This is the Insurgent Radio Kiosk for Tuesday, November 5th
Hightower Commentary
Action Calendar
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How Repugnant is Big Oil?
Mighty Exxon Mobil now finds itself in federal court, finally being called to account for the true cost of the damage that its oil and gas operations are doing to our climate.
This lawsuit points out that it is easy to be exorbitantly profitable if you don’t have to include your enormous pollution costs on your corporate books. Technically, the lawsuit charges that Exxon kept two sets of financial books – one acknowledging internally that its pollution was devastating our climate and would eventually cost both shareholders and taxpayers a fortune; and the other a rosy public presentation hiding those costs in order to puff up profits and claim that fossil fuels are more cost-effective than wind, solar, and other clean energy sources.
This blatant deceit has defrauded shareholders about the actual value of their investment, diverted public policy from non-polluting fuels, and accelerated the radical impacts of climate change. While the lawsuit will largely focus on arcane aspects of securities law, it’s fundamentally about corporate morality. As environmental activist Lee Wasserman recently put it, “we’re victims of a small group of gargantuan companies that recklessly and deliberately ignored the implications of their own science and worked to deceive the public.” Indeed, their recklessness continues – even though Exxon now admits the damage its products are causing, Wasserman notes that the behemoth “is planning to increase its oil output by 25 percent by 2025.”
Of course, any monetary fine the corporation might have to pay will only be a tiny fraction of its yearly income, so that’s not the real deterrent. Rather, the real punishment is that Exxon and its executives are finally being revealed as the same morally repugnant profiteers as the soulless tobacco industry has been.
“Exxon’s Climate Change Deceit,” New York Times, October 23, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/opinion/exxon-climate-change.html
“A Climate Lawsuit Versus Exxon Mobil Finally Goes to Trial,” October 22, 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/climate/new-york-lawsuit-exxon.html
Hightower’s commentaries are brought to you by The Hightower Lowdown, the monthly newsletter with Hightower’s take on what Wall Street and Washington are up to. For information, visit hightowerlowdown.org.
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It’s today’s Action Calendar!
A free workshop on “Finding Clarity in a World of Distortion” will be offered this evening from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Library, 733 North High Point Road. Learn how to direct helpful thinking patterns and gain a greater sense of freedom and personal alignment. For information, phone 824-1780.
A free presentation about cremation, the options that are available, and related costs will be offered tomorrow, Wednesday, November 6th, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Madison Senior Center, 330 West Mifflin Street. Advance Planning Specialist Jodi Johnson will provide information and answer questions. Sponsored by the Cremation Society of Madison. Phone 266-6581 for information
Set an extra place at your Thanksgiving dinner! Madison Friends of International Students is looking for hosts to match with international students to share the bounty of a Thanksgiving feast. Share your holiday food, family and traditions with an international student. Find some room at your table and open your heart. Phone 575-4517 for information.
Wisconsin Books to Prisoners is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization whose mission is to foster a love of reading for those behind bars, encourage the pursuit of knowledge and self-empowerment and break the cycle of recidivism. Since 2006 Wisconsin Books to Prisoners has sent over 50,000 books to prisoners in our state. Volunteers meet weekly on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Social Justice Center, 1202 Williamson Street. If you’d like to get involved, email wisconsinbookstoprisoners@gmail.com.
The Kiosk is available online at wortfm.org/kiosk.
This has been the Insurgent Radio Kiosk heard weekdays at 5:00, 6:30 and 9:00 AM and at 2:00 PM. I’m Greg Geboski. Submit announcements at least ten days in advance of the event at wortfm.org/announcements.
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