Posted on 05/29/2002 5:13:31 PM PDT by kattracks
Dallas (CNSNews.com) - Anti-corporate protesters at ExxonMobil Corporation's annual shareholder meeting in Dallas Wednesday packed up and left after finding themselves outnumbered by free market demonstrators.
The anti-corporate protesters began arguing among themselves about how best to deal with the large number of free market demonstrators carrying banners such as "Yankee Rent a Mob Go Home," "Capitalism Rocks" and Greenpeace Hates America." They quickly decided to pack up and leave.
"I think we rattled them. They're packing up their bags and they're leaving," stated Niger Innis of the Congress on Racial Equality, one of the free market groups conducting a counter-demonstration. "Victory is sweet," he added.
After determining that their message was not being heard over the free market promoters, Scott Crow of the group United People Resisting Oppression & Racism (UPROR) decided to call it a day. With a chant of "Gone for now, but never forever," a woman in a "Proud to be a Bohemian" t-shirt retreated and other anti corporate protesters began to leave.
"The [anti-corporate] protesters are anti-American and anti-democracy, they are not just anti-ExxonMobil," stated Peggy Venable, the Texas State Director for the free market group Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE.) "They had anarchist training seminars this past weekend," she added.
Venable said the ExxonMobil protesters are "shipped in from elsewhere," while her group is from Texas. "We're people that work for a living," she said.
Other counter-demonstrators shared the same view. "We don't want environmentalists dictating the way we live," said Jose Muniz. "They want to reestablish socialism, which is what died in Russia. They want to shove it down our throats."
Carol Jones of the Texas branch of CSE carried a sign that read "Hitler Held Mock Trials Too," referring to Tuesday night's mock trial of ExxonMobil in which anti-corporate demonstrators ruled the corporate giant "guilty" for "crimes against humanity" and ordered the company's charter revoked.
The free marketers also held up signs saying the following: "Greens Suck," "Mother Nature Guilty of Climate Change," "Get Back in Your SUV & Drive Home," "Choose Capitalism Over Eco-Socialism," "Stop Global Whining," "Oil Employs, Anarchy Destroys," "No Poor Man Passes Out Jobs," "How Much Does Castro Pay You?" and "Greens are Red at Heart."
One ExxonMobil opponent, who would only give his first name, created a stir when he blamed the U.S. for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"I understand why [terrorists] did it. America has oppressed the rest of the world for 200 years or even before that when they took the land from the Native Americans and killed them, poisoned them and ran them off their land," Luigi shouted over jeers from the counter-demonstration.
Luigi also explained that "global capitalism is destroying the environment and it's destroying the earth. It's destroying the quality of life for everybody other than the upper crusts who are reaping the benefits."
Socialism is the Answer
Luigi believes America must alter its economic system and convert to socialism.
"America is so deeply ingrained in the capitalist ideal. The greed that comes from the attraction of money is what I have a problem with," he said.
Another anti-ExxonMobil protester agreed, telling CNSNews.com, "Corporate profits can't continue to kill people." Tim Harris said "global capitalism" helps "to keep people brainwashed and working for [the wealthy] as long as they possibly can."
Scott Crow, a protest leader, said they were there to "ensure an end to human rights violations across the world" and to hold "corporations accountable."
ExxonMobil chairman Lee Raymond told CNSNews.com that he was unfazed by the protesters. "We operate in over 200 countries around the world and for some reason that is bad," Raymond explained. He said ExxonMobil is a good corporate citizen throughout the world, hiring citizens from the countries in which it operates to satisfy 95 percent of its labor needs.
"If that is what they mean by globalization, then frankly everybody should support it," Raymond said.
See Earlier Story:
Oil Giant 'Guilty' of Crimes against Humanity, Protesters Say (May 29, 2002)
E-mail a news tip to Marc Morano.
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.
By Marc Morano
CNSNews.com Senior Staff Writer
May 29, 2002
Dallas (CNSNews.com) - Anti-corporate protesters and environmentalists were charged with hypocrisy for leaving a Dallas rally against ExxonMobil Corporation in a full size passenger van. Free market counter demonstrators began chanting "SUV Alert" as the anti-corporatist protesters retreated to their Ford Econoline van.
Despite a call by an anti-ExxonMobil protester to "burn" all SUV's in America, the demonstrators left the rally site at the Morton Meyerson Center in the van. One protester conceded it was "unfortunate" that they drove the van to the rally decrying ExxonMobil's environmental policies.
Carol Jones, a free market counter protester of the Texas branch of the group Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), was on hand at the downtown rally and charged the anti-ExxonMobil protesters with hypocrisy for driving a "gas guzzler."
"They always bring all their blow up [props] in SUV's, which they are totally against," she commented.
Jordana Banana, a protester against ExxonMobil responded "no comment" when asked by CNSNews.com about the use of the full size van.
When pressed on the issue, she said, "It's unfortunate that we have to drive a van. It would definitely be our preference to be able to take alternative forms of transportation, but unfortunately today, we had a lot of gear with us."
Banana added, "All of our gear though is recycled."
Before retreating to the van, another of the anti-ExxonMobil protesters, who would only give his first name, launched an attack on SUV's in America. "We should burn them all. They are horrible, they are useless," Luigi said. "Most people should be able to get by with a two-door car for the same thing they use SUV's for," he added.
Jones quipped, "[The protesters] don't want us to have SUV's, but they just got to have their SUV's."
Ford Econoline van's fuel economy varies from a low of 13 mph in the city to 21 mph on the highway, depending upon how they are equipped, according to EPA figures for the 2001 model year.
I've pinged several of them to this thread.
And when THEY are disarmed, their mouthpieces are disarmed: the media, the Democrats, the pasteboard Hollywood "heros." At that point, the whole liberal lie vanishes, held together as it is by pretense and illusion. Just as darkness disappears when someone lights a candle ...
Such a burden to bear for the felicitously-named Ms. Banana...
These people are idiots.
EXXON MOBIL is a public company owned by thousands of investors.
These morons should get a job and a 401k and maybe they would realize how capitalism works.
LOL. I love the signs. Far more creative than anything anti-capitalist flakes could come up with.
It's so nice to see the liberals getting out-demonstrated for a change. This is good.
That's for sure. I met one of the heavies in the bar at a local hotel back in early April after he gave a speech to a local trade organization that I belong to. He wouldn't identify his on-line name, but he certainly knew enough about us to let me know that he's regular.
Where did the vast majority of the Pew family money come from?
Sun Oil company.
Gee, do you think that is just a coincidence that they were funding a protest against a company that opposes the company that to their family owes their wealth?
"Corporate profits can't continue to kill people."
My response to this nimrod can be found here.
ExxonMobil counter protesters, in background, chant toward a protester, foreground, before the start of the ExxonMobil shareholders meeting in Dallas, Wednesday, May 29, 2002. ExxonMobil earned $15.3 billion last year amid falling oil and gas prices, a decline from 2000. (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)
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