Yes Men

capt 817uber1 <a href="https://webbrain.com/brainpage/brain/6950F840-FB80-FCB0-D505-8AB1FA685F08#-2178">https://webbrain.com/brainpage/brain/6950F840-FB80-FCB0-D505-8AB1FA685F08#-2178</a>yes men inspired: youth for climate truth ~ kochjudge kimball utah<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=v5y8DgAAQBAJ&pg=PT345&lpg=PT345&dq=yes+men+koch&source=bl&ots=Aqp4adEwHC&sig=WEFu8ErGjy3_GsuZ_uuR9-xLaHg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj93urSpqPWAhUJ8mMKHcTRDgsQ6AEIOjAE#v=onepage&q=yes%20men%20koch&f=false">link</a><a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=v5y8DgAAQBAJ">https://books.google.com/books?id=v5y8DgAAQBAJ</a>---<a href="https://www.citizen.org/our-work/litigation/cases/koch-industries-v-john-does-youth-climate-truth">https://www.citizen.org/our-work/litigation/cases/koch-industries-v-john-does-youth-climate-truth</a>
<h1 class="pagetitle title" id="page-title" style="outline: none; line-height: 1.08; margin: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Koch Industries v. John Does (Youth for Climate Truth)</h1><article class="node-47288 node node-litigation-case view-mode-full clearfix" about="/our-work/litigation/cases/koch-industries-v-john-does-youth-climate-truth" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" style="outline: none; line-height: 1.455; margin-top: 1em;"><header style="outline: none;"><div class="field field-name-field-case-topics field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-inline clearfix" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); outline: none; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><div class="field-label" style="outline: none; font-weight: bold; float: left;">Topic(s): </div><div class="field-items" style="outline: none; float: left;"><div class="field-item even" style="outline: none;">Internet Free Speech — Right To Speak Anonymously</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-documents" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); outline: none; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><div class="field-label" style="outline: none; font-weight: bold;">Documents:</div><div class="field-items" style="outline: none;"><ul style="outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside;"><li style="outline: none;"><a href="https://www.citizen.org/system/files/case_documents/koch-v-does-district-court-opinion.pdf" style="outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">District Court Opinion</a> (05/09/2011)</li><li style="outline: none;"><a href="https://www.citizen.org/system/files/case_documents/koch-v-does-reply-support-motion-quash-subpoenas.pdf" style="outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Reply Memorandum in Support of Motion to Quash Subpoena</a> (03/03/2011)</li><li style="outline: none;"><a href="https://www.citizen.org/system/files/case_documents/koch_v_does_memo_support_motion_quash.pdf" style="outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Memorandum in Support of Motion to Quash Subpoenas</a> (01/26/2011)</li><li style="outline: none;"><a href="https://www.citizen.org/system/files/case_documents/koch_v_does_motion_to_quash_subpoenas.pdf" style="outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">Motion to Quash Subpoenas</a> (01/26/2011)</li></ul></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-press-releases" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); outline: none; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><div class="field-label" style="outline: none; font-weight: bold;">Press Releases:</div><div class="field-items" style="outline: none;"><ul style="outline: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style-position: inside;"><li style="outline: none;"><a href="https://www.citizen.org/media/press-releases/federal-judge-favors-free-speech-rules-political-spoof-against-koch-industries" style="outline: none; text-decoration-line: none;">05/09/2011</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-above" style="outline: none; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><div class="field-label" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); outline: none; font-weight: bold;">Case Description: </div><div class="field-items" style="outline: none;"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded" style="outline: none;">Through this lawsuit, Koch Industries seeks to unmask the identities of our clients-environmental activists who used an Internet spoof to bring public attention to Koch's controversial role in bankrolling climate-change denial. Our clients created a press release purporting to announce a decision by Koch to stop funding organizations that deny the scientific consensus on climate change, and posted the release on a website (koch-inc.com) designed to look like Koch's. Although the site was up for only a few hours-and not a single reporter was actually fooled by the spoof-it succeeded in drawing additional media attention to Koch's political activities. Koch was not amused. It filed this lawsuit and, without attempting to provide the defendants with notice, sought to expose their identities by obtaining subpoenas directed to the company that hosted the website. Although this case arises out of a harmless prank, it raises serious constitutional issues. We contend that Koch's subpoenas violate our clients First Amendment rights to anonymous speech and that the claims asserted in Koch's lawsuit (for trademark infringement, cybersquatting, computer hacking, and breach of contract) are groundless attempts to stifle political speech.On May 9, 2011, the court dismissed Koch Industries’ lawsuit in its entirety, quashed the subpoenas, and issued an order barring Koch from using or disclosing any identifying information it may have obtained about our clients.---According to <a href="https://www.eff.org/files/Koch%20v.%20Does.pdf" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">a decision</a> issued on Monday, a Utah federal court handed a victory to activists who imitate corporate spokespeople and websites in order to make a political point. (See, for instance,<a href="https://wagingnonviolence.org/2011/04/yes-men-and-us-uncut-announce-tax-return-donation-on-behalf-of-ge/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;"> the recent Yes Men action</a> against GE’s tax evasion.) The case was between the group Youth for Climate Truth and the infamous Koch Industries. According to <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/05/utah-court-strikes-blow-free-speech-dismisses" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">analysis from the Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>:<blockquote style="margin: 0px 3em; padding: 0px;">The case has its origin in a brief action carried out by members of Youth For Climate Truth (YFCT), a group concerned about climate change. The action targeted Koch Industries, a billion dollar company that has publicly challenged the science behind climate change theories. Borrowing <a href="http://theyesmen.org/" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">“identity correction”</a>techniques pioneered by groups such as the Yes Men, YFCT issued a press release, purportedly from Koch, in which the company promised to stop funding organizations that deny climate change. The release was posted for a few hours on a website (<a title="www.koch-inc.com" href="http://www.koch-inc.com/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">www.koch-inc.com</a>) that partially imitated Koch Industries’ own website. The action received some media coverage, but no press organization thought the release was real. If Koch were sensible, that should have been the end of it.But Koch was not sensible. It sued YFCT for trademark infringement, cybersquatting, violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (for allegedly not complying with the terms of service on the real Koch website) and assorted state claims, then issued subpoenas seeking the identities of the YFCT members. With help from <a href="http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=3336" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">lawyers at Public Citizen,</a> YFCT moved to quash the subpoenas and dismiss the case.Judge Dale Kimball granted the motion and threw the whole thing out. On the trademark claims, the judge noted that YFCT’s activities were clearly noncommercial and, therefore, governed by the First Amendment, not state or federal trademark law.</blockquote>YFCT’s lawyer, Deepak Gupta of Public Citizen, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/business/media/14link.html" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">told </a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/business/media/14link.html" target="blank" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">The New York Times</a> that he thought the primary motivation for the lawsuit was to expose the identities of the anonymous perpetrators.<blockquote style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 3em; padding: 0px;">“It’s the tail wagging the dog,” Mr. Gupta said of using such accusations “to unmask your critics.”And it’s more common than you may think, he said, adding that he was able include more than a dozen cases on the subject in his court filing. And tellingly, he notes that some of these cases were withdrawn once an anonymous critic had been exposed.</blockquote>I asked Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men about this, and he said the decision didn’t surprise him. But, he added, “it’s always a relief when things happen according to common sense. A decision in Utah is a great place to start—now on to the rest of the world!”</div></div></div></header></article>The Yes Men did a talk at ESLP at UCSC. Their new (3rd) movie is <a href="http://theyesmenarerevolting.com/" class="external text" title="http://theyesmenarerevolting.com/" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The Yes Men Are Revolting</a> launched 6/15. Community Studies graduate Jen Lopez ('07) talking about her career and working as a line producer with <a href="http://theyesmen.org/" class="external text" title="http://theyesmen.org/" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The Yes Men</a> on their <a href="http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/" class="external text" title="http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">recent movie</a>. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/maurice11#p/u/3/Xqzmk5Gvsg4" class="external text" title="http://www.youtube.com/user/maurice11#p/u/3/Xqzmk5Gvsg4" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">video interview</a>.<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/shell-arctic-ready-hoax-greenpeace_n_1684222.html?ref=topbar" class="external text" title="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/shell-arctic-ready-hoax-greenpeace n 1684222.html?ref=topbar" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The Yes Men spoof Arctic oil drilling</a>. see also <a href="http://www.greenmuze.com/climate/energy/4465-shell-arctic-ready-spoof.html" class="external text" title="http://www.greenmuze.com/climate/energy/4465-shell-arctic-ready-spoof.html" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">here</a> <a href="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1034439/activist_pranksters_hang_fake_shell_billboard_in_houston%3A%22you_can%27t_run_your_suv_on%27cute%27%22/#paragraph2" class="external text" title="http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1034439/activist pranksters hang fake shell billboard in houston: " you="you" can="can" apos="apos" t="t" run="run" your="your" suv="suv" on="on" cute="cute" paragraph2="paragraph2" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Billboard and Twitter</a>.<a href="http://www.yeslab.org/" class="external text" title="http://www.yeslab.org/" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">The Yes Lab</a> (home of <a href="http://theyesmen.org/" class="external text" title="http://theyesmen.org/" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">the Yes Men</a>) recently put up a site called<a href="http://coalcares.com/" class="external text" title="http://coalcares.com/" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">CoalCares.com</a>, a parody suggesting that coal company Peabody is interested in doing something about the health impacts of coal on children. (How dare they!) Peabody responded, predictably, by threatening a lawsuit.<a href="http://www.grist.org/coal/2011-05-13-coalcares-responds-to-peabody-legal-threat" class="external text" title="http://www.grist.org/coal/2011-05-13-coalcares-responds-to-peabody-legal-threat" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">More</a>. [On the other hand, <a href="http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=11-P13-00019&segmentID=3" class="external text" title="http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=11-P13-00019&segmentID=3" rel="nofollow" style="margin: 0px; text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(http://www.ic.ucsc.edu/college8core/c8wiki/skins/monobook/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Children’s books publisher Scholastic</a> is taking money from the coal industry to teach elementary students the benefits of coal.=gp connor gibsonmourn drop suit cocShenanigans at the front door of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday reveal that the Chamber has dropped its lawsuit against the Yes Men, the activist duo famous for their elaborate prime-time pranks against <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/dow" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">Dow Chemical</a>, <a href="http://www.polluterwatch.com/blog/chevron-relentlessly-punked-yes-men" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">Chevron</a>, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP_nNemsNT8" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">World Trade Organization</a>, and other giant entities known for putting their profit margins before people and the planet.<a href="http://yeslab.org/chambercriesuncle" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">The Yes Men went to the Chamber yesterday morning</a> in attempts to convince the business front groupnot to drop the lawsuit. Here’s some footage of the announcement and confusion over who does and doesn’t work for the Chamber:[vid]by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. According to their press release:“Just as their case against us was finally heating up again, the Chamber decided to drop it,” said former defendant Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men. “The Chamber knew this was our chance to challenge their silly claims and, since they claimed we had ‘damaged’ them, investigate the details of their finances through the discovery process. It’s the height of rudeness to deprive us of this great opportunity.”“The Chamber’s lawsuit represented the only time in 17 years that anyone has been stupid enough to sue us,” said former defendant Mike Bonanno.“This was the chance of a lifetime, and we profoundly deplore the Chamber’s about-face.”Apparently, revenge isn’t a strong enough reason for the Chamber to to cough up information on their secret financial backers or their obstruction on solving the critical issue of global climate change, the issue which sparked the original Yes Men parody press event and ensuing lawsuit.