Thomas Friedman pied on Earth Day: Updated!
Info from the Youtube link:
Thomas Friedman, the author and NY Times columnist, was invited to Brown University to give a keynote speech on Earth Day, before a packed auditorium. His talk, titled "Green is the new Red White and Blue" was about how corporate environmentalism (based on putting a price on the atmosphere, and investing in biofuels and techno-fixes) can restore America to its "natural place in the global order." Luckily, this outrageous neoliberal capitalist propaganda was interrupted with a suprise visit from the Greenwash Guerrillas.
And further information from the Brown University newspaper.
After the pie hit Friedman and splattered on his face and torso, the two jumped offstage and ran out of the southeast exit of the building, followed closely by a man trying to catch them. A police officer also ran toward the exit but stayed inside.
The thrower was eventually caught by police, who detained her in Salomon's lobby before moving her elsewhere.
"One of the offenders was apprehended, placed in the custody of the Brown Department of Public Safety and identified as a Brown student," University spokesman Michael Chapman said in a statement released Tuesday night. "The University will review this incident through its non-academic disciplinary system to determine the appropriate response."
Update: John Amato: You may remember that Mr. Friedman was one of the main cheerleaders in the media for the US to go into Iraq and kick a little ass because "we could."
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Friedman: What they needed to see was American boys and girls going house to house, from Basra to Baghdad, um and basically saying, “Which part of this sentence don’t you understand?” You don’t think, you know we care about our open society, you think this bubble fantasy, we’re just gonna to let it grow? Well, Suck. On. This. That Charlie is what this war is about. We could of hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. Could of hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could.
Finally a happy story
One of my buddies went to jail for pieing Willie Brown. Sucks.
RIGHT
ON!
Laugh out loud funny! My neighbors probably think i'm nuts I laughed so hard!
Wierd thing is that I guarantee the first to write outraged and self-righteous screeds about how horrible these liberal traitors were will be two gay 'journalists': Matt Sanchez and Andrew Sullivan.
Sheesh, he looked so flabbergasted, like how could anyone do this to me.
Well, Tom, the pie is flat.
Was the pie organic and vegan in the spirit of earthday?
I could think of some other colors I would like to include.
I'm not a fan of these tactics.
How does this help anyone but the person being physically attacked?
Suck On THIS.... You Flat Earther...
Mike @ 9:
I tend to agree, but I was surely as foolish at that age, so I give them a pass. I note that in the video, Friedman almost slipped, and it's a good thing for all concerned that he didn't go down!
Would have been funnier if the guy with the rag had pied him too :)
Friedman's response: "Let them eat cake."
How come it never goes down like a Three Stooges routine? Seems like pie throwers all have horrible aim.
It shouldn't take Friedman long to recover from this - 6 months at most.
Mike @ 9:
Agreed. I spend most of my time trying to show the problems with media allowing people like Coulter and Limbaugh to get away with their awful messages, then turn around and see some guy being assaulted.
Honestly, it's not ok. How can we claim disgust over the tactics of the Right wing NeoCons if we applaud this?
Chuck U @ 14:
These are amateurs. The Stooges were professional pie throwers, much like the Marx Brothers and Uncle Milty. Pie throwing, much like any other kind of throwing (baseball, football, basketball) requires constant practice.
T. Friedman, “What a bunch of fascist leftists! Here I am trying to give a speech pushing for more corporate control over people’s lives, an economic philosophy that causes huge concentrations of wealth, the unsustainable destruction of the environment and lower living standards and I get pie in my face! Pie! That’s worse than starving thanks to my damn policies!”
...actually, I think urine filled water-balloons would be better...especially when the guest speakers are people like Ollie North, G. Gordon Libby or Ann 'horse-head-of-the-Apocalypse" Coulter!
"How does this help anyone but the person being physically attacked?"
He wasn't physically attacked and FAR, FAR worse things have happned to people thanks to his ideas around the world. If all he gets for the damage he's done is pie in the face he's lucky.
I guess I can't blame anyone for finding this funny, but I don't. I can't find anyone being physically attacked as funny, even if it is with pies.
"I think we're about 6 months away from really turning the corner on this pie-throwing problem." - Tom Friedman
Not smart. While I strongly disagreed with Friedman's support of the Iraq War (he was unbelievably naive and a victim of magical thinking) and I think that much of his economic work is pretty shallow, pieing him is still in appropriate. One can refute his points rationally and trust that an educated audience, like the one at Brown, can come to their own conclusions. It's not as though he's been a supporter of torture or been pardoning convicted felons before their appeals have even had a chance to run their course--although willingly accepting a doctrine of pre-emptive war is pretty damn bad.
