NBC Nightly News story on Pickens. Only mentioned he gave $ to "conservative causes"

[beachmom]

Wow, a new low for Brian Williams' NBC Nightly News. I happened to have that broadcast on, when they did a story on T Boone Pickens and energy. Brian Williams only said he gave money to "conservative causes". I mean, wow -- unbelievable!

Watch here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#25642861

My e-mail to Brian Williams:

Mr. Williams,

The story about T Boone Pickens on your broadcast tonight was missing one important fact: one of the "conservative causes" Mr. Pickens donated $1 million to was the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, a 527 group that attacked John Kerry's military service in 2004. Considering that it is widely accepted that this was a particularly insidious smear campaign on one of our nation's veterans, NBC News did the public a disservice by omitting the information.

Not only did Mr. Pickens fund the SBVT, he made a bet late last year of $1 million to anyone who could show the SBVT lied. When first John Kerry, and then members of his crew, accepted the bet, and submitted substantial evidence proving that the group lied, Mr. Pickens reneged, changed the rules, and would not pay up. In short, he shows no remorse for what he funded to this day.

And the final irony? During the 2004 presidential campaign, it was John Kerry, not George Bush, who continuously spoke out for energy independence.

Sincerely,
Beachmom

If anyone else feels the need to complain as well, the e-mail address is:

[e-mail]

[beachmom]

1. At least this article covers it:

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-texan-oil-baron-and-the-winds-of-change-865830.html

"This has to be a bipartisan effort," said the man who offered $1m to anyone who could prove that the Swift Boat charges made against John Kerry were false. When Mr Kerry himself stepped up to disprove the charges, Mr Pickens quickly changed the offer and never signed the cheque.




We need to watch the media like a hawk on this.

Edit: Did anyone know this?

He was one of the inspirations for the rapacious capitalist Gordon Gekko in the movie Wall Street ...

We've been dealing with the "Greed is good" guy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaKkuJVy2YA

[wisteria]

2. I am so disgusted with the Press giving a free hand to Republicans

covering and making excuses for them. This goes for this cretin Pickens as well as McCain. Why is it that Repbs are always given the benefit of the doubt, but Democrats aren't.
I have lost a lot of respect for Brian Williams after this. And, it makes me even madder when I think Senator Kerry always has good things to say about him.

edited to add, that it frightens me if it is suggested that Pickens is very similar to the character in the movie Wall Street. GG was IMO, close friends with the devil.

I contacted NBC too. Thanks for the link.

[Island Blue]

3. Pickens placed the turbine order with GE

(owner of NBC, of course.) Brian Williams is just reading the news, earning his paycheck which is equal to the GNP of a small country. We really need an independent media - one not owned by huge corporations who do business with scum like Pickens.

[ray of light]

4. I saw that too. Except I think I saw it on msgop. (The show before Hardball)

I don't usually have the news on but for the last three weeks, I've turned it on again.

I saw the same exact thing!

[ray of light]

5. my point...those were their talking points across the media and the media

always marches to that same tune, no matter who the anchor is.

This is just getting downright depressing. I'm to the point where I wonder if it's worth the effort to read up, to write letters, to write LTE, etc...They go into a deep-dark black hole never to be seen again!

And as far as I'm concerned, there's organizations on the left which do the same thing. Places like Moveon and others... (And the new 'issue oriented site on healthcare' totally took SPH off the table! I hate to say it, but I feel like it's not the left who is losing. It's the American people at large. And if you look at the power structure, it's the media/corps and the beltway (DC) powerbrokers who are 'winning' by losing battles for us.

[ray of light]

6. I wrote a letter too.

[ginnyinWI]

7. I have a completely different idea of what's going on.

This is just me and my imagination, but try this out: Pickens loses the bet and refuses to pay up. Kerry talks to him about this, and offers him a deal: they both know that the environment is in trouble, and in fact this is one of Kerry's big causes (wrote a book on it). In lieu of paying off the bet, Pickens agrees to make a public service-type spot promoting green energy and pay it with his own money. Kerry is satisfied that the bet is paid, and that the money has gone for the public good.

Call me a Pollyanna, but that is my own private idea of what happened, and why Pickens the oil man is suddenly so environmentally conscious. Of course there could be other reasons. He knows we are at the dawn of a new Democratic era and it pays to be on the good side of the majority. General Electric has gone green in a big way now (announced a new initiative a few years ago), and the smart tycoons will want to get on board too. The big guys all know which way the wind is blowing.

I'm certain that we only get to know part of what is going on behind the scenes. Pickens is probably a practical man without many personal scruples who simply puts his money where he thinks he can do best, whether it is with the SBVT to keep the GOP in the White House, or to cozy up to Democrats when he knows they are going to win this time hands-down. It's a puzzle why he offered up that wager in the first place though. But as I said, we don't know all of what goes on or why.

[beachmom]

8. Except Kerry is not for powering cars with natural gas which causes CO2 emissions.

I just don't like Pickens' ideas. The pictures show wind farms, but he is pushing powering cars with yet another CO2 emitting fuel. I don't see Kerry agreeing with that.

Still, I love your pollyanna imagination. I suggest we all re-watch Wall Street, and determine WWGGD for all questions: What Would Gordon Gecko Do. The only thing I think is the issue is that Pickens does not want to be seen as a man who would welch on a bet. The rest he doesn't care about.

[Luftmensch067]

9. WWTBPD?

In my opinion, T. Boone Pickens' energy investments have nothing to do with anything except lining his pockets and gaining as much control as possible of future energy resources. Though he's clearly eager to anoint himself the First Environmentalist as well.

When JK talks about green energy, it's about policy and what's best for the country and the people, when TBP talks about green energy, he wants to OWN it.

[ray of light]

10. agreed. Also, people like that understand when they've milked the cow enough and it's time

to turn to a new cow to milk.

In my view, that's what he's doing. Clearly this oil 'crisis' due to speculation and oil men in the W.H. has made so many people say, 'Enough of that" that he's trying to grab the next money making process for himself.

[MBS]

11. BINGO n/t