<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/10/27/27greenwire-us-chamber-sues-activists-over-climate-stunt-50982.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">The Chamber sued the Yes Men</a> in 2009 for holding a press conference at the National Press Club on the Chamber’s behalf, announcing a reversal on the Chamber’s efforts to block climate change legislation. The false event was interrupted by an actual Chamber official named Eric Wohlschlegal, who <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101901651.html" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">told attending press</a>, “This guy is a fake! He’s lying!”See this video:The stunt threw the Chamber off balance as it had to <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/us-chamber-commerce-responds-yes-men-hoax" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">clarify</a> it would not stop obstructing national climate change policy. The following lawsuit was unprecedented for Yes Men hijinks. Even Dow Chemical didn’t sue them, despite <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/bbcbhopal" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">losing $2 billion worth of stock</a> when Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiWlvBro9eI" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">posed as a Dow official on a live BBC interview</a> and took responsibility for the <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/toxics/justice-for-bhopal/" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">Bhopal chemical disaster</a> (which Dow still won’t own up to despite the death of 20,000 people).<a href="http://www.yeslab.org/lawsuitwithdrawal" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">Yes Lab</a> has a summary of the announcement at the Chamber’s front steps in Washington, DC, including a list of questions the Yes Men wish the lawsuit’s discovery process could have answered:<div style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">“Some of the things we could have asked in court had they not withdrawn their lawsuit:</div><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Why does the U.S. Chamber lie even more than the American Petroleum Institute about the <a href="http://politicalcorrection.org/factcheck/201201120011" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">number of jobs</a> created by the Keystone XL pipeline?</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Why did the U.S. Chamber design a <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pete-altman/scholastic-steps-into-the_b_771244.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">teaching program</a> for US schools that favors coal over clean energy sources?</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">And who pays them to lie to <a href="http://www.rethinkingschools.org/opt-in/110803.shtml" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">children</a>… and <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/following-sec-complaint-greenpeace-asks-trans/blog/38866/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">adults</a>?</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Why does the U.S. Chamber expend so <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/top.php?showYear=a&indexType=s" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">much money</a> to <a href="http://www.energyxxi.org/invest-climate-science-guide-energy-economic-and-environmental-policy" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">call into doubt</a> the most <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/05/AR2009100502744.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">mainstream</a> climate science, and <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/more-chamber-commerces-climate-denial" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">insult</a> the most respected scientific bodies?</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Why does the U.S. Chamber <a href="http://shutthechamber.org/news/american-rights-work-us-chambers-anti-union-agenda" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">fight not only unions</a>, but even just <a href="http://www.citizenvox.org/2013/05/17/new-u-s-chamber-attacks-on-corporate-political-spending-disclosure-are-a-good-sign/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">shareholder activists</a>?</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Why do they <a href="http://www.uschamber.com/issues/labor/minimum-wage" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">fight</a> even tiny increases in the federal minimum wage?</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Why has the U.S. Chamber’s law firm <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/02/10/143419/lobbyists-chamberleaks/" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">hired spies</a> in try to discredit anti-Chamber activists?</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">And finally, why is the U.S. Chamber fighting so hard to keep corporations from having to reveal their <a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/2012/06/20/9145/us-chamber-gop-block-election-ad-transparency-bill" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">political spending</a>?”</li></ul>PolluterWatch has more on the <a href="http://polluterwatch.org/us-chamber-commerce" target="blank" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease;">U.S. Chamber of Commerce</a> and its anti-environmental practices.BM 9/03<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bhopal-Bloopers-How-Dow-and-Burson-Marsteller-2680954.php">http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bhopal-Bloopers-How-Dow-and-Burson-Marsteller-2680954.php</a>his is a story about how hard it is to shut someone up online, and how it's sometimes a bad idea to even try, because it lets everyone know you're trying to hide something. It's also a story about pranksters taking political action by making people laugh.Here's what happened: Dow Chemical and Dow's PR firm, Burson-Marsteller, tried to shut down some parody sites and ended up bringing themselves a heap of negative publicity. But before we go into that, first, a little background:Back in 1984, the Indian subsidiary of <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22Union+Carbide%22" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">Union Carbide</a> made a <a href="http://www.bhopal.net/background.html" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">big whoopsie</a> with some deadly gas used in making pesticides. After a gas tank was accidentally breached, Bhopal's 900,000 residents were exposed to some 40 tons of the known carcinogen methyl isocyanate. Up to 4,000 people (figures vary) were killed on the spot, and anywhere from 100,000 to 200,000 still suffer from serious, potentially deadly health effects such as cancer and respiratory problems.<div class="A300-placeholder collapse" style="float: right; margin: 0px;">What was arguably the world's most horrific industrial disaster soon gave rise to a massive lawsuit, and Union Carbide was ordered to pay $470 million into a victims' fund set up by the Indian government. Bhopal victims correctly called it a "pittance" -- the average payout to almost 560,000 survivors who received settlements as of June 2001 was $580. Even worse, Union Carbide was not forced to clean up the chemicals that leaked unabated from the now-abandoned Bhopal factory site....Fast-forward to 2001: Union Carbide merged with Dow Chemical Co., makers of the Vietnam War's notorious Agent Orange, and Dow took on Union Carbide's plants, business processes and customers. It also took on the company's neglect of the Bhopal situation. Dow continues to refuse to clean up the Bhopal site, denying liability and refusing to release precise details of the chemicals released during the accident, which could help treat those who remain ill. Carcinogens and other poisons continue to leach into underground drinking water, and the Bhopal death toll continues to mount.<div class="S300-placeholder collapse" style="float: right; margin: 0px;">Enter the Yes Men, a group of Internet activists, pranksters and philosophers who gained some notoriety years back by posting satirical sites about the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22World+Trade+Organization%22" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">World Trade Organization</a> (WTO) and the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22General+Agreement+on+Tariffs+and+Trade+%28GATT%29%22" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)</a>. Some of the Yes Men started hearing stories about Bhopal and icky things about Dow Chemical and Burson-Marsteller -- the firm whose crisis-management practice helped Union Carbide minimize its PR damage after Bhopal. Not content with just passing said icky things on to their activist friends, the Yes Men wanted to cast some light on Dow's current actions.On December 3, 2002, the 18th anniversary of Bhopal, the Yes Men posed as Dow representatives and sent out a cleverly snitty e-mail press-release "explanation" of its actions to journalists and activists, made all the more stinging because of how closely the parody rings true. The <a href="http://www.dowethics.com/r/about/corp/bhopal.htm" style="display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">fake release</a> is a masterwork of irony, quoting a Dow spokesperson as saying, "We understand the anger and hurt. But Dow does not and cannot acknowledge responsibility. If we did, not only would we be required to expend many billions of dollars on cleanup and compensation ..."The fake release was immediately forwarded around the world, and the Yes Men put up a fake-yet-official-looking Web site at <a href="http://www.dow-chemical.com/" style="text-align: center; background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">www.dow-chemical.com</a> to showcase the release, which received hundreds of enraged e-mail responses from those who didn't realize the site, which strongly resembled Dow's corporate site, was a spoof. The flap was reported in national and international news sources, and the Dow parody site got hundreds of thousands of hits -- and it wasn't long before Dow also came calling.Within a day of the release, Dow threatened the <a href="http://www.dow-chemical.com/" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none;">www.dow-chemical.com</a> upstream provider, Verio. Under the rules of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Dow's legal reps said, the Yes Men's site violated Dow's copyright in Web design, images and text. Chastened, Verio shut the Yes Men's ISP, Thing.net, down for 24 hours and informed the tiny ISP that it'd have to find itself a new backbone provider. In the meantime, Dow did some swift legal maneuvering. The company discovered that the prankish Yes Men had actually registered <a href="http://www.dow-chemical.com/" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">www.dow-chemical.com</a> in the name of the son of former Dow President <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22Michael+Parker%22" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">Michael Parker</a> as a joke. Parker's kid did his dad's company a favor and claimed the site from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22Icann%22" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">ICANN</a>), arguing successfully that the site was, after all, registered in his name. If you click on <a href="http://www.dow-chemical.com/" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">www.dow-chemical.com</a>, you'll see it now redirects to Dow's official site. The original Yes Men parody site, however, is still mirrored <a href="http://www.dowethics.com/r/Homepage/index.html" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">elsewhere.</a>Meanwhile, yet another thread in the story was developing elsewhere. In the midst of writing a paper on the WTO, Hampshire <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/education-guide/" style="display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">College</a> student <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22Paul+Hardwin%22" style="display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">Paul Hardwin</a> inadvertently ended up at a Yes Men parody page. He liked what he saw and decided to use a Yes Men software program, an automatic site-parody production tool called (heh, heh) Reamweaver, to create a site spoofing Burson-Marsteller. It wasn't a particularly brutal parody -- Reamweaver acts as a "fun-house mirror," allowing spoofers to duplicate a site while substituting certain words or phrases for others. Hardwin's spoof was a pretty tame takeoff of Burson-Marsteller's site.But when Burson-Marsteller saw Hardwin's parody site, it immediately filed a complaint with the <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22World+Intellectual+Property+Organization+%28WIPO%29%22" style="display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)</a>. Yeah, it was just "a simple little parody site," as Hardwin called it, but he'd posted his little site at <a href="http://www.bursonmarsteller.com/" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">www.bursonmarsteller.com</a>, which Burson-Marsteller complained was confusingly similar to its own trademarked domain name, <a href="http://www.bm.com/" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">www.bm.com</a>.Hardwin got a little hot under the collar when Burson-Marsteller filed its <a href="http://www.reamweaver.com/bm/" style="display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">complaint</a>, and he beefed his anti-Burson-Marsteller page up massively. Instead of being a simple little site parody, the page now discusses Burson-Marsteller's purported wrongdoings for a variety of clients, from <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22Philip+Morris%22" style="display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">Philip Morris</a> to Monsanto to Union Carbide. At press time the blistering page was still hosted at <a href="http://www.bursonmarsteller.com/" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">www.bursonmarsteller.com</a>, but it will soon be moved to <a href="http://www.bmfacts.com/" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">www.bmfacts.com</a> because the WIPO decided Dec. 13 that Hardwin was indeed illicitly squatting on a domain name that rightfully belonged to Burson-Marsteller.To sum up, both the Yes Men and Paul Hardwin created sites that poked fun at big corporations for alleged wrongdoings. Both the Yes Men and Hardwin were forced to take their content off domains where it was decided they were squatting, but both sites are still alive and well at other domains. And, most important, both the Yes Men and Hardwin received widespread attention for their parodies and subsequent swift corporate suppression.