UPDATE, September 19, 7:16 p.m.: The Mankato Free Press reported in late May that GreenSeam included in state funding bill:
GreenSeam will get $75,000 under the Agriculture, Housing and Rural Development Bill signed by Gov. Walz Thursday.
The funding is to give “assistance to ag related businesses to promote jobs, innovation and development of a synergy.” . . .
“The commitment the state of Minnesota has made to GreenSeam is a key to the success of rural Minnesota and agriculture. We’re grateful our elected leaders understand the impact of agriculture and the drivers of future economic growth in our region,” Sam Ziegler, director of GreenSeam, said in a statement. . . . .
Is the State of Minnesota down with Berman's message? [end update]
The headline at Mankato's CBS & Fox Affiliate Channel 12, is banal, GreenSeam announces keynote speaker for 37th annual Rural Forum, but the keynote speaker Richard "Rick" Berman is anything but.
Take the 60 Minutes segment, Meet Rick Berman, A.K.A. "Dr. Evil" Morley Safer Speaks To A Lobbyist Some People Love To Hate:
Rick Berman takes a certain pride, even joy, in the nickname "Dr. Evil." But the people who use it see nothing funny about it—they mean it.
His real name is Rick Berman, a Washington lobbyist and arch-enemy of other lobbyists and do-gooders who would have government control—and even ban-a myriad of products they claim are killing us, products like caffeine, salt, fast food and the oil they fry it in. He's against Mothers Against Drunk Driving, animal rights activists, food watchdog groups and unions of every kind. . . .
Or the 2014 DeSmog Blog article, Richard Berman, Tobacco To Fossil Fuels:
The NYTimes just ran “Hard-Nosed Advice From Veteran Lobbyist: ‘Win Ugly or Lose Pretty’ - Richard Berman Energy Industry Talk Secretly Taped”. Rick Berman has long been the architect of “public charities” for any client willing to pay. Berman's Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF, EIN 26-0006579) evolved from his Guest Choice Network, but much of the tax-exempt “contribution” went to his own corporate PR firm.
Many cogs in the fossil fog machine have been funded by Big Tobacco, as per Fakery 2, Fostering the TEA Party, Tobacco operative hired by Kochs, Think tanks fight for E-cigs.
Berman was paid well by Philip Morris (PM), which stays in business only by addicting people during vulnerable adolescent/young adult brain development, so they can be lifeshort customers. Berman has worked for companies that privatize the profits and socialize the costs. He attacked fine scientists like Steve Schneider (Stanford) and Stan Glantz (UCSF).Following is a small sample from the instructive Legacy Tobacco Documents Library. Philip Morris was quite friendly to Berman, responding quickly with money, at least $600K + ($200K + $200K + $500K) + $350K + $300K = $2.15M $21.5M in 4 years. . . .
By setting up a chain of non-profit “educational” entities, Berman combats groups like Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), as well as unions, environmental groups, and others. Berman has said that his goal is “shooting the messenger”: [3]
“Shooting the messenger means getting people to understand that this messenger is not as credible as their name would suggest,” Berman said.
Berman has many critics. Dr. Michael Jacobson, head of the healthy food advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest, described Berman as a “one-man goon squad for any company that's willing to hire him.” In a 2011 edition of 60 Minutes, he told Morley Safer of CBS news: [3]
“Berman is against every single measure, no matter how sensible. He'd have no restrictions on tobacco advertising, junk foods galore in schools. No minimum wage. He wants to leave corporate America unfettered of any regulations that protect the public's health.” [3]
The Richard Berman | DeSmogBlog entry is worth a read as well.
And Sourcewatch:
Richard B. (Rick) Berman is a former labor management attorney and restaurant industry executive who, with his firm Berman & Co., currently works as a Washington, D.C. lobbyist for the food, alcoholic beverage, tobacco industries and, more recently, other industries. Berman & Co. has lobbied for companies such as Cracker Barrel, Hooters, International House of Pancakes, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, Steak & Ale, TGI Friday's, Uno's Restaurants, and Wendy's.