In any case, Friedman isn't the brightest bulb, but he's not a liar and someone who is attempting to undermine our republic.
Lady with pie stuck to ceiling over her head, to Moe:
"Why you act as if the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head."
Moe: "Lady you must be psychic!"
Mike @ 9-
How does this help anyone but the person being physically attacked?
First, it's an ego deflater. Second, it conveys much the same sentiment as the fabled statement of the child who said, "He's not wearing any clothes!"
As for your choice of language: physically attacked? I've got no problems with lawyers in general, but that rings of ambulance-chasing. If I was hit by a blunt-nosed paper airplane launched from 50 yards away, or a spitball from 5 feet, I wouldn't call it a physical attack, though, technically it might be. Lighten up.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
AS fish sellers:
Larry: "You know, fish is good brain food."
Moe: "You know, you should eat a whale."
As one of the many journalistic vessels for promoting rightwing propaganda, Friedman deserves much worse than a harmless pie in the face. Jail time for aiding and abetting war criminals would be a good start.
I love when activists pie people! I think it's a non-violent, non-harmful way to totally demoralize someone (who deserves it) without creating sympathy for them!
I wish they'd practice a bit more because I haven't seen a pie hit someone in a face in quite a while. I think they totally missed Ann Coulter.
Andy K Jong Il @ 26:
Sorry, I don't buy this line of argument. It's only known to not be a real physical attack in retrospect. As it's happening, the person being attacked and the audience cannot know what the intent of the person coming onto the stage is. Fortunately it was just a prank, but given the venom with which some folks talk and the history of physical attacks on public individuals, pieing was just not a good idea. Show the flaws in his ideas and his poor record at prognostication if you want to undermine his message.
It was a case of physical assault, and I hope the miscreants get slammed in a court of law. Maybe you have to be a certain age, but I've seen too many public figures assassinated to take that type of behavior in stride.
Oh how hilarious! Such antics certainly prove how superior we all are over those we disagree with. They showed him didn't they?
Sorry, I don’t buy this line of argument. It’s only known to not be a real physical attack in retrospect. As it’s happening, the person being attacked and the audience cannot know what the intent of the person coming onto the stage is. Fortunately it was just a prank, but given the venom with which some folks talk and the history of physical attacks on public individuals, pieing was just not a good idea. Show the flaws in his ideas and his poor record at prognostication if you want to undermine his message.
Yeah, yeah, yeah....And every bluehair on the road is trying to run me down.
Let's just stop letting people drive, huh? And while we're setting foolish precedent, let's empty every auditorium hosting a lecture.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
Hey Tom, if the earth was flat, that pie would have sailed over your head!
It was a case of physical assault, and I hope the miscreants get slammed in a court of law. Maybe you have to be a certain age, but I’ve seen too many public figures assassinated to take that type of behavior in stride.
Rightwing kooks KILL people. Dr. King. Bobby Kennedy. Oklahoma. etc..
Leftwing "kooks" PIE people. Ann Coulter. Friedman. etc.
Which do YOU prefer?
LongTooth @ 31:
That's a really huuuuge leap you're taking there. Pie throwing begets assassination!? Really!?
Andy K Jong Il @ 33:
I don't see the connection. All analogies are flawed in some respect, but this one is too tenuous for me to see the point.
The slipping on the icing like a penguin was.. well.. the ICING on the cake. i laughed so hard. he was probobly expecting to be pummeled or stabbed, and was pissed he only got a measly pie-ing. only important people are truly assualted
This type of act does nothing to advance the cause of progressives.
Nice, because physical assault is laudable.
Did the putz ever get to speak? or did he just take his ideas and go home?
The thing is, he could've totally won the crowd over by making a joke of it (i.e. "At least the filling was symbolically green, since it's Earth Day" or "They told me there'd be dessert, but I wxpected to EAT it, not WEAR it.")
He did give a little nod of approval upon tasting it, whcih garnered some laughs, but by leaving the stage he gave the perpetrators "the win."
Giving his speech undeterred would've negated the whold situation. He blew it.
I am concerned this type of behavior will backfire blah blah blah...but seriously folks.
I'm glad that these neo con, warmongers are getting some sort of payback for everything they caused. Poor Alberto can't get a job and now Friedman gets a pie. A small price to pay when contrasted with what they unleashed. Maybe they will think twice.
