Posted on 01/15/2009 8:14:55 AM PST by Bubba_Leroy
Hollywood's Sundance Kid is hurting poor people.
So say some East Coast ministers and conservative activists, who took to the streets in front of a downtown Salt Lake City theater on the eve of Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival to accuse the actor of holding down low-income Americans with his opposition to oil and gas drilling near national parks in Utah.
The protesters, led by the Congress of Racial Equality's national spokesman Niger Innis, suggested Redford should "relinquish his wealth" and live like a poor person. They complained that the filmmaker's anti-drilling stance could lead to higher energy prices for inner-city residents, forcing them to accept a lower standard of living.
The clergymen prayed for Redford "to see the light" and linked his environmental activism with racism.
"The high energy prices we're going to see this winter are essentially discriminatory," said Bishop Harry Jackson Jr. of the Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Md., chairman of the High-Impact Leadership Coalition, a petroleum industry advocate.
A month ago, Redford, a trustee of the National Resources Defense Council, voiced support for a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking the Bush administration's "morally criminal" attempt to auction 103,000 acres of scenic redrock desert for oil and gas drilling near Arches and Canyonlands national parks and Dinosaur National Monument.
On Wednesday, Redford said through a spokeswoman Advertisement that he stands by his opposition to the leasing. "These contested oil leases in Utah really have nothing to do with the cost of home heating," said Los Angeles-based spokeswoman, Joyce Deep. "The fact is, the oil and gas industry already has more leases than it knows what to do with."
Using federal studies and statistics, The Wilderness Society calculated the natural gas recoverable from the 77 contested parcels would be the equivalent of two days of national consumption. The oil recoverable from those parcels would last 1 hour and 40 minutes at today's consumption rate.
Glenn Bailey, executive director of the poverty-advocacy group Crossroads Urban Center in Salt Lake City, called CORE's message a "red herring." The root cause of high energy prices, he said, are "big industry and price manipulation, not conservationists."
But Bishop Bobby Allen, of Ogden's Griffin Memorial Church of God in Christ, said even a tiny amount of Utah gas represents a lifeline to poor inner-city residents. "One life worth saving is worth the effort," he said.
I’ll bet Redford’s first words when he started this article were “What the...”
Man I like Roy and Niger Innis!
Is Redford THAT Stupid?.. or an opportunist?..
But who is directly advocating against drilling?
It isn't the oil companies.....
I looooove this approach! I am a big-time believer in using the liberals’ methods against them. Whenever I get into an environmental discussion with someone, I am quick to point out that environmentalism=religion. Now I have some more ammo: environmentalism=racism. Time for us to change the paradigm.
Isn’t it heartwarming when lefties begin to eat their own?
I agree, I'll be right over to pick it up, Bobby.
“But...but I was in Reds!”
....this is funny! no honor among liberal theives...reminds me of when ML King started demonstrating against VietNam because it’s expense threatened Great Society give away programs.
Obviously.
Redford has always been a part of the liberal Hollywood crowd, enviro extremist. Not cool to defend him.
These guys have it exactly right. High energy costs hit those with the least means the hardest. The wealthy elites could care less.
Yes to both
I agree with you....that this approach needs to be used more...environmental extremism affects the poor more than anyone else.
All these wild “green” ideas are out of reach to most of the poor...who either cannot afford these “alternatives”, or, can only resort to using energy that produces CO2.
I am glad CORE and other groups are bringing up this issue. And, there are quite capitalist ways to aid the poor...instead of resorting to socialism
Warms my heart to see a leftist get strung up in PC.
You want to be scared? Read the comments that follow the article - every racist enviro-wacko nutcase in Utah attacks the writers AND the clergy!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.