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect" style="">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect</a> In the Yes Men's case, their story was covered by tickled journalists from the London Times, The <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22New+York+Times%22" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">New York Times</a> and many other sources and organizations, including <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/search/?action=search&channel=news&inlineLink=1&searchindex=solr&query=%22Greenpeace%22" style="background-color: transparent; display: inline; text-decoration-line: none; font-weight: bold;">Greenpeace</a>.The upshot is that thousands upon thousands more people heard about Bhopal and the shameful conduct of both Dow and Burson-Marsteller than would have had the stung corporations not chosen to respond with threats. If Dow and Burson-Marsteller had simply ignored the sites, few people would have ever heard of them. Instead, Dow and Burson-Marsteller brought down a chorus of snickering and scorn upon themselves -- and a whole lot of attention to aspects of their businesses they'd probably rather be kept quiet."BM would have been so much better off just leaving my original mild parody site as is," Paul Hardwin says, while Yes Men conspirator Mike Bonanno says Dow "made a big deal out of something small, and now, ironically, it is a big deal. Our ultimate goal of bringing attention to Bhopal is accomplished!"Let that be a lesson to all those big companies out there that don't like it when a couple pissed-off people say what they like and it's read by millions. Hush it up, and the furor only gets louder. Now that you know a little more about Bhopal, Dow and Burson-Marsteller, you can consider yourself part of the furor, too.</div><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">Yes Men</a> are at it again. Known for their prankster activism, the "culture jamming activist duo" created by Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos have offered a unique solution to California's ongoing epic drought.In a collaboration with the comedy video website Funny or Die and the Guardian, the activists’ spoof video suggests that hipsters stop showering if they insist on contining to eat beef.The campaign highlights one of the main issues surrounding California's record-breaking drought — one which hasn't been getting much press: the water-intensive cattle industry. At any one time, there are more than 5 million cattle in California, and they use nearly half of the state's water supply. To put that figure into more personal numbers: It takes <a href="http://www.alternet.org/environment/drought-stricken-california-exporting-100-billion-gallons-water-year-form-cattle-feed#overlay-context=environment" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">2,500 gallons of water</a>to produce just a single pound of beef. A pound of wheat, by comparison, requires only 100 gallons to produce.California produces a huge chunk of the American diet. In addition to beef (California has the <a href="http://www.beefusa.org/beefindustrystatistics.aspx" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">fourth largest cattle population</a> in the country, following Texas, Nebraska and Kansas), the state produces <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2013/07/california_grows_all_of_our_fruits_and_vegetables_what_would_we_eat_without.html" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">more than 90 percent</a> of the nation's broccoli, artichokes, kiwis, plums, celery and garlic.As Chris Hunt and Peter Hanlon of the Grace Communications Foundation, a non-profit that highlights the interconnections of the food, water and energy systems, recently put it: "Through the food we put on our plates, California's drought is also <a href="http://www.alternet.org/environment/are-industrial-farms-also-blame-americas-drought#overlay-context=environment" target="blank" style="text-decoration: none;">America's drought</a>."So all Americans have a role to play through what and how much they consume. And since it wouldn't be politically correct to suggest that people eat less beef, the Yes Men have attacked the issue in another way: If you won't sacrifice eating beef, then sacrifice your personal hygiene.In another bizarre ironic twist, the New York Times recently pointed out that California exports 100 billion gallons of water a year in the form of cattle feed. The state's most water-hungry crop — alfalfa — is being sent abroad to feed Chinese cows.Clearly, there is something wrong with the way water is being managed. What are you prepared to do about it?
Coca-Cola worried about threats at Vancouver OlympicsWikiLeaks releases emails over security firm's assessment of protest threatThe Associated Press Posted: Feb 28, 2012 5:04 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 28, 2012 10:58 AM ETPrivate intelligence firm Stratfor was paid by Coca-Cola to gauge the threat of protesters at the Vancouver Olympics, provided Dow Chemical information on environmental activists, and sells what clients and subscribers consider some of the best geopolitical analysis that money can buy.Now the Texas-based think-tank is the latest target of WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange, who says his anti-secrecy group has more than five million of Stratfor's emails and is promising to release damaging material in the coming weeks.The first, small batch published Monday contained little that was particularly scintillating — but revealed clients that Stratfor has long safeguarded and refused to disclose. They range from local universities to megacorporations like Coca-Cola, which apparently worried about animal-rights supporters crashing and disrupting the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver."To what extent will U.S.-based PETA supporters travel to Canada to support activism?" a Coca-Cola manager asked a Stratfor analyst in a 2009 email.An initial examination of the emails turned up a mix of the innocuous and the embarrassing. But Assange has accused Stratfor of serious deeds, such as funnelling money to informants through offshore tax havens, monitoring activist groups on behalf of big corporations and making investments based on its secret intelligence."What we have discovered is a company that is a private intelligence Enron," Assange told London's Frontline Club, referring to the Texas energy giant whose spectacular bankruptcy turned it into a byword for corporate malfeasance.'Nothing improper,' says StratforStratfor denied there was anything improper in the way it dealt with its contacts."Stratfor has worked to build good sources in many countries around the world, as any publisher of global geopolitical analysis would do," the company said in a statement. "We have done so in a straightforward manner and we are committed to meeting the highest standards of professional conduct."Headquartered on the fourth floor of a bank building in downtown Austin, Stratfor might be one of the smallest targets on which WikiLeaks has set its sights. Founded in 1996, the company was reported to have the equivalent of around 40 full-time employees in Austin in 2008 and regularly plucks interns from the nearby University of Texas campus.According to an internal Stratfor document released by WikiLeaks, the company boasted having 292,000 paid subscribers but also acknowledged that the actual number of people reading its products is far fewer. Stratfor uses analysts to scour the internet for open-source information, which they then use to determine where the world's next crisis might strike.But the company also pays for information. One email released by WikiLeaks described a $6,000-a-month payment made to a Middle Eastern source, and another carried bits of gossip dropped by a retired spy. In December, Stratfor founder George Friedman gave advice on handling sources to one of his analysts gathering information on the health of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez."If this is a source you suspect may have value, you have to take control od (sic) him. Control means financial, sexual or psychological control to the point where he would reveal his sourcing and be tasked," the email read. "This is difficult to do when you are known to be affiliated with an intelligence organization."
VP bragged about 'trusted former CIA cronies'Stratfor vice-president of intelligence Fred Burton bragged in other emails about his "trusted former CIA cronies" and promises to "see what I can uncover" about a classified FBI investigation.Messages left for Burton weren't immediately returned. Stratfor has speculated that some of the leaked emails may have been altered or forged, although the firm did not provide any evidence of tampering. Anonymous said in a Twitter message that the suggestion of forgery was "pathetic."Bobby Inman, former director of the National Security Agency and former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, called Stratfor's paid intelligence service competent and said the company has delivered "high-quality" analysis in the past.Inman said Monday that the leaked list of clients would almost "certainly be damaging" to Stratfor's business."If you think who might find that information useful, it would be a competitor out there looking for clients," he said.Some clients are already facing questions. Among the emails are reports apparently compiled for The Dow Chemical Co. on activists who have targeted the company over its links to the Bhopal gas leak disaster, which killed thousands of Indians and spawned a long-running legal battle.Dow said in a written statement that "major companies are often required to take appropriate action to protect their people and safeguard their facilities," adding that it operated within the law.
Coca-Cola defends using firmCoca-Cola also defended reaching out to Stratfor before the 2010 Olympics, releasing a statement Monday that read, ""We consider it prudent to monitor for protest activities at any major event we sponsor, as such activities may affect our partners, customers, consumers or employees."How WikiLeaks got the company's emails remains unclear. Assange refused to answer questions about the matter Monday, but Stratfor said the messages appeared to be the same ones stolen by hackers in December. That breach, claimed by the internet activist group Anonymous, ravaged the company's servers and led to the disclosure of thousands of credit card numbers and other information. Wired magazine quoted an unnamed member of Anonymous as saying that the stolen data had been transferred to WikiLeaks, which allegedly acknowledged receiving the transfer using a coded message on Twitter. Anonymous appeared to confirm that account, pointing to the cryptic message "rats for donavon," which WikiLeaks posted Dec. 30.Several media groups, including Rolling Stone magazine and German broadcaster NDR, said they have been offered advance access to the emails and will publish stories based on the documents if appropriate.http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coca-cola-worried-about-threats-at-vancouver-olympics-1.1294564<div style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">
</div>Dissenthttp://www.dissentmagazine.org/online_articles/wikileaks-and-the-2014-sochi-olympicsWikiLeaks and the 2014 Sochi OlympicsJules Boykoff ? April 7, 2013
Dow-branded bobsled for the 2014 Sochi Olympics (photo by secretlondon123, 2012, Wikimedia Commons)Precisely ten months from today, the 2014 Winter Olympics will open in Sochi, Russia. This weekend also marks the three-year anniversary of one of WikiLeaks’s most controversial interventions: the release of a video documenting American troops in Apache helicopters gunning down twelve people—including two Reuters employees—in Baghdad.It turns out the histories of the Olympics and WikiLeaks intertwine in revealing ways. And WikiLeaks disclosures about past Olympics help us better understand what’s going on in Russia today as President Vladimir Putin and company prepare to host the Games.In late February 2012, WikiLeaks began releasing “The Global Intelligence Files,” a trove of more than five million internal emails from Stratfor Global Intelligence, a private spy firm headquartered in Texas. The documents contained politically explosive information, including speculation that Julian Assange would soon be indicted by the U.S. Justice Department. The Stratfor files also exposed the obsession Olympic sponsors have with political activists.Coca-Cola—a Stratfor client and “Worldwide Olympic Partner”—was concerned that the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) might interfere with the smooth running of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. In a June 2009 email, one Stratfor employee discussed “a long list of questions regarding PETA/Animal Activism and the upcoming Olympics in Vancouver.” Among Coke’s queries were “How many PETA supporters are there in Canada?”; “How many of these are inclined toward activism?”; and “To what extent could non-PETA hangers-on (such as anarchists or ALF supporters) get involved in any protest activity?” PETA barely registered on the roster of resistance among anti-Olympic activists in Vancouver, but Coca-Cola wasn’t taking any chances. Like all corporate sponsors of the Olympic Games, Coke wanted to maximize profits and minimize political fallout.As the London 2012 Summer Games approached, Dow Chemical—another Stratfor client—tasked the firm with tracking activism related to the 1984 Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India. After acquiring Union Carbide in 1999, Dow insisted it wasn’t responsible for the toxic debacle that killed thousands and sickened many more. As another “Worldwide Olympics Partner,” Dow—like Coca-Cola—forked over $100 million to the International Olympic Committee. It also supplied an $11-million decorative wrap for the Olympic Stadium.Stratfor kept a Bhopal activism file for Dow, which included entries on campaigner Colin Toogood of the Bhopal Medical Appeal (BMA). Stratfor noted that Toogood had used Facebook and Twitter to circulate information critical of Dow’s Olympic sponsorship. Julian Cheyne of the online anti-Olympics group Games Monitor was also ensnared in Stratfor’s surveillance net after receiving a tweet from the BMA. WikiLeaks helped highlight the cash chasm that allowed Dow and other Olympic sponsors to remain one step ahead in the battle between corporations and campaigners in London.Thanks to Wikileaks we also have evidence that U.S. government honchos view the Olympics as a way to leverage security cooperation from host cities. When Brazil experienced power outages in 2009, the United States sniffed opportunity. A cable from the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia read:The newly heightened concerns about Brazil’s infrastructure as a result of this blackout, combined with the need to address infrastructure challenges in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, present the United States opportunities for engagement on infrastructure development as well critical infrastructure protection and possibly cyber security.Such “opportunities” pave a path for private security firms to cash in, using mega-events like their own private ATMs.The stash of more than 250,000 U.S. Embassy Cables that WikiLeaks released in late 2010 also paint a bleak image of Russia, the future Olympic host, in line with many critics of Putin’s government. One confidential document cited a Spanish National Court Prosecutor who dubbed Russia, Chechnya, and Belarus de facto “mafia states,” where the activities of government entities and organized crime groups were virtually indistinguishable. In a 2008 cable, the British Foreign Office concurred, stating that Russia’s “political system is best described as a corrupt autocracy.” Confidential cables portrayed