I notice Friedman ran instead of saying "Suck on this!" and then beating up the pie throwers. Why am I not surprised?
err.... "wholE situation"
FU_Freidmann @ 10:
I can't believe it took till the tenth commenter to put his old line out there. I wish I was there so I could have yelled SUCK ON THIS in his face.
L.A. Confidential 39
This type of act does nothing to advance the cause of progressives.
yeah, your right...let's just keep waiting for some in power to do something. To fight back against the idiots who spew thier BS into our House, our colleges and AM radio stations everywhere.
or to expect a democrat to come out and set the record straight in the face of these kinds of lies.
or even to think that if we let him speak maybe he will have a concience and tell people the real truth instead of the speech he had planed.
Matt Hussein in Texas @ 42:
What do you expect from an idiot who wouldn't be seen, heard or at all relevant if not for his last name.
someone should pie him everyday for the rest of ... well for 6 months.
Nice, because physical assault is laudable.
Right. That's some scary physical assault! By a PIE, as opposed to, say, a BULLET or a KNIFE or a TASER or an bomb. You know, those weapons of choice by rightwingers.
Maybe for one split second Tommy felt the fear that our soldiers feel every day in Iraq (a war he fully supports) but who don't have the privilege of coming home or not getting killed.
Miscreants..... Miscreants? Wha..? No wonder you nutless 'leftwingers' will forever have your asses handed to you by right wing wack job freaks like Dick Cheney, Rush Limpdick and that Hannity guy.
Christ.... 'Walrus' dude is right ... we're bringin' pies to fucking GUNFIGHT.
'Miscreants', jesus....whoever used that word, let me take you out; we'll drink a bottle of whisky, smoke dope, and them start a fight with some flat world, gay hating, creationist crackers...you'll feel better about yourself. Trust me.
sciguy-
What I'm saying is that you can perceive a threat in almost every situation in a run-of-the-mill day. Do you cross the street every time someone is walking towards you on the same sidewalk? Maybe you have a panic attack- some folks do- but at what point do we start legislating one person per 50 feet of sidewalk?
Had Friedman a security team, and that theoretical security team found out that someone was plotting to launch a cream pie at their charge, do they report the evidence to the local authorities, and does the local DA charge the conspirators with a charge of conspiracy to assault and/or batter Mr. Friedman? I'd certainly fucking hope not! Get on with living your life free of fear, free of paranoia.
As for:
Show the flaws in his ideas and his poor record at prognostication if you want to undermine his message.
Agreed, it's the preferred route, but what if you aren't granted the same forum as a famed economist/columnist/talking head? You can shout at the event's promoter, reason with them, try every rational trick in the book, but the microphone is open only to the promoter's whim.
To borrow from a famous comedy, I think that this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture be done on somebody's part, and these pie throwers were just the guys to do it. Because sometimes a situation calls for absurdity.
ps- I referenced "The Emperor's New Clothes" in my last comment, and to follow up, that fuckin' boomer douchebag in his leather/black turtleneck combo wasn't wearing his swinging medallion. Jesus, Friedman, your not a poet or a rockstar! Wear a fucking jacket and tie.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
in 6 months, corporate shills could be getting worse than pie in the face.
LongTooth @ 31:
You know, now that you mention it, I do feel threatened everytime someone puts "PIE" as a poll answer on DKos. It was always very subliminal, but now I understand why. PIE = DEATH.
So if I wake up with a pie tin on the pillow next to me, should I interpret that as a death threat from the Liberal Mafia?
tr @ 53:
Yeah, like an offer for a ride in a tumbril.
what's a 'tumbril'? Is that like a black '89 lincoln continental or something?
Really should have been red filling so we'd see the blood on his hands.
Mike @ 9:
Physically attacked? Are you serious? They threw whipped cream at him.... what kind of sheltered world do you live in that getting whip cream on you equates to being physically attacked? Physically attacked is getting shot at in Iraq or blown up while your trying to apply for a job......
"If they [the Sunnis] won't [come around], we should arm the Shiites and Kurds and leave the Sunnis of Iraq to reap the wind"
"Like it or not, we are at war with the Serbian nation (the Serbs certainly think so), and the stakes have to be very clear: Every week you ravage Kosovo is another decade we will set your country back by pulverizing you. You want 1950? We can do 1950. You want 1389? We can do 1389 too."
Excuse me for not feeling sorry that he got a little whipped cream on his war-mongering funded suit...
johnnie favorite @ 56:
Yeah, like an '89. 1789. It's a French-made vehicle.
Biofuels are bullshit. Farmland is shrinking as is. The idea that we are going to turn forests into biofuel farms is insane. That we have guys like this in the media is really sad. Pie was a very gentle choice.