Berman has earned the nicknames "Dr. Evil," the "Conservatives' Weapon of Mass Destruction" and the "Astroturf Kingpin" for his repeated use of the strategy of forming dozens of non-profit front groups, attack-dog web sites, and alleged think tanks that defend his corporate clients' interests by attacking their critics, allowing his paying clients to remain out of public view.[1][2]
Berman & Co.'s many front groups work to counteract minimum wage campaigns, keep wages low for restaurant workers, and to block legislation on food safety, secondhand cigarette smoke, and drunk driving and more.[3] Since 2013, Berman and his Employment Policy Institute "think tank" have led a national fight against campaigns to raise the minimum wage and to provide paid sick leave for workers with renewed attacks on proponents (including the Center for Media and Democracy, publisher of SourceWatch), misleading reports, op-eds, TV and radio ads, and more, as reported by the New York Times.[4] The New York Times has also reported that he "receives millions of dollars from business" in order to wage these campaigns.[5]
Berman has also actively campaigned against any attempts to limit smoking in restaurants and bars. In testimony before the New York City Health Oversight Committee, Berman said, "The level of exposure to secondhand smoke for bartenders, waiters and waitresses is considerably lower than the federal air quality limits established by the federal government."[6]
Berman is the president, executive director, and board member of the Center for Organizational Research and Education (CORE, called the Center for Consumer Freedom/CCF until early 2014).[7] In spite of its former name, CORE is more concerned about industry than the consumer. . . .
Back to GreenSeam LLC, "an Initiative of Greater Mankato Growth, Inc. (the local chamber of commerce), according to a disclaimer on the bottom of its website. KEYC reports:
MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) — GreenSeam, LLC announced Wednesday that Richard “Rick” Berman will be the keynote speaker at its 37th annual Rural Forum on Dec. 5 at the Mankato Civic Center Ballroom.
The annual forum, reception and dinner event brings together key public leaders with a wide range of attendees, including farmers, agriculture professionals, college students, agriculture organizers and more.
GreenSeam describes the annual forum, entitled this year as “Navigating Perspectives,” as “providing an opportunity to have important conversations about key issues facing the rural economy and potential solutions.”
In addition to keynote speaker Berman, Gov. Tim Walz, the Minnesota FFA and Minnesota legislators will also be in attendance.
Berman is currently the president of Berman and Company, a Washington D.C. based public affairs firm specializing in research, communications and creative advertising. . . .
There's a link at the end of the article to Navigating Perspectives, the event page, which describes Berman's activities in this manner:
Berman and Company consistently excels in getting its clients’ and donor messages placed before the public through aggressive media outreach. Berman and Company spokespeople regularly appear on television and radio programs and place over 350 Opinion Editorials in major newspapers every year. Rick and his firm have been extensively profiled for their work in a variety of media outlets including CNBC, CNN, 60 Minutes, the Colbert Report, Rachel Maddow, TIME, the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today.
Berman and Company takes a creative approach to advocacy and is frequently honored for its unique style. Issue advocacy through paid media, internet, TV, radio, and street theater have earned Berman over 180 national awards for creative messaging. Millions of people access Berman-created websites annually. These sites raise awareness and “Change the Debate” on public policy issues.
Perhaps Green Seam could provide links to those profiles at "CNBC, CNN, 60 Minutes, the Colbert Report, Rachel Maddow, TIME, the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and USA Today." Many are included in the DeSmog Blog and SourceWatch articles above, or in the Wikipedia entry for Berman.
We're curious why GreenSeam felt this was speaker to help high school students in FFA who as "Navigating Perspectives." As for pro-union governor's presence--or those legislators appearing at the event--they're grown-ups and can navigate this perspective on their own.
But we're hoping when Greater Mankato Growth or GreenSeam show up at the legislature in 2020, lawmakers give a little extra scrutiny to that perspective.
Photo: Rick Berman, via PRWatch.
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