Center for Consumer Freedom

American Idol Star Carrie Underwood Accused of “Supporting Domestic Terrorists”

American Idol star Carrie Underwood is donating a portion of the proceeds from her new single to the Humane Society of the United States, and getting accused of supporting “animal rights terrorists.” One of my favorite lines so far: “Carrie Underwood may think she is supporting puppies and kittens, but she needs to understand that […]

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Corporate Front Group Warns PETA’s New Neighbors of “Violence”

The Center for Consumer Freedom, a corporate front group formed by Philip Morris, is warning Dupont Circle businesses that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals may bring “violence” to the Washington, D.C. neighborhood. CCF’s press release and letter warns neighbors of the “potential for harassment, violence, and mass pet killings” from a “radical animal […]

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Head of Center for Consumer Freedom Called a “Despicable Man” by His Own Son

Rick Berman has no shortage of enemies. He and his various front groups have been the hired guns for a laundry list of nasty corporations, smearing anyone for a buck (including Mothers Against Drunk Driving or, as Stephen Colbert calls them, “O-mamma bin Laden”). I’ve written here about one of his groups, the Center for […]

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Obama: “Silencing Dissent” is on “Wrong Side of History”

One of the most common questions I’m asked at speaking events and in media interviews is, “Will all of this–the Green Scare, labeling activists as “eco-terrorists,” domestic spying, and more–get better with Obama?” And my answer is always a resounding “maybe, but probably not.” A line from Barack Obama’s inaugural address yesterday caught my attention […]

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Center for Consumer Freedom Helps Terrorist Groups Raise Money

Last week the Center for Consumer Freedom, an industry front group, took out a full-page ad in The New York Times accusing the Humane Society of the United States of supporting “terrorism.” Their crime? A speech at a “holiday gala” for a group called the Humane League. If you’re not following, well, you’re not the […]

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“Terrorists” in New York Times Ad Wield Bullhorns Decorated with Cartoon Piggies

As you all are playing “Six Degrees of Consumer Freedom” and investigating CCF’s ties to terrorist organizations (keep posting your entries!), I wanted to follow up on that New York Times ad. A few things stuck out as being really odd. Of all the images that could have been used for the ad, they chose […]

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Full-page New York Times Ad Calls Humane Society “Terrorists”

A full-page ad in today’s The New York Times accuses the Humane Society of “helping an animal rights terrorism group.” The ad was bought by the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF), a front group that represents the fast food, meat and dairy industries. You might remember CCF from when they attacked Mothers Against Drunk Driving […]

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Racists Vandalize PETA Building, But of Course That’s Not Terrorism

The danger of all this “terrorism” rhetoric is how politically malleable it is: industry groups can mold it into “eco-terrorism,” KFC can hammer it into “corporate terrorism” to smear Peta, and on and on and on. The word can be melted and reformed into a weapon against the latest enemy of the hour. The flipside […]

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Industry Group Says Mainstream Animal Advocates “Consorting With Terrorists”

The genius of the Red Scare, and now the Green Scare, is that once you have completely demonized an entire group of people (either labeling them “communists” or “eco-terrorists”) you can slowly extend that scare-mongering in ever-wider circles. So first you brand someone who vandalizes an SUV as a “terrorist” (an absurdity in its own […]

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