Down with casino environmentalism. No more hacks. Give the poor in developing countries some farm land, and you will solve virtually every problem we have today.
No more hunger, poverty or suicide bombers.
Thanks for the clarification there slippy ...... same dif'. Haha
Ld @ 58:
This is how sheltered and pathetic the elite have become. They blithely wish horrifying destruction upon remote populations they know nothing of, promise that it will be over in six months, six months, six months, six months, and then scream like little girls when confronted with a hint of the kind of anger they so richly deserve.
Fuck Friedman. A pie was the least frightening thing he deserves to face. Maybe he'll spend a sleepless six months or so wondering what it's really like in Baghdad. Asshole.
I'm also against any type of physical altercation, but I must say that Friedman acts like he was just shot at. Does he not realize the type of corporate-minded jingoistic propaganda he spews from the highest perches of the pseudo-pundit/neoliberal/journalism world????
That said, being a little more creative and less obtrusive is much more effective.
certainly one of the most interesting protests i've seen in my four years at brown
Last thought on this: I hope this incident doesn't scare Friedman away from Brown University. I hope he embraces it for, say, six more months so he can get a real handle on the situation...For the sake of the people of Rhode Island, don'tchya know.
Don't try to confuse the issue with half-truths and gorilla dust.
I would have made it yellow cake.
Teddy Phuf @ 63:
I think it's funny as shit. And a reminder to the cloistered billionaires of this planet that life is not all neatly controlled environments, and that money doesn't mean shit when you're just another piece of meat.
Who was doing the transcription??
Friedman: We could of hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. Could of hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could.
This has to be intentional, no?
Matt Hussein in Texas @ 42:
Pepper @ 20:
No, he didn't. He cleaned up, returned 10 minutes later and gave the full lecture. He wasn't shut up, which is what the attackers probably hoped for.
The proper response would be to punch them in the fucking face (self defense and all) then continue the lecture.
In any case, no matter what's happening in Iraq, running up to someone and throwing something in their face, according to most laws, is assault and is viewed by most rational people as childish and stupid. Those who endorse it are equally childish and stupid.
bobaloo @ 69:
I'd say people who endorse putting McDonald's in Baghdad and supporting a war to do it are a hell of a lot stupider.
So, did he go home and leave everyone sitting there, or did he walk out and return later?
Don't like the tactic even for those I disagree with. If you like this tactic, will you like it when young college Republicans do it to Gore?
[The elite] "scream like little girls when confronted with a hint of the kind of anger they so richly deserve. Fuck Friedman. A pie was the least frightening thing he deserves to face. Maybe he’ll spend a sleepless six months or so wondering what it’s really like in Baghdad."
I agree. Friedman and far too many others have subjected the country to a blizzard of word games and stretched logic in order to justify war and the deaths of thousands. If a thrown pie forces him to confront his own vulnerability to the rage he's helped unleash then more power to pie throwers.
It wasn't a grenade that was thrown at him, it was a pie. He wasn't killed, like over 4000 American soldiers in Iraq; and he didn't end up seriously injured, like over 30,000 American soldiers in Iraq. He got pie on his shirt and he can get that washed. If he feels less safe now, that's a good thing.
Poor BaBy.
John,
Thanks for this post.
A pie-in-the-face is not nearly enough for this cur.
Thank you to the students (Feminine and other) who had the courage (ewww, ballz) to stop this bastard.
His Fucking Nerve to ever speak again after "the war is over."
Teddy Phuf @ 70:
True enough, and I'm glad you agree this was very stupid.
Angela @ 72:
LOL... Have you ever met a "young college republican?" If they tried it with Gore he'd probably kick their butts..
I'd actually really love to see them try... Either way, whipped cream is very rarely dangerous..
Google search on "Injury from Pie to Face"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen...
Typical College Republican... Who wears a tie in their Myspace photo? Honestly....
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendi...
I think a ham thrown in his Zionist puss would have been more appropriate.
GB @ 2:
I remember that, and loved it!
Given that Willie surrounded himself with thugs, I hope jail is all your friend suffered.
Hey!
Let's see if he gets hit with a pie six months from now.
slippy hussein toad @ 62:
Yeah, fuck Friedman. Falluja had White Phosphorus *reigned* down upon it, which will MELT SKIN to the bone, but some people here seem more worried that this war criminal water carrier got a little pie on his shirt.
Confrontation isn't always pretty, and arguing truth and morality to war criminals (and their apologists) is a strategy for failure.
