UPDATE: Be advised that Charity Navigator has issued a donor advisory in reference to the Center for Consumer Freedom and the Center For Consumer Freedom has changed its name to the Center For Organizational Research & Education. The Center For Organizational Research & Education has launched a campaign geared toward attacking environmental organizations called the Environmental Policy Alliance. Please read the N.Y. Times article: Richard Berman Energy Industry Talk Secretly Taped.
Time and again, I have witnessed people who claim to be animal rights activists sharing the website links and Facebook posts supplied by the groups Humanewatch or Petakillsanimals, simply because they do not care for PETA or the Humane Society of the United States.
Animal rights, human rights and environmental activists need to consider what they are promoting, before sharing links from such sources. Activists of any kind possess absolutely no business giving more exposure to “Petakillsanimals” and “Humanewatch“.
I really couldn’t care less about how much someone dislikes PETA or the HSUS. Sharing these websites or their respective Facebook pages makes an individual no friend to the animal rights, human rights or environmental movement. Humanewatch and Petakillsanimals are both owned and operated by the Center for Consumer Freedom, where one of the world’s most powerful corporate lobbyists serves as “Executive Director”.
As Executive Director to the Center for Consumer Freedom, Rick Berman is responsible for both of these endeavors. In my opinion, I agree with Rick Berman’s own son, David, in that Mr. Berman is a corporate lobbying human-molester whose twisted agenda is based solely on keeping your money flowing into the hands of life-destructive interests.
Rick Berman has opposed increasing the minimum wage and publicly promotes to ensure that the United States minimum wage does not elevate.
Rick Berman has worked to bust unions.
Rick Berman has promoted that the mercury in fish really isn’t that bad for you.
Rick Berman has argued that many health concerns in regard to obesity are just “hype“.`
Rick Berman has downplayed the idea that tanning beds are unhealthy through SunLightScam.com, which now appears to be defunct. Please watch this video advertisement.
Rick Berman has consistently attacked Mother’s Against Drunk Driving.
On April 28, 2000, in an article that Rick Berman submitted to the Chicago Tribune, apparently in support of the tobacco industry, he argued that second-hand smoke was less than one-sixth of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s allowable level.
When the Corn Refiners Association needed a lobbyist to promote their desired proposal to change the name of high-fructose corn syrup to “corn-sugar”, who do you think jumped on the band-wagon?
For those concerned about animal welfare in agriculture, on Monday, September 20, 2010, in a Washington Post article, the director of research at the Center for Consumer Freedom stated that there were no valid food safety reasons to promote “cage-free” chickens as opposed to “caged” chickens.
Rick Berman is capable(and apparently willing) of attacking any activist groups which revolve around human, environmental and animal rights that have the potential to cost corporate interests money.
The supplied information on any of his websites is “spun” at best. If you feel the need to attack PETA, do your own research in regard to the matter and do not use information supplied by Berman and Company. Rick Berman’s agenda apparently has nothing to do with any actual benefit for humans, animals or this planet and you are NOT helping animals by promoting Petakillsanimals. Do you truly believe that Rick Berman gives a damn if PETA kills animals or not?
Individuals who share links from endeavors like Humanewatch and Petakillsanimals are giving Rick Berman exactly what he wants; exposure necessary to hurt the activist movement. Any pieces of information supplied by Berman And Company should be shunned by all activist communities.
I am supplying the links to some of the web-sites connected to endeavors run by Rick Berman. Anyone with sense about them should be able to discern what Rick Berman stands for by simply researching this subject. Mr. Berman’s actions are more than enough to speak for themselves. Why would an activist for any facet of life give Rick Berman exposure by sharing ANYTHING from his Facebook pages or websites? Activists do not share spun or biased information supplied by corporate lobbyists.
