The makers of the movie, Ann McElhinney & Phelim McAleer are a pair
of journalists turned movie makers. Their last prior project was a movie
called
Mine Your Own Business which was billed as:
"critical of environmentalist opposition to against
large scale mining projects in the developing world."
Disconcertingly for an 'independent' movie, it was in fact funded by
Gabriel Resources --a gold mining company. (and by
Rio Grande Foundation)
The movie focused on the environmental opposition to plans for a
gold mine development in Romania....... by
Gabriel Resources.
Lurking behind the environmentalists was none other than
George Soros:
So Gabriel Resources wheeled in McElhinney & McAleer to make an
'independent' movie to counter Soros.
Given
that background, it's no wonder the pair of movie-makers are
deeply embedded in the Left-Right political divide --a perspective
which emerged in the panel discussion after the recent netcast of their
latest movie:
Not Evil Just Wrong.
McElhinney ranted against the Right, shouted into her microphone,
usurped the role of the panel chairman, dominated the discussion, and
tellingly revealed her background as a schoolteacher. Whoud'a thunk!
Overall, McElhinney has all the credibility and nuance of a Sarah Palin.
The movie does make a good point about the environmentalist campaign
against DDT, and how that campaign robbed the world of the most
effective commercial insecticide to counter malaria, resulting in the
death of many millions in the developing world. McElhinney ranted
against Rachel Carson, whose book Silent Spring was key to the
demonization of DDT.
But, as is typical of shallow propagandists, it missed the real story.
The environmentalists fighting DDT were not the
real enemy. The patent
on DDT was about to expire at the time the campaign peaked. And the
patent-holder was Pharma giant
Glaxo Welcome. Their profits were set
to collapse on expiration of the patent. But the company had a patent
on a replacement for DDT(which is an organochlorine insecticide).
That product was an organophosphate:
Roundup.
The ban on DDT eliminated the organochlorine; sidelined the rivals who
were about to compete with Glaxo on expiry of its patent; and left the
field clear for Glaxo's new organophosphate replacement.
Ranting against the environmental stooges in that devious corporate plot
just diverts us all from the key role role played by a ruthless corporation.
The campaign against the global warming hysteria needs to address
the middle-ground opinion not polarize the debate into the dead-end
of Left-Right politics. The movie makers are propagandists, and their
entry into the debate is as much a hindrance as a help.
My email correspondent made good points, but wrote:
The hard right could have easily been chosen to play the role of evil
doers (AGW believers) except this works so much better as a vehicle to
bring the "conservatives" (a.k.a. fascists) back to power and to resurrect
the Bush image as a wise statesman who did not bend to false science.
I reckon the environmental Nanny-State-ism of global warming really
only fits properly with the Left and not at all with the Right. The game
all along was to use negative feelings against Bush to portray the AGW
opposition to the global audience as: 'yesterday's men'.
But, indeed the danger
is that the Right will hijack our victory.
He also wrote:
I am not sure that Anthony is not just one of the players -- he could/
would have easily been stopped if he poised a real threat to the real plan..
He's referring to Anthony Watts of
http://wattsupwiththat.com/
That science blog is probably the most vital resource for opponents
of the warming hysteria, and unlike the movie, it is moderate in
tone, rigorous in science and a terrific asset.
Sometimes the Truth finds an outlet.
Minds are like parachutes.
They only function when open.