Friedman: What they needed to see was American boys and girls going house to house, from Basra to Baghdad, um and basically saying, “Which part of this sentence don’t you understand?” You don’t think, you know we care about our open society, you think this bubble fantasy, we’re just gonna to let it grow? Well, Suck. On. This. That Charlie is what this war is about. We could of hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. Could of hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could.
Ok, this is just my peeve but I really hate to see "could of" when clearly it's "could've" (contraction for "could have"). Same goes for "would of" (it's "would've") and "should of" (it's "should've")
Wow.. what a complete lack of class: physically attacking someone bc they have different viewpoints. The guy just came to give a talk, he doesnt deserve to be accosted.. this is a really despicable way to treat another person. His views dont matter.. debate him - why do you need to attack him?? That's not cool.
Mike Says:
I’m not a fan of these tactics.
How does this help anyone but the person being physically attacked?
I agree Mike, the potential for this type of attack to not be sophomoric, but lethal, outweighs any good it could possibly create. Hell, I'm liberal and pissed too, but this isn't cool...
Glad to see other people are criticizing these tactics. Friedman is a clown but this is not the way to show it. Anyone armed with some facts can show him up as the neocon shill that he is. That is the way to attack him. This kind of thing further degrades the level of discourse in this country and things are bad enough as is. We need reasoned discussion not childish antics.
I don't care what anybody says. I'm still wiping tears from my eyes from laughing so hard.
Like in your asinine book, "figure that out" fucker.
That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen on this site. To think he walked off the stage and quit like the coward that he is. I pray nothing happens to the pie throwers more than a slap on the wrist.
eastcane @ 83:
in 1770's Boston we would tar and feather that prick!
When's Cheney giving a speach?
As a liberal environmentalist in 2008, I dont understand you guys or Crooks and Liars. While his Iraq War position was indefensible, his environmental speeches and writing have been spot on and appeal to folks who are industrialists and entrepreneurs, convincing them the the great energy transition is the only way to go and that Green can be a sign of patriotism and leadership. He breaks through to a segment of American readers where others fail when it comes to environmental understanding.
Honestly, are all of you living in 2003 right now? Friedman is a HUGE asset to quickening of CO2 legislation and getting the country off of oil. The pie throwers and many of you here do not recognize an important ally who has the ear of people you do not.
Get with the program and either read his New York Times magazine article (Green is the new Red White and Blue) or watch his Discovery Channel doc on YouTube (The End of Oil).
Old chips on shoulders are not going to get us through this environmental crisis, teamwork and allies are. Don't be petty and childish. Educate yourselves on his positions.
-Christopher S, Johnson
"Could of"? Seriously? What is this right-wing-like incompetence with the English language? It's "could've". Go back to 5th grade NOW.
I am not endorsing or condoning this, it's just a new "service" that CNN.com is offering and it applies to this story.
WTF?
quote: Glad to see other people are criticizing these tactics. Friedman is a clown but this is not the way to show it. Anyone armed with some facts can show him up as the neocon shill that he is. That is the way to attack him. This kind of thing further degrades the level of discourse in this country and things are bad enough as is. We need reasoned discussion not childish antics.quote
but isn't this a very polite way to "assassinate" such people?
Christopher S. Johnson @ 90:
He's needs more than a pie in the face for supporting putting money into nuclear power. Big money. Not bottomless pit Iraq kind of money, (well that on the nation's credit card so it's not real money anyhow) but big money none the less.
NO, now is the time to break the chains from these blood-sucking corporations that want a monthly check from you your whole life. I want solar power that I get from my roof. Not from some damn company that gets tax dollars to build it and then collects from you ever after. Decentralized renewable energy is the only way to go.
Friedman deserves no respect. He's a cowardly, chickenhawk, neocon apologist that has led us into disaster.
He's been wrong about everything. He does not deserve a place at the table. He should be sweeping up as the real adults determine how to work ourselves out of the mess he help create.
A pie in the face and derisive laughter is too good for him.
What they needed to see was American boys and girls going pundit to pundit, from Burbank to Baghdad, um and basically saying, “Which part of this sentence don’t you understand?” You don’t think, you know we care about our open society, you think this bubble fantasy, we’re just gonna to let it grow? Well, Suck. On. This. That is what this pie-throwing is about. We could of hit David Broder, he was part of that bubble. Could of hit Stephanopolous. We hit Friedman because we could.
Yeah, hey Freidman please never give a speech here in Koreatown when I'm drunk and holdin' a shovel. (Um, Oh yeah, that's Koreatown in Los Angeles ... sorry I'm already drunk .... but don't worry Tommy I can't seem to find the shovel right now; 'did find the scotch though.)
oh how i loved my four glorious years as an undergraduate at brown university! an amazingly progressive, awesome school!
i hate being at yale for grad school; it's a neo-conservative nightmare!