BERMAN AND COMPANY: bermanco.com
(A corporate lobbyist firm owned and operated by Rick Berman)
CENTER FOR CONSUMER FREEDOM: consumerfreedom.com
(The platform by which Rick Berman creates and promotes non-profit groups like Humanewatch. Non-profit organizations are not legally bound to divulge their financial backing…think about it)
PHYSICIANSCAM.COM: physicianscam.com
(Attacks the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine because their health campaigns cause animal agriculture to lose money)
HUMANEWATCH: humanewatch.org
(Attacks the Humane Society because the Humane Society potentially causes animal agriculture and other animal exploiting industries to lose money)
PETAKILLSANIMALS: petakillsanimals.com
(Attacks PETA and for the same reason and if another animal rights group grew large enough, he would attack them as well)
FISHSCAM.COM: fishscam.com
(Argues that the mercury in fish isn’t that bad for you and you will one day be able to take your temperature with the fish)
SWEETSCAM.COM: sweetscam.com
(Argues that high fructose corn syrup is good for you)
ANIMALSCAM.COM: animalscam.com
(Attacks the animal rights movement in general because for obvious reasons, we cost corporations money)
ACTIVISTCASH.COM: activistcash.com
(Labels certain foundations, activist celebrities, and other individuals in the animal rights and environmental movements as “deep-pocketed”).
CSPISCAM: cspiscam.com
(Attacks the Center for Science in the Public Interest)
HOWMUCHFISH.COM: howmuchfish.com
(Promotes the consumption of fish, supposedly shows how much fish that you can safely eat and asks the question, “is naturally occurring mercury really a concern?”)
MERCURYFACTS.ORG: mercuryfacts.org
(Quote: “Confused by mercury hype? Fear not. Mercury science continues to confirm that fish is a health food”)
OBESITYMYTHS.COM: obesitymyths.com
(Makes such arguments as, “a calorie is a calorie and a sweetener is sweetener. Period. The myth that high fructose corn syrup is making us fat in a unique way should stop there”)
AMERICAN BEVERAGE INSTITUTE: abionline.org
(a trade association representing bars, restaurants, alcohol distributors and manufacturers. The group reportedly works against Mothers Against Drunk Driving
LIVINGWAGE.COM/EMPLOYMENT POLICIES INSTITUTE: livingwage.com/epionline.org
(Ensures that the minimum wage for the average worker remains where it is because God forbid average people get a damned raise and cost corporations a dime)
CENTER FOR UNION FACTS: unionfacts.com
(Attacks worker’s unions)
ROTTENACORN.COM: rottenacorn.com
(Attacks ACORN because ACORN pushes for a higher minimum wage for the average worker)
Again, it does not matter whether or not you like PETA or agree with their actions. Use another source to promote your angst. Start by doing your own investigation. Please consider what you are promoting and stop the madness…
Below, is a letter in its entirety, from Rick Berman’s own son, David. The former lead singer of a popular New York City indie rock band called the “Silver Jews” posted this on-line message. David disclosed to his fans in this message, some of his own angst in regard to his father:
“Now that the Joos are over I can tell you my gravest secret. Worse than suicide, worse than crack addiction:
My father.
You might be surprised to know he is famous, for terrible reasons. My father is a despicable man. My father is a sort of human molestor.
An exploiter. A scoundrel. A world historical mother******* son of a bitch. (sorry grandma).
You can read about him here:
… A couple of years ago I demanded he stop his work. Close down his company or I would sever our relationship.
He refused. He has just gotten worse. More evil. More powerful. We’ve been “estranged” for over three years.
Even as a child I disliked him. We were opposites. I wanted to read. He wanted to play games.
He is a union buster.
When I got out of college I joined the Teamsters (the guards were union organized at the Whitney).
I went off to hide in art and academia.
I fled through this art portal for twenty years. In the meantime my Dad started a very very bad company called Berman and Company.
He props up fast food/soda/factory farming/childhood obesity and diabetes/drunk driving/secondhand smoke.
