The Millennial Files

Energy Producers: Stop Using the Children!!!

Last spring, I posted an expose  ona a series of commercials being launched at CNN, as sponsors of a segment “Welcome to the Future.” While WTF is an innocuous enough benign informational show, I found the use of children to manipulate voting-age Americans into trusting the concept of “clean coal” disturbing to say the least.

Apparently the campaign must be successful, because now I feel like I am being indundated with these fresh-scrubbed kids telling me how, even though they don’t like homework, they still know more about clean-coal technology than me. This reminds me of when my 20-year-old son  (now 22) informed me of his decision to join the Army. When I argued against it, he countered with he knew more about the army because he had spoken to people in the Army (a recruiter and his buddies), and had done some of his own online research at the army’s own website. Two years later, a failed marriage, and serious anger management issues, we have learned better.

Make no mistake, Learn About Coal is a product of Americans for Balanced Energy Choices (ABEC), a nonprofit group funded by railroads, coal producers and users, and electric utilities. Its sponsors include the utility conglomerate Southern, one of the leading U.S. energy producers, and the American Association of Railroads, whose membership transport coal (Atlanta Journal and Constitution, 4/21/00). ABEC’s advertisements advocate on behalf of the use of coal. Most likely, their ultimate goal is to get enough voting Americans comfortable with the idea of clean coal technology, they will support legislation and subsidies for its development.

For one, I find it hard to believe these industries don’t have the funds to develop this potentially toxic albatross themselves. For another, at the present time, coal is the dirtiest source of energy we have, no matter how plentiful it is.

ABEC’s Executive Director Joe Lucas continues to assert “two people can see the same information and reach different conclusions.” That logic applies when those involved consider evidence and information dispassionately and without prejudice. However, we have already seen how those with a prior agenda, such a profit, have learned to twist and manipulate facts to serve their own interests, which in this case is more buck for the bang.

I repeat, I have yet to see supporting, peer-reviewed evidence of the existence of clean-coal technology. Should that day come, I will embrace in the same way I embraced hybrid technology — I bought a hybrid car, and encourage others to do the same.

The blatant manipulation of these children and their parents is abhorrent at best, and disturbing at least. Mr. Lucas argued to me once others have used children in the past, somehow making their use of these kids acceptable. I say, yeah, and they used to beat and abuse them too. Remember when “spare the rod, spoil the child” was the norm?

I apologize if I am offending anyone’s sensibilities, but my real concern is what happens if those Learn About Coal kids turn out to be the Marlboro Man of the 21st Century? In his case, it was too late to turn back the clock as an individual, in our proposed scenario, it will be too late to turn back the clock on all of us, those children and their children too.

Knock it off..