What? You hate bein' at Yale .... well then quit motherfucker. Nutless fucking liberals.
How long before they have you in skull and bones, boy.
skull and bones is for undergrads...
i'm just sticking around yale for 6 more months until i turn a corner here
Yale dude, it's all good....I was just making a point.
crazylikeafox @ 94:
What the hell are you talking about, he has the same wishes for local solar as well. Have you even read or seen his environmental stuff? He is a proponent of the same things as Al Gore, Google, and Richard Branson.
Alliances will get us to 80% reduction of CO2 by 2050, not "old school" separatist attitudes. Maturity is required. I know you can join us in this endeavor that rises above all others.
Thomas Friedman is having a larger positive impact on the environment than any of these pie throwers or any of these jaded commenters. More business owners are changing their tune because of him than anything you guys have ever said or done. Many take global warming and the end of oil seriously now because of his writings.
These pie throwers remind me of the witch-doctors in a village killing the medical doctor who has just arrived to give medicine to the patient in the hut.
The witch doctor only saw a man with knives and assumed the worst without realizing the true intent. A tragic misunderstanding.
Christopher S. Johnson @ 103:
The Power of Green
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
I recently visited the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant with Christopher Crane, president of Exelon Nuclear, which owns the facility. He said that if Exelon wanted to start a nuclear plant today, the licensing, design, planning and building requirements are so extensive it would not open until 2015 at the earliest. But even if Exelon got all the approvals, it could not start building “because the cost of capital for a nuclear plant today is prohibitive.”
That’s because the interest rate that any commercial bank would charge on a loan for a nuclear facility would be so high — because of all the risks of lawsuits or cost overruns — that it would be impossible for Exelon to proceed. A standard nuclear plant today costs about $3 billion per unit. The only way to stimulate more nuclear power innovation, Crane said, would be federal loan guarantees that would lower the cost of capital for anyone willing to build a new nuclear plant.
The 2005 energy bill created such loan guarantees, but the details still have not been worked out. “We would need a robust loan guarantee program to jump-start the nuclear industry,” Crane said — an industry that has basically been frozen since the 1979 Three Mile Island accident. With cheaper money, added Crane, CO2-free nuclear power could be “very competitive” with CO2-emitting pulverized coal.
Think about the implications. Three Mile Island had two reactors, TMI-2, which shut down because of the 1979 accident, and TMI-1, which is still operating today, providing clean electricity with virtually no CO2 emissions for 800,000 homes. Had the TMI-2 accident not happened, it too would have been providing clean electricity for 800,000 homes for the last 28 years. Instead, that energy came from CO2-emitting coal, which, by the way, still generates 50 percent of America’s electricity.
Yeah, he wants a green revolution alright. Green right into the big boys pockets. And, by the way, I don't believe one word out of that man's mouth after his crap about Iraq. I don't need Friedman to be my green hero.
Christopher S. Johnson @ 104:
The man's a shill for corporate America. If he is your idea of a leader for the revolution we need in this country might as well fold now.
cubejockey @ 88:
Yes, and we as a group should show that we have advanced as a society in 230+ years. Ascension, not regression.
Friedman has no credibility (on any issue) because of what he's written about Iraq ... and how completely and repeatedly wrong he's been on Iraq.
Frankly, I find Christopher's (commenter #104 & 105) example of "village" people killing the enlightened western savior ("medical doctor") disturbing. It reflects poorly on the commenter and seems to suggest a deep-rooted racism, disdain for "primitive" culture, and/or love for colonialism.
You guys are kidding ... your kidding, I know. This guy is a punk; I mean a punk who would consign your ass to hell (hell here, on Earth) if it meant an extra nickel for his corporate masters. Ascension? What are you gonna' start talking about 'the fucking secret' next. Key'rist .... We are doomed. Thank god for drugs and alcohol.
Pie in the face? Friedman should get a bullet to the head for endorsing the fucking war.
Neo con fascist.
Too bad it was just a pie and not something more lethal .
Let it be a reminder to all neo-con Neanderthals who have been belligerent war mongers and made asinine statements that only hurt our nations standing in the world. We won’t forget any time soon.
It's amazing how many different desperate excuses zionist neocons use to explain the war. I wish guys like Friedman, Kristol, and Lieberman just say what they really felt about why they wanted so bad to take out Saddam.