He attacks animal lovers, ecologists, civil action attorneys, scientists, dieticians, doctors, teachers.
His clients include everyone from the makers of Agent Orange to the Tanning Salon Owners of America.
He helped ensure the minimum wage did not move a penny from 1997-2007!
The worst part for me as a writer is what he does with the English language.
Though vicious he is a doltish thinker, and his spurious editorials rely on doublethink and always with the Lashon Hara.
As I studied Judaism over the years, the shame and the shanda, grew almost too much. My heart was constantly on fire for justice. I could find no relief.
This winter I decided that the SJs [Silver Jews] were too small of a force to ever come close to undoing a millionth of all the harm he has caused. To you and everyone you know.
Literally, if you eat food or have a job, he is reaching you.
I’ve always hid this terrible shame from you, the fan. The SJs have always stood autonomous and clear.
Hopefully it won’t contaminate your feelings about the work … In a way I am the son of a demon come to make good the damage.
Previously I thought, through songs and poems and drawings I could find and build a refuge away from his world.
But there is the matter of Justice.
And I’ll tell you it’s not just a metaphor. The desire for it actually burns.
It hurts.
There needs to be something more. I’ll see what that might be.”
Thank you for your courage, David…
Anthony Damiano
President of AELLA
Please watch Rachel Maddow exposing Rick Berman
A huge thank-you for writing this, and my deepest respect for Rick Berman’s son, who is working to undo the damage his father does in the world. What an mythic, archetypal struggle, and perfect metaphor for the times we are in today, when it is the children who must mature, awaken, and undo the ignorant, greedy, and vicious damage done by their parents. Our planet and our sanity cannot withstand the kinds of attacks that the Rick Bermans of the world unleash.
This is a terrific website, and I have learned so much just from this one page. Thank you for all the hard work you put into it.
thanx 4 wahsing my head
This is an amazing body of work. I’m linking to it on http://www.whypetaeuthanizes.com
What a great site, I shall be following this. It seems to me R. Berman has found and exploited a money making niche that goes right to the core of governments… Good thing he has been exposed !! As they say in France,”the more i know about the human, the more i love my dog” ..
I tell everyone that posts one of those messages that the Centers for Consumer Freedom is paid propaganda designed to divide us all. I hardly ever get a response. I keep seeing them, regardless of offering the information. Thanks for your thorough research on this. Hope more people get the message!
I’ve known about the Center for Consumer Freedom and what it really stands for (the ultimate corporate shill) since they began to promote all the wrong things. I don’t understand how people can think that profit is more important than the health of the environment and all of its inhabitants, but I believe more and more in that empathy gene idea. Those without are simply blinders-on, self-interested haters without the ability to see the world for what it really is – precious, priceless, innocent and worth giving one’s life to PROTECT. The arrogance that resides within these individuals is astounding to those who watch them work their magic, promoting sadistic and destructive practices for the most fleeting of things – money.
Excellent work. Well done thank you for string this vital information about this despicable human being
Thank you for sharing this information. I never knew about this man and those websites.
Thank you for reading, Rudy. You can learn a lot more about Rick Berman by visiting the site that his son suggested in the letter he wrote and you can also google search Rachel Maddow on youtube who has exposed Rick Berman on a number of occasions like this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtwDb_3TKWs
I actually have a lot of respect for her being able to keep her cool so very well. Very professional of her.
What a gem of a source with that youtube link. This is all highly appreciated friend. Are there any other websites that I should be aware of that are similiar to Berman’s list? Much love and respect.
By the way, you may appreciate this study that Dr. Greger sheds light on. It is called the “funding effect.” http://nutritionfacts.org/video/food-industry-funding-effect/
That really has nothing to do with the content of the article. No where in the article am I asking people to support the groups that you mention. Your comment simply distracts from the reality of activists promoting websites that are set up by corporate lobbyists like master spin-doctor, Rick Berman.