quit and put it in the newspaper," said Donohue, who has headed the Washington-based organization since 1997.
Donohue said the chamber has held several votes on its climate-change position that went through without objection. Fewer than a dozen companies have expressed displeasure over the group's climate position, he said.
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Energy Secretary Steven Chu told reporters today that it's "wonderful" companies have quit the chamber over the climate issue. The organization should not be "foot-dragging" on global warming, Chu said.
Apple, maker of the Macintosh computer and iPhone, said it resigned in protest over the chamber's opposition to the EPA's efforts to limit greenhouse gases.
13 Comments so far
Show AllDonhue is a predatory psychopath. In a healthy world, he'd be in residential care, not the well-paid spokesperson for other psychopaths.
The Chamber of Commerce has a long and notorious history of being the bulwark of reaction. Just read labor history to see what this outfit has done over the years. Thank you Apple for taking this stand on this most important issue. It might help to wake up some other businesses that their Chamber does not work in anyone's ultimate interests but the most reactionary big business interests.
The comment of Thomas Donohue is emblematic of the emptiness of the paternalising language that everyone is getting sick of.
"...It's sort of interesting.. ...sort of woke up one morning...
The attempt to infantalize and demean
decided they were on their own
going to quit and put it in the newspaper
No wonder there is a lot of turnover.
it is the slosh of equivocation
GO! Gaia groupies!! An apple a day keeps the ass souls at bay!!!
As I remember reading somewhere, but alas can't remember where at present, Donohue also has the Chamber of Commerce officially endorsing the by now thoroughly discredited view that there is still no convincing evidence that global warming is occurring at all! The Chamber has also been absolutely terrible, especially in recent years, on all issues having to do with workers rights and all attempts to re-regulate the mega-financial ["F.I.R.E."] sector of zombie-banks, insolvent S&Ls, predatory and usury-rate [try 500%!] lenders, "paycheck cashing" scams, equities and commodities manipulators, "blind pool" hawkers, derivatives gamblers, "Ponzi-schemers" -- from small chain letter grifters, to "multi-level marketers," to Bernnie Madoff's racket, which was brought to FBI and SEC attention more than four years before they finally investigated and prosecuted him! -- duplicitous life-insurance sellers, fraudulent brokerage fee chargers, mutual fund high-loaders, real estate loan conditions deceivers, and virtually every other type of "fine print" predation on trusting ordinary people that one can imagine, and that our federal government, unlike every other OECD nation in the world, has done next to nothing in the last 40 years to outlaw, or even regulate.
What was that Woody Guthrie lyric? ... "One man robs you with a six-gun, Another with a fountain-pen."
So ... there are plenty of reasons why any respectable corporation these days would want to disassociate themselves with the ever more rabidly reactionary American branch of "The Chamber of Commerce." My only question is: IS THERE AN ON-LINE PETITION THAT IS CURRENTLY COLLECTING SIGNATURES TO BE SENT TO ALL OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S REMAINING MEMBERS, EXPLAINING THE SITUATION AND URGING THEM TO CANCEL THEIR MEMBERSHIPS?
Such a petition strategy has been VERY effective against that widely-syndicated bigot and slanderer, Glenn Beck. Isn't it well worth trying here as well? Does anyone know how one goes about setting such a petition up? As I remember there is an organization that helps various causes use their website for such petition drives. Anyone know more of the specifics? I say, let's pressure the many sensible companies that no doubt still belong to the "CH of C," out of ignorance regarding Donohue's latest nefarious doings, to leave at once!!
I did find one petition we can sign against the nut cases in control of the the Chamber of Commerce,"
Here's the web address: http://pol.moveon.org/chamber/
The Chamber and Donahue are not just "foot dragging" they are the slimiest type of propagandist whores for the entrenched ruling-elite corporate/financial EMPIRE that, unfortunately, has grasped control of our country by hiding behind the facade of the EMPIRE's two-party 'Vichy' sham of democracy (and aided by the EMPIRE's equally 'Vichy' corporatist media whores).
Dylan Ratigan, the gutsy progressive host of MSNBC's "Morning Meeting" has had the guts and vision to 'call-out' this hidden corporatist EMPIRE --- by tagging it as "CORPORATE COMMUNISM" (which is an effective and catchy name for what this corporate/financial EMPIRE really is).
All principled progressives should heavily use Dylan's great and effective name "Corporate Communism" to focus light on this otherwise hidden EMPIRE ---- and using this term will really work for the following reasons:
http://www.opednews.com/populum/diarypage.php?did=14528
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
PS. Help start the Second American Revolution against EMPIRE ---- but this time against the internal 'Vichy' corporatist EMPIRE.
How dare Activists LOBBY entities in order to pressure them to change their Policies?
This is Criminal!!
Cry me a river.
Glad to be typing right now on my APPLE keyboard and reading from my iMac. GO APPLE!!!
The Chamber is one of the most patently greedy, money grubbing, selfish and anti human organizations in the country. They live for the love of money, humans be damned. I hope more and more companies leave it. Money shouldn't be the only reason to exist, and it is for these people.
Pardon me while I spit.
I am so glad Donohue is giving credit where credit is due and that is some great Friday afternoon news for an environmental activist like me! May more business leave the C of C and form a more Greener Union of Commerce!
""There is under way an orchestrated pressure campaign by a couple of environmental groups," Donohue, 71""
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Isn't that a topper, 'couple of environmental groups' which means you, turdf**k donohue, 71, are putting the world on alert, private contractors and such, that these are 'orchestrated' anti-american groups, but should we go ahead and say what you really want to say, TERRORISTS, which makes it easier for the vegetable garden to be offended when they see an apple computer or product.
Since we're having this chit-chat donohue, how's the gutted out job market doing in providing jobs for those forced out of work by your pals? Been able to afford many quickie vacations overseas lately? Well, if not you must not be a prick of the highest order.
Isn't this enough to make you want to go out to buy an Apple computer. Hey what's wrong with having good marketing, Mr Big Businessman?
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