modern-day Russia as a cauldron of kleptocratic corruption, not a reputable Olympic host-in-the-making.The 2014 Sochi Olympics are one of Putin’s prized pet project. Putin sees the International Olympic Committee’s selection of Sochi as “not only a recognition of Russia’s achievement in sports” but as a wider “assessment of our country.” That positive “assessment” is already being besmirched by a bloated five-ring price tag, graft, and a burgeoning mafia turf war.The Sochi Olympics are the most expensive Winter Games ever, now totaling over $50 billion—more than five times the original estimate. Corruption is rampant. One road connecting Sochi venues cost $200 million per kilometer; paving the road with Olympic medals might have been cheaper.The Kremlin simply hasn’t been able to contain the fraud. Putin recently fired Akhmed Bilalov, the vice president of the Russian Olympic Committee, whose own construction company was behind schedule and 900 percent over budget for a ski jump. Putin made a point to publicly humiliate Bilalov as he gave him the axe. Yet, as British comedian John Oliver noted, Putin himself “wears the cologne of the corruption industry in extremely heavy squirts.” The president’s childhood friend and former judo buddy Arkady Rotenberg snagged $7.4 billion in contracts for the Sochi Games.After the International Olympic Committee awarded Sochi the Games in 2007, the city saw a spike in suspected mafia violence. Tension recently intensified after the death of Aslan “Grandpa Hassan” Usoyan, a mafia boss with enormous property and business holdings in Sochi and Moscow. Mafia hostilities have been bubbling on low boil, with high-profile murders on the streets becoming routine. Usoyan himself was assassinated by a sniper while he dined in a Moscow restaurant. Now that Usoyan is dead, Sochi is a strategic battle zone, with mobsters jockeying for influence and lucre.Sochi was one of Stalin’s favorite resort getaways—his once-secret dacha was eventually converted into a hotel. Although Russia is no totalitarian state, the ghost of Stalin lingers, with the Russian Duma passing a slate of draconian laws and authorities raiding international human rights offices to curb dissent in the lead-up to the Games. With less than a year before the opening ceremonies, there’s no pity in the Olympic city.Jules Boykoff’s writing on the Olympics has appeared recently in the Guardian, the New Left Review, the New York Times, and elsewhere. He is the author of two forthcoming books: Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games (Routledge) and Activism and the Olympics: Dissent at the Games in Vancouver and London (Rutgers University Press). He teaches politics at Pacific University in Oregon. You can follow him on Twitter @JulesBoykoff.=http://beautifultrouble.org/
Identity correctionContributed by Andy Bichlbaum
“Artists use lies to tell the truth. Yes, I created a lie. But because you believed it, you found something true about yourself.”Alan Moore
Common Uses:To embarrass your target; to correct the public record; to expose corporate malfeasance; to reframe an issue.When trying to understand how a machine works, it helps to expose its guts. The same can be said of powerful people or corporations who enrich themselves at the expense of everyone else. By catching powerful entities off-guard — say, by speaking on their behalf about wonderful things they should do (but in reality won’t) — you can momentarily expose them to public scrutiny. In this way, everyone gets to see how they work and can figure out how better to oppose them.This is identity correction: exposing an entity’s inner workings to public scrutiny. To practice it, find a target — some entity running amok — and think of something true they could say but never would — something that’s also lots of fun. What you say can either be something your target would say if its PR department went absent or berserk (modest proposal), or things they would say if by some miracle they decided to do the right thing (honest proposal). Instead of speaking truth to power, as the Quakers suggest, you assume the mask of power to speak a little lie that tells a greater truth.The modest proposal approach — which the Yes Men and others have used on many occasions to impersonate companies and parody them — can be a hit-or-miss affair. It usually involves an absurd and extreme — but logical — extension of the entity’s current practices, like when the Billionaires for Bush put Social Security up for sale on eBay, or when the Yes Men suggested that CEOs in the West would want to remotely monitor and control workers in factories in Africa via a control panel mounted on a huge golden phallus.In spite of the emotionally satisfying payoff of antics like those, it’s the honest proposal approach — assuming the identity of a big evildoer and announcing they’re doing something wonderful — that has proven to be the more effective way to embarrass a target. When the Yes Men impersonated Dow Chemical on the twentieth anniversary of the Bhopal catastrophe and announced on Dow’s behalf that it was finally taking responsibility for the disaster see CASE: Dow Chemical apologizes for Bhopal; or when U.S. Uncut activists announced that GE was paying its 2010 taxes after all (see TACTIC: Hoax); or when activists impersonating French officials announced that Haiti’s debt — imposed when Haiti won independence from France, to compensate French slaveowners for their lost “property” — would at long last be forgiven; or when environmental activists impersonated Canada (in one case) or the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (in another) and announced surprising and wonderful things… In all these cases, the consequences were immediate: voluminous news reports about the unlikely turn of events (and, in the Dow and GE cases, giant temporary drops in each company’s stock value). These in turn provided fodder for a wave of other articles about the whole hoax, providing a media platform for the reform programs of campaigners working on these issues.
Key Principle at work:The real action is your target's reactionOften the most revealing moment in a successful identity correction is the reaction of the target. When you identity-correct a major corporation, you force them to react. They can’t let the lie that tells the truth stand in the media. GE had to tell the press it was NOT returning its questionable tax refund to stand in solidarity with struggling Americans. Dow Chemical had to issue a statement indicating it had NOT apologized for the Bhopal disaster and would NOT be compensating the victims.
Potential Pitfalls:Getting caught by the real folks you are impersonating. Not really a pitfall, just a plot twist.Andy Bichlbaum (AKA Jacques Servin) got his start as an activist when, as a computer programmer, he inserted a swarm of kissing boys in a shoot-'em-up video game just before it shipped to store shelves, and found himself fired, famous, and hugely amused. Now, Andy helps run the Yes Lab for Creative Activism as part of his job as professor of subversion at New York University. Bichlbaum once flew down the Nile in a two-seater airplane, bringing a live goat to a remote Sudanese village as a hostess gift for a homecoming party. (The party was fun and the goat was insanely delicious.)Hey there! Did you know that you can jump into our experimental visualization interface right from this point? Give it a try and send us your feedback!http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/10/yes-men-peabody-energy-prank_n_860185.html<div class="content" id="mainentrycontent" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 20px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; font-stretch: normal; line-height: 21px;">It appears that a merry gang of agitprop pranksters associated with the Yes Men have pulled a fast one on Peabody Energy, the self-described "<a href="http://www.peabodyenergy.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">world's largest private sector coal company</a>."The prank took off in earnest Tuesday, when <a href="http://www.grinzo.com/energy/2011/05/10/coal-cares-no-really/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">the following press release was published by PRNewswire</a>:<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 15px; direction: ltr; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; font-stretch: normal;"><div id="modulous_mid_article" class="ad_spot" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div id="ad_mid_article" class="ad_wrapper" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; float: left; width: 300px;"></div></div>Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) Announces “Coal Cares™” Initiative, New Nationwide Campaign Against Stigma of Childhood AsthmaST. LOUIS, May 10, 2011 / PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Peabody Energy today announced the creation of an innovative new public health initiative designed to combat the stigma of asthma among American children ages 0-18. With Coal Cares™ (www.coalcares.org), Peabody will offer free, custom-branded inhaler actuators to children living within 200 miles of a coal plant, along with coupons worth $10 towards the purchase of the asthma medication itself.“Too many young Americans face daily schoolyard taunting and bullying because of a condition over which they have no control,” said Gregory H. Boyce, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Peabody Energy. “By re-branding the inhaler as a cool, individualized, must-have accessory, Coal Cares™ will empower children to tell bullies: ‘suck it up.’” Children can choose from a variety of youth-themed inhaler cases, from tween faves like “the Bieber” and “My Little Pony,” to the “Emo” and “Diamond” inhalers for older, style-conscious youth. There’s even “My First Inhaler,” for tots.Coal Cares™ launches today in commemoration of Asthma Awareness Month, the Environmental Protection Agency’s effort to call attention to rising asthma rates, especially among children. Coal Cares™ and its Puff-Puff™ line of inhalers is the first, and most ambitious, market-friendly public health initiative of this scope of any privately-owned American company, and testifies to the energy industry’s commitment to the well-being of all citizens, including the youngest.“Our actions are guided by a singular mission: to be a leading worldwide producer and supplier of balanced energy solutions, which power economic prosperity and well-being,” said Boyce. “Coal Cares™ brings this mission to life, empowering children everywhere to take control of their destinies, beginning with their own lungs.”“Coal Cares™ is emblematic of the return to self-reliance that healthy entrepreneurship demands,” said James Miasmus, Vice President of Government Affairs at Peabody USA. “Costly ‘scrubbing’ technology, on the other hand, is an untested and heavy-handed intrusion into our still-vulnerable economy. At Peabody, we’re thinking globally but acting locally, and locating preventive action at the point of consumption, where it belongs.”“Coal Cares™ isn’t just the name of a campaign,” said Kevin Briesslau, Vice President of Communications at Peabody Coal. “It’s a philosophy, a way of doing business in harmony with the community we are a part of. After all, coal is the fastest-growing fuel in the world. We’re part of America’s heritage, and we’re here to stay.”To learn more about Peabody’s Coal Cares™ initiative, visit: <a href="http://www.coalcares.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">www.coalcares.org</a>.<div class="ql" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="qr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div></blockquote>If the press release seems a little strange, <a href="http://coalcares.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">just try the website</a>, which delivers on the promise of <a href="http://coalcares.org/freeinhalers.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Justin Bieber- and "Twilight"-themed asthma inhalers</a> ("made with eco-friendly recycled plastic, as well as with coal ash, a by-product of combustion from our plant smokestacks"). The site goes on to describe the many ways that <a href="http://coalcares.org/cleanenergy.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">solar and wind power are going to destroy us all</a>:<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 15px; direction: ltr; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; font-stretch: normal;">So-called “solar energy,” on the other hand, refers to the direct use of the violent fusion reactions occurring deep within our nearest star. As you might expect, this kind of “solar energy” naturally comes with a host of dangers that coal’s million-year buffering is designed to avoid. Some scientists refer to so-called “solar energy” as “mainlining the sun”—and it doesn’t take an Einstein to see an overdose looming.[...]There are so many varieties of existing solar energy technology, and so many more proposed, that the number and variety of disasters possible simply boggles the mind. The only reason we don’t see more incidences of death and injury from solar today is because it comprises less than 1% of our national energy portfolio. Increasing this amount would only heighten the potential for tragic accidents.<div class="ql" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="qr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div></blockquote>I have to give the pranksters special props for their hilarious invocation of the "butterfly effect" as an argument against windmills:<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 15px; direction: ltr; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; font-stretch: normal;">Every science student has heard of the so-called “butterfly effect” from aptly-named “Chaos Theory”: namely, that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in the wilds of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, can set off a massive, community-shattering tornado in Bunker Hill Village, Texas. If, as scientists state, a mere butterfly can cause a tornado so many thousands of miles away, imagine what a hill-full of wind turbines can do.Actually, a simple calculation shows precisely how much. Suppose a butterfly flapping its wings, producing about 12.5 W of energy, can unleash a tornado producing approximately 100MW of energy. By this measure, a large wind farm—producing 781.5 MW of energy, or the equivalent of approximately 63 million butterflies—could unleash the equivalent of 63 million tornados, or over 6 quadrillion watts of energy. That's still less than one one hundred millionth the energy of an asteroid hitting the earth, but it's nothing to sneeze at, either!<div class="ql" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="qr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div></blockquote>Classic. And the prank <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/statement-from-peabody-energy-121566598.