I would love for someone to put together a movie of all these media pundits cheerleading the war and then later showing there about face on the war years later. If nobody is going to hold the Bush administration accountable, at least we can make these media war mongers held accountable by presenting all there lies and propoganda.
[Deleted. Do not advocate violence on this site-Sitemonitor]
Too bad he didn't get the same treatment Andrew Card got when he showed up for an honorary degree at UMASS. Those students knew how to welcome a war criminal.
[Deleted. Off topic-Sitemonitor]
Your right...109 'marc'. I'll take my chances with the 'witch doctor' everytime. Hey they were right about the god'dam polaroid stealing your soul.....no I'm serious.
Witch Doctor huh? Witch Doctor?? Thanks for pointing that one out. That poor bastard musta' watched too many movies about, 'deep DARK Africa'. Yo' dude the black people are....COMING TO GET YA'.
marc @ 109:
And you would be wrong. It was just a metaphor. I can insert different characters if you wish. The spirit of the comment holds true.
johnnie favorite @ 119:
Your knee-jerk hair trigger has raised a false alarm my friend. I tell you what, YOU come up with a better set of metaphorical characters to explain the spirit of my point. Maybe you'll do a better job.
I tell you what, as modern progressive, I am severely disappointed in the intellectual maturity of tonight's posters.
Correcting greenhouse emissions is 10,000 more times as important than Iraq.
crazylikeafox @ 107:
Your missing my point entirely. He's not speaking to and he doesn't need to be your environmental leader. He's speaking to Ford, GM, and swing voters. Do you or do you not get what a holistic approach to a grand problem is when time is short?
Not every CEO is going to get religion on the environment through Utne Reader or Rachel Carson like you and I have. And there isnt time for a proper introduction.
Never lose that second video with Friedmen talking to (Charlie?) Rose (?). It's such a classic: video gold. Can you post it on YouTube? It deserves to be shared with everyone. What a f$%kin' dick!!!!!!
121 Christopher S Johnson Says: johnnie favorite @ 119:
Correcting greenhouse emissions is 10,000 more times as important than Iraq.
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Not if you're Iraqi.
16 Krisken Says: Mike @ 9:
I’m not a fan of these tactics.
How does this help anyone but the person being physically attacked?
Agreed. I spend most of my time trying to show the problems with media allowing people like Coulter and Limbaugh to get away with their awful messages, then turn around and see some guy being assaulted.
Honestly, it’s not ok. How can we claim disgust over the tactics of the Right wing NeoCons if we applaud this?
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Yeah yeah, but... He was still free to speak, just with ...um... a little pie in his hole. :)
9 Mike Says:
How does this help anyone but the person being physically attacked?
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It helped me.
This is outrageous. TRULY. Just I don't feel outraged enough to get off my "fat" ass, or do anything about it. Maybe if I think about it for a Friedman Unit...
40 Scherzo Says: Nice, because physical assault is laudable.
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I'm thinkin' about writing someone. How about you?
30 sciguy Says: Andy K Jong Il @ 26:
Sorry, I don’t buy this line of argument. It’s only known to not be a real physical attack in retrospect. As it’s happening, the person being attacked and the audience cannot know what the intent of the person coming onto the stage is. Fortunately it was just a prank, but given the venom with which some folks talk and the history of physical attacks on public individuals, pieing was just not a good idea. Show the flaws in his ideas and his poor record at prognostication if you want to undermine his message.
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I think you should march down to that university and give those students a piece of your mind. Damn it!
I write about Thomas Friedman and his Bilderberger bs constantly. No one reads it. If this is what it takes to get attention paid to his new "soft fascism" stance, bring it ON.
The US "political correctness" has been its downfall as the fascism advanced. SHAME SHAME on anyone who thinks that Thomas Friedman doesn't deserve a pie at a minimum. Go ask a 9-year old sex slave working in Syria to support her widowed mother. Put a face on the EVIL that this man has wrought.
You cannot argue with PSYCHOPATHS. I was "streamed" in the same community as Thomas Friedman. Man! What a disgrace he is to my old neighborhood.
108 Krisken Says: cubejockey @ 88:
Yes, and we as a group should show that we have advanced as a society in 230+ years. Ascension, not regression.
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That's rich. Have you seen yourselves?
One of my favourite Oscra Wilde quotes: "America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence, without civilization in between."
johnnie favorite @ 51:
That was my word, bucko. Hot damn it must be awesome to be you- a tough guy AND able to size a person up by their use of a single word. Your right, of course. I am a liberal wuss. What do I know about much of anything, much less how to fight? You see everything, and I'm as impressed as everyone else on this thread.