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">forced Peabody Energy to put out their own press release</a> disowning the spoof site. But is this the work of the Yes Men, or of their affiliates? <a href="http://theyesmen.org/coalcares" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As it turns out, yes</a>:<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 15px; direction: ltr; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; font-stretch: normal;">The Coal Cares™ hoax was devised by a group called Coal is Killing Kids (CKK), a small environmental and public health group that aims to challenge Big Coal’s expensive lobbying against sensible updates to the Clean Air Act. “We don’t have their millions, but we do have a knack for incredibly tasteless jokes,” said Veronica Tomlinson, a pediatrician and member of CKK. CKK worked with the Yes Lab, which is a project of The Yes Men to help activist groups carry out media-savvy creative actions on their own."Sure, it’s kind of tasteless to say that ‘Bieber’ inhalers are a solution to childhood asthma," said Janet Bellamy, a spokesperson for CKK. "But it's a great deal more tasteless to cause that asthma in the first place, as coal-fired power plants have been proven to do." Added Justin V. Bond, another spokesperson for CKK: “It’s even more tasteless to disproportionately kill poor people.” Coal-fired power plants are very often built in areas populated by low-income citizens, who then bear the brunt of the health effects.<div class="ql" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="qr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div></blockquote>In a typical Yes Men prank, the comedian-agitators labor to infiltrate conferences and media events under the guise of corporate factotums, then give voice to the idealized policies that they wish those organizations would support. This typically forces those actual organizations to walk back the news the pranksters manage to make, which helps to expose the difference between the actual and the wished-for policies. They call this practice "identity correction," and the best example I can show you is when Yes Men founder Andy Bichlbaum appeared on "BBC World News" impersonating an official from Dow Chemical, apologizing for the Union Carbide disaster and promising to fund a full remediation.<center style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tuesday's prank, which was carried out as a part of the <a href="http://www.yeslab.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes Labs project</a>, an incubator for Yes Men-style pranks, is more obviously zany, but nevertheless strives to cause a major corporation some amount of public embarrassment while raising awareness of the <a href="http://www.catf.us/coal/problems/power_plants/existing/#content" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">issues related to coal production</a>.UPDATE, 6:41pm: As noted earlier, Peabody Energy was compelled by this prank to issue a press release of their own. That press release contained this paragraph:<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 15px; direction: ltr; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; font-stretch: normal;">Peabody is proud to help hundreds of millions of people live longer and better through coal-fueled electricity. A growing collection of studies demonstrate the correlation between electricity fueled by low-cost coal and improvement in health, longevity and quality of life. The United Nations has linked life expectancy, educational attainment and income with per-capita electricity use, and the World Resources Institute found that for every 10-fold increase in per-capita energy use, individuals live 10 years longer.<div class="ql" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="qr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div></blockquote>Michael Oko, the Director of Media Relations of the World Resources Institute emails me to say that the "WRI never did the analysis that they attributed to us." <a href="http://www.wri.org/press/2011/05/wri-statement-energy-production-and-human-health" target="hplink" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They have released the following statement</a>:<blockquote style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 15px; direction: ltr; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); vertical-align: baseline; quotes: none; font-stretch: normal;">The following statement was released today by the World Resources Institute (WRI) in response to a press statement by Peabody Energy:“In a press statement today, Peabody Energy falsely attributes a conclusion to the World Resources Institute. The incorrect reference is likely drawn from information found on a blog post by the “World Climate Report,” which is not affiliated with WRI.“The press statement asserts that “the World Resources Institute found that for every 10-fold increase in per-capita energy use, individuals live 10 years longer.” First, WRI has never made such an assertion and has never done analysis to that effect. Second, this conclusion ignores critical factors related to energy production and human health.“WRI’s long standing support for a global transition to cleaner, low-carbon energy is well-documented. WRI does not support Peabody’s press statement or the related conclusions drawn from this data.”<div class="ql" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="qr" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; direction: ltr; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></div></blockquote>[Would you like to <a href="http://twitter.com/dceiver" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">follow me on Twitter</a>? Because why not? 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guaerdian 2/11<blockquote class="quoted" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); overflow: hidden; line-height: 24px;"><div class=" quotedcontents" style="overflow: hidden;">Defendants had a common plan to engage in acts … that deceived the press and public … These infringing and fraudulent acts are antithetical to public debate on important issues, because they prevent the public and the press from knowing the true position … In short, such conduct is destructive of public discourse, and cannot be tolerated under the law.</div></blockquote><blockquote style="margin: 1rem 0px 1.75rem 1.75rem; line-height: 24px;">– <a href="http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/us-chamber-commerce-v-yes-men" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">Chamber of Commerce lawsuit against the Yes Men</a><a href="http://www.citmedialaw.org/threats/us-chamber-commerce-v-yes-men" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;"> and "John and Jane Does 1 through 20"</a>, November 2009</blockquote>Just a couple of years ago, most people had no idea what the Chamber of Commerce did. Aren't they mom and pop's small-business lobby in Washington? Now, thanks in large part to the work of Chamber opponents, we've come to learn that the biggest business lobby in the world is also one of the biggest impediments to real democracy in the US, and that they're a huge force in opposing <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-17/insurers-gave-u-s-chamber-86-million-used-to-oppose-obama-s-health-law.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">healthcare</a> <a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/chamber-of-commerce-targets-public-option-in-anti-health-care-reform-ad-campaign.php" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">reform</a>, <a href="http://www.uschamber.com/issues/labor/employee-free-choice-act-card-check-bill" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">employee free choice</a> and other <a href="http://www.americanrightsatwork.org/the-anti-union-network/chamber-of-commerce/chamber-of-commerce.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">labour legislation</a>,<a href="http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fashwin-madia%2Frepealing-health-care-law_b_810289.html&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNHSEi3GxuJdKaAjlfRdW-T5MApZoA" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">veterans' rights</a>, <a href="http://www.prwatch.org/node/8617" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">banking regulations</a> and, of course, <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-bottari/us-chamber-attacks-fcic-a_b_815022.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">transparency</a>.The US Chamber of Commerce is the public face of a corporatism that is hijacking our democracy – and so dramatically limits any chances of meaningful reform. Even local chambers, fed up, <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46049.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">have been leaving</a> the US Chamber en masse. But what might it take for the "Facebook generation" in the US to topple, Tunisia- or Egypt-style, this arrogant and destructive force in American politics?Late last week, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/14/AR2011021406281.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">another, still-unfolding leak story</a> revealed the anti-democratic activities of private security firms, apparently hoping to sell their services to the US Chamber of Commerce as a means to silence its critics. Despite <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/14/chamberleaks-briefed" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">reports on the Centre for American Progress blog</a> suggesting that contacts took place between representatives of the Chamber of Commerce where such proposals were made, the Chamber has denied all knowledge of them and has<a href="http://www.chamberpost.com/2011/02/another-smear-from-the-center-for-american-progress/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">described such reports as a "smear campaign"</a>.In 2009, the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2009/10/27/27greenwire-us-chamber-sues-activists-over-climate-stunt-50982.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Chamber sued members of the Yes Men</a>, an activist group that satirises powerful corporate foes, for posing as Chamber reps and announcing, to a room of reporters, that the Chamber was doing an about-face on their dangerous opposition to climate-change legislation. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101901651.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">The media had a good laugh</a> at the Chamber's expense (thanks in large part to a real Chamber representative <a href="http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/watch-video-yes-men-make-rachel-maddow-show" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">who barged into the press conference in a rage</a>), but the Chamber found the whole thing distinctly unfunny, and <a href="http://www.eff.org/cases/chamber-commerce-v-servin" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">promptly filed suit</a>. (Incidentally, the same <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/15/hunton_williams_wikileaks_chamber/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out initial; text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-color: transparent; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">law firm involved in the "Chamberleaks" affair, </a><a href="http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/15/hunton_williams_wikileaks_chamber/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Hunton and Williams</a>, is retained by the Chamber as its attorney in this suit against the Yes Men.)Nutty indeed. But last week's spectacular series of leaks, counter-leaks and counter-counter-leaks <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/10/lobbyists-chamberleaks/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">revealed</a> (and <a href="http://blogs.forbes.com/parmyolson/2011/02/14/revenge-still-sweet-as-anonymous-posts-27000-more-hbgary-e-mails/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">continues revealing</a>) a disdain for free speech that shocked even us. It turns out that a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/15/anonymous-us-security-firms-wikileaks" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">consortium of private "cyber-security" firms were developing a $2m proposal</a> to use a variety of sophisticated disinformation techniques to destroy the reputations of Chamber opponents, including public-interest, consumer-advocate and worker-rights groups such as <a href="http://www.fixtheuschamber.org/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">US Chamber Watch</a> and <a href="http://www.changetowin.org/about-us.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">Change to Win</a>. (The same firm was reportedly also proposing, in a presentation for Bank of America, a <a href="http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/02/11/campaigns" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">plot to destroy WikiLeaks</a>, and to <a href="http://www.salon.com/about/inside_salon/2011/02/11/threats_against_glenn_greenwald_wikileaks/index.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">"neutralise" constitutional scholar Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com</a>.) <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/14/chamberleaks-briefed?" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">Like the Chamber of Commerce</a>, Bank of America has denied knowledge of these plans.More specifically, the firm proposed to (<a href="http://thinkprogress.org/2011/02/10/lobbyists-chamberleaks/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">according to a leaked document</a>) "create a false document, perhaps highlighting periodical financial information, and monitor to see if US Chamber Watch acquires it". To help make this happen, they'd "create a fake insider persona and generate communications" with <a href="http://www.changetowin.org/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); text-decoration: none !important; background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">Change to Win</a>, a labour group the firm theorised might be allied to Chamber Watch. Maybe they'd even "create two fake insider personas, using one as leverage to discredit the other while confirming the legitimacy of the second". But it didn't stop there: the security firms proposed passing off the faked documents they'd created as the fabrication of Change to Win.We wish we could credit these jokesters with some originality – especially given the fees they were planning to charge – but there's actually nothing new here. These dirty tricks are straight out of the playbook of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">COINTELPRO</a>, the FBI's notorious 1960s programme of psychological warfare that, among other things, planted false reports and forged letters to destroy reputations. Lately, COINTELPRO tactics have been making a comeback on the right, inspiring a whole <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/23/new-york-times-issues-cor_n_509275.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">new generation</a> of <a href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/sex_ring_was_a_hoax_live_action_posts_video_target.php" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">"dirty tricks" operators</a>, along with their <a href="http://mediamatters.org/research/201001270034" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">patrons in the rightwing media</a> and their <a href="http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hr111-809" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">sponsors in Congress</a>. But it isn't just <a href="http://www.mediaite.com/online/andrew-breitbart-calls-james-okeefe-cnn-caper-gross-and-offensive/" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">"gross and offensive" kids (Andrew Breitbart's words)</a> who are taking up old rightwing techniques. It's actually a very big business.<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/us/politics/12hackers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">A</a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/us/politics/12hackers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">ccording to a security expert quoted in a recent New York Times article</a>, "the 'competitive intelligence' industry had 9,700 companies offering these services, with an annual market of more than $2bn." What that industry does is (<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/us/politics/12hackers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="background: transparent; cursor: pointer; border-bottom: 0.0625rem solid rgb(220, 220, 220); transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important;">in the own words of one firm</a>) to "discredit, confuse, shame, combat, infiltrate, fracture" opponents, whether those opponents are rival businesses or, as in this case, groups standing up for democracy, free speech and government transparency.Why now? Dirty tricks aren't new, so why have they only now hit the corporate mainstream? Why might firms that specialise in such tactics consider that the most cashed-up big-business lobby in the world, with a daily budget nearing $400,000, might be a potential customer? After all, it has the funds at its disposal to enable it <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2010/oct/13/us-midterm-elections-2010" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">just to buy</a> much of the media, not to mention a <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2010/10/chamber-of-commerce-lobbying-up-one.html" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">good chunk of Congress</a>.What this affair highlights is the crass, anti-democratic and increasingly desperate quality of our current version of corporate influence on politics. With the department of justice showing no signs of investigating, perhaps the Facebook generation in the US can learn a thing or two from the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/world/middleeast/14egypt-tunisia-protests.html?r=3&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2" data-link-name="in body link" data-component="in-body-link" class=" u-underline" style="cursor: pointer; border-bottom-width: 0.0625rem; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: rgb(220, 220, 220); -webkit-transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; transition: border-color 0.15s ease-out; text-decoration: none !important; background: transparent;">brave citizens in the Middle East</a>.Maybe we, too, have just been waiting for the right leak.<a href="http://theyesmen.org/video/heritagetoast.mp4" style="text-decoration: none;">Watch the video!</a>Louise, Mike, and Andy decide to attend the Heritage Foundation’s annual Resource Bank meeting at the Renaissance hotel in Chicago, April 29-30, 2004.<a href="http://www.heritage.org/" target="blank" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png) 99% 40% no-repeat;">Heritage</a> is the biggest free-market think tank—in fact the biggest think tank period—in Washington. It has a budget of $25 million and provides "talking points" to conservative Congressmen who don't have time to do their own research. Heritage is a kind of "grey eminence" behind Congress, and very actively helps direct U.S. politics.And what a bunch of radicals these folks are! Like the rare ultra-anarchist, they basically want to "smash the state"—but unlike such anarchists, they're rich, not so rare, and succeeding.Heritage is very up-front about these goals. Paul Krugman and others have <a href="http://www.pkarchive.org/economy/TaxCutCon.html" target="blank" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png) 99% 40% no-repeat;">pointed out</a> that the goal of the Bush administration seems to be to bankrupt the federal government; the Heritage Foundation indeed announces this vision up front: "Too many conservatives lose hope," writes Heritage president Edwin J. Feulner. "They doubt that the liberal welfare state can be brought to collapse.... In short, they doubt that The Heritage Foundation's Vision for America can be achieved." (By "liberal welfare state" he means Social Security, the Department of Education, and so on—but not the Department of Defense. Read on.)Thursday, April 29In order to register (free) for the Heritage conference , we've formed a right-wing think tank ($12 for the <a href="http://socialstability.org/" class="external" style="background: url(" http="http" theyesmen.org="theyesmen.org" sites="sites" all="all" themes="themes" yesmen="yesmen" images="images" external.png="external.png" no-repeat="no-repeat" text-decoration="text-decoration" none="none" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">domain name</a>). We've also registered for (free) table space, so when we arrive at the hotel we immediately go looking for an open table to display our wares: <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks_old/hiresphotos/heritage/trireme8103.jpg" class="external" style="background: url(" http="http" theyesmen.org="theyesmen.org" sites="sites" all="all" themes="themes" yesmen="yesmen" images="images" external.png="external.png" no-repeat="no-repeat" text-decoration="text-decoration" none="none" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">a foot-long Roman warship</a> ($30) and some insane but fully fact-based "position papers." (Yes, the Bush Administration really has contemplated wafting oceans of hydrofluorocarbons into the atmosphere to help along global warming: download the full report at <a href="http://www.ems.org/" target="blank" class="external" style="background: url(" http="http" theyesmen.org="theyesmen.org" sites="sites" all="all" themes="themes" yesmen="yesmen" images="images" external.png="external.png" no-repeat="no-repeat" text-decoration="text-decoration" none="none" padding-right="padding-right" px="px">ems.org</a> and search on "hydrofluorocarbons.") We eventually find an empty spot, next to the Cato Institute and not far from a table featuring books like Eco-Imperialism: Green Power, Black Death and How Union Bosses Have Hijacked Our Government.The event teems with 650 smiling, friendly and blandly-dressed people hired by well-endowed think tanks fighting "socialistic" ideas: the Jesse Helms Institute, the Hoover Institution, the Atlas Foundation (based on the books of Ayn Rand), the Society for the Economic Study of Religion (which, a young representative tells us, has determined that Pentecostalism is the best religion for a free market, and so sends missionaries to Africa), and so on.We dive deeper and deeper into the remarkable logic of conservative thought. For lunch, as brown-skinned people serve us chicken, millionaire money-manager <a href="http://www.virginiainstitute.org/boards.php" target="blank" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background-image: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 99% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Derwood Chase</a> tells us about his personal efforts to help keep taxes down and end the government handouts that make people fat and lazy. Throughout the rest of the day, we attend foray after stultifying foray into the importance of bringing U.S. "socialism" (public education, public health care, Social Security) to an end. There's even a foreigner: a Chilean economist who describes the wonders of Chile's development since Pinochet.After lunch, some <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks_old/hiresphotos/heritage/fakeprotesters2high.jpg" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background-image: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 99% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">young protesters wearing ostrich suits</a> demand that lawmakers get their heads out of the sand and fix Social Security. When asked about their concept, the ostriches shrug and send us to a spokesperson for the lobby group "<a href="http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=For_Our_Grandchildren" target="blank" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background-image: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 99% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">For Our Grandchildren</a>," who reluctantly explains that the protesters are temps, hired that morning. "For Our Grandchildren," it turns out, wants to "reform" social security by letting people choose to invest wherever they want to. Perhaps their most visionary claim: Social Security is unfair to African Americans because "African Americans have lower life expectancies than other Americans. This means that in Social Security’s live-long-or-lose-out program, most African Americans lose out." That’s right: since African Americans have shorter life expectancies, we should get rid of the program that would help them in the unlikely event they make it to retirement age. We go over to the young African American woman in the ostrich suit and ask if she knows she's protesting against social security. "Against it?" she says, confused. "No, we want to fix it!" Not wanting to make a scene so early in this two-day affair, we put our heads in the sand and move on.We (and the 650 other zealots) end the day with a delicious (free) dinner hosted by <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks_old/hiresphotos/heritage/edannounceshigh.jpg" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background-image: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 99% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 102);">Ed Meese</a>, Attorney General under Reagan, most famous for his role in the <a href="http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/chap_31.htm" target="blank" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background-image: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 99% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Iran-contra scandal</a>. (Highlight of dinner conversation comes from Andy's neighbor, a young Russian turned strident American conservative: "I was there at the women's march in Washington. There were so many women, all of them single... lesbians... virgins.... DISGUSTING!"The topic of the evening is “School Choice”—providing private-school vouchers instead of public-school funding—and the speakers enthusiastically let us know that public education (they call it "government education") is one of things they intend to "bring to collapse" because of the way it churns out Marxists (sic).Finally, <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks_old/hiresphotos/heritage/edannounces2high.jpg" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png) 99% 40% no-repeat;">Meese</a> presents the Salvatori Prize in American Citizenship to <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks_old/hiresphotos/heritage/virginiaaccepts2high.jpg" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png) 99% 40% no-repeat;">Virginia Walden-Ford</a>, a woman who has managed to extract her son from DC's already gutted public education system via "School Choice," for which she is an ardent lobbyist. Now her son's in Iraq, with the Marines: standing ovation.<a name="punchy" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">We </a><a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks_old/hiresphotos/heritage/gordontoastshigh.jpg" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background-image: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png); background-attachment: initial; background-color: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: 99% 40%; background-repeat: no-repeat;">toast</a> the whole thing with glass after glass of free wine and later, accompanying the Heartland Institute's lovely desserts, drinks. The alcohol makes us punchy. When a publisher from Sacramento described the beauty of "population control by market forces," we strain in vain to muster a suitable reply. We do better with the Cayman Islands booster guy: when he explains that the Cayman Islands is able to have such "enlightened" pro-business laws because it's basically just "a rock," we burst out: "How can we make this country a rock?!" Later he explains the importance of the Iraq war by asking rhetorically, "What if we hadn't gone into Grenada?" "What if?" we ask. "Then Grenada would have become a dependency of Cuba," he explains. "Right!" we exclaim. "And if we hadn't gone into Iraq, it would have become a dependency of the USSR." "Right!" the Cayman guy says, before (presumably) realizing the absurdity of the concept.Finally, as we're leaving the hotel, we go up to the Chilean who had explained his country's miraculous economy and gush "That was fantastic! We want to bring Pinochet to America!" Our government-educated brains are now in fine shape for thinking up what to do tomorrow.Friday, April 30The next day, Friday, we arrive just in time for the closing luncheon and another installment of free food. This time we sit right up near the front, so that we can be close to the stage—and Ed Meese. A few minutes after the opening prayer and Pledge of Allegiance (in that order), as the salad is being replaced by the main course, we make our move.The sound of a wine glass being dinged by a spoon fills the banquet room (the microphone has been left on). The conversation of 650 zealots ceases as Andy, his face filling two screens on either side, announces a toast (video <a href="http://theyesmen.org/video/heritagetoast.mp4" style="text-decoration: none;">here</a>). "To that very brave woman, Virginia Walden-Ford, who yesterday proved to us that through individual initiative and free markets, all of us can rescue our children from shoddy government education so they can learn what they need in order to compete in a free American marketplace."But there is a nine-hundred pound gorilla in the room. Instead of fighting in the free American marketplace, this brave woman's son is fighting for what I think we all, or many of us here agree is a case of crony corporate welfare, a market distortion on a truly gigantic scale."Ms. Walden-Ford's story convinced me that our political choices in the next election are simply not adequate. And I propose that on this historic anniversary of The Road to Serfdom, we take a giant step for Hayek's free markets by drafting a real free-markets candidate. And why not Ed Meese?""To the next President and Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America, Ed Meese III!"Meese, sitting directly in front of the podium, screws up his face very strangely as he hears his nomination. Applause rings out for nearly ten seconds.Later, Mike dons a gorilla suit (rental: $20) and tries to get attendees to sign a "draft Meese" petition until he's kicked out by angry Heritage employees. (Fee for dropped gorilla foot that Heritage person refuses to return: $10.)All that remains is to get the hell out, and to <a href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks_old/hiresphotos/heritage/LouiseAndyMike8132.jpg" class="external" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 15px; background: url(http://theyesmen.org/sites/all/themes/yesmen/images/external.png) 99% 40% no-repeat;">tell the world</a> what great, cheap fun this can be....===