I'm stuck listening to racist people blather on about the primitive "ooga booga" people all the time at school. I don't need to hear Christopher (commenter # 120) reiterate the same material on a progressive blog.
"Who's going to wash my jacket?" Who indeed Mr. Friedman...
i wonder how many friedman units it took for this prima dona to "wash up". lol.
suck it up chickenshit chickenhawk, it's a pie for F sake. i am sure he has eaten more than a few while other fight the war he promoted and resold.
he should be thankful that he took his stylin' coat off beforehand.
could of? fire the intern!
the phrase is could've, as in could have. how many times can you make this error in one post? embarrassing!
one other thought...the pie throwing perps will no doubt get more of a penalty/fine/probation period/disciplinary action than the neocons and bush co. people that have brought untold damage to our country through unconstitutional and illegal acts. in my humble opinion, calling this an assault is a bit overblown. at the most it was an inappropriate use of a baked good. i hope they at least purchased the pies at a bake sale to help some charitable organization. you know the type of sales we see to help returning vets and their families.
mr. friedman still made his speech, he still got paid, he still was able to continue working, his expensive clothing can be dry cleaned.
can the same be said about the "American boys and girls going house to house"?
a vulgar american apologist deserves more than pies
133 marc Says: I’m stuck listening to racist people blather on about the primitive “ooga booga” people all the time at school. I don’t need to hear Christopher (commenter # 120) reiterate the same material on a progressive blog.
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Technically, you're not really "stuck" here, but I agree, Christopher is an ass.
9/Mike:
"I’m not a fan of these tactics.
How does this help anyone but the person being physically attacked?"
I agree with this statement, actually.
So pie me.
I don't think throwing a pie at anyone does anything productive. That said, Freedman deserves a pie in the face.
Good on them....he's a 'paper liberal'....
I haven't read his columns since he went off the deep end pimping 'free market' magic bean BS....
Christopher S. Johnson @ 90:
So you mean he bears responsibility for an illegal war, he's a war-monger, but let's put it behind us? You'd talk to Hitler as well, if he was hot on CO2 emissions? That guy deserves much more than a pie in his face. (And people: what is this crap about "attack"? Getting pied is NOT being assaulted.)
Boy,some of you really jump the snark. How do those kids throwing pies set back Progressives or give Liberals a bad name?
I in no way take responsibility for their actions, do you? Kids will be kids.
Not helpful. Not at all. If republicans had done this to Cornell West, Al Gore, or Rachel Maddow, we'd be outraged and call them all sorts of negative things. Regardless of what he believes or writes about, we need to take the moral high ground.
angryrat @ 143:
Oh Jesus I wish I used something from Greek mythology to illustrate my point and not the little village witch doctor. It allowed many of you to avoid my main point and use cheap bottom-of-the-barrel 1990's PC ad hominem attacks against me. Dudes, I'm the LAST person who needs to be educated on racism in society.
OF COURSE Friedman deserves a huge amount of criticism for his one sided opinions on Iraq and Globalization. Duh.
And when it comes to the Global Warming issue, YES, I welcome the Green Hawks, the eco-Evangelicals, Wal-Mart pushing compact flourescents and internal efficiency standards, ect.
You dont think I have an issue with many of these people? Duh.
Of course your anger is justified, but many of you can't see the forest for the trees. There is a HUGE job to be done and we HAVE to work with people we don't agree with. And it goes against being a mature Liberal to not do so.
Vitriol can be justified but it can also be a drug like cocaine.
We could of hit Saudi Arabia, it was part of that bubble. Could of hit Pakistan. We hit Iraq because we could.
Could HAVE. Not could "of".
benjo72 @ 145:
Helpful? So when has the MSM been HELPFUL to Liberals? Besides Friedman is considered a Liberal not a conservative so your analogy is mute.
Think of it as retribution from his own kind.
I am ashamed of this pie throwing. Why did they not throw $shit to his face?
Pie throwing is inappropriate? Really? What an astute observation!
Count me on the side of "hilarious!" Sorry, but pie throwing is not physical assault. It's comedy gold! The next time somebody T.P.s your house, are you going to call it destruction of property? Please. The guy will live. His wittle ego is bruised now, and that was the whole point of the prank. Oh, and to draw attention to the fact that he's a wanker. I agree with the poster above who said it would have been more funny if the guy with the rag gave him a pie in the face too. That made me laugh out loud.
I just want to know how they managed to sneak the pies into the auditorium.
Two more future leaders of the progressive/socialist movement. Can't wait! Losers
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