<p style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 22px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 25px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">Coal also continues to be a focus of protest.  The World’s largest Coal Company, <a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/st-louis-taking-on-the-worlds-largest-coal-company/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Peabody, has been facing protests all over the country</a>.  Washington <a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/wash-u-sit-in-against-peabody-energy-reaches-moment-of-truth/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">University students in </a><a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/wash-u-sit-in-against-peabody-energy-reaches-moment-of-truth/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">St. Louis </a><a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/wash-u-sit-in-against-peabody-energy-reaches-moment-of-truth/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">organized a historic 17 day sit-in</a> to end the university’s relationship with Peabody. And then, <a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/7-washington-university-students-arrested-protesting-peabody-coal/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">seven were arrested</a> trying to enter the Peabody Board of Trustees meeting.  This is part of <a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/a-generations-call-voices-from-the-student-fossil-fuel-divestment-movement/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">a nationwide student-led divestment campaign</a> against carbon fuels.  The St. Louis protest followed <a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/harvard-students-barricade-presidents-office-in-call-to-divest/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">a barricade of the office of the president of Harvard</a> that led to <a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/victory-harvard-moves-toward-fossil-fuel-divestment/" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Harvard divesting from fossil fuels</a>.

This week, <a href="http://www.popularresistance.org/environmentally-conscious-future-not-actually-planned-for-reed-college/" style="text-decoration: none;">Yes Man, Igor Vamos, gave the commencement address at Reed University</a> and used the opportunity to put Reed on the spot. Vamos announced:

“This morning I had breakfast with President Kroger. Over a delicious scone and coffee, I was very, very pleased to learn that the board of trustees of Reed College has just now decided to divest the school’s $500 million endowment from fossil fuels.

“This is indeed fantastic news. Reed joins 11 other universities who have made this commitment to the planet and the future. . .

“I’m even more excited about Reed’s visionary plan for re-investment. The money that is pulled from fossil fuels, the President tells me, has been earmarked for community-owned renewable energy projects. This means Reed is putting its money to work for a complete enviro-social justice program: pulling support from big oil while literally and figuratively putting power back in the hands of the people.”

==

<h1 class="print-title" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Yes Men Katrina Stunt Exposes Bush Administration</h1>

<div id="headline">Yes Men Katrina Stunt Exposes Bush Administration</div>

<div id="by">By Ruth Conniff</div>

August 31, 2006

Hurray for the Yes Men (<a href="http://www.theyesmen.org/" target="_blank" style="">theyesmen.org</a> [1]). The clever group of performance artists and activists once fooled all of England when a member appeared on the BBC, posing as a Dow Chemical spokesman, to apologize for the Bhopal disaster and offer billions of dollars in compensation to victims. Dow was forced to retract the phony apology and deny plans to offer aid.

Now the Yes Men have managed to <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/28/hud.hoax/" target="_blank" style="">hoodwink government officials</a> [2] who are leading the foot-dragging reconstruction of New Orleans.

On Monday, a group member announced that the federal government had changed its mind about closing four public housing projects, and instead would reopen the complexes shortly, so thousands of displaced poor people in New Orleans’s Ninth Ward could move back in.

<div id="calloutleft">The Yes Men's promise brought home how inadequate the government's actual response to Katrina has really been.</div>

"Our charter here at HUD is to ensure access to affordable housing for those who need it the most," the "HUD official" said in a fifteen-minute speech. "This past year in New Orleans, I am ashamed to say that we have clearly failed to do this," he told an audience at an investors' conference in New Orleans, including the governor of Louisiana, the mayor of New Orleans, and various businessmen, reporters, and other local officials.

The federal government has announced that the four housing projects are to be scheduled for demolition and replaced with mixed-income housing. The plan drew criticism from the NAACP and advocates for the poor. "It's clear what they want to do. The developers want the land," Sharon Sears, a former resident of one complex scheduled for demolition, told the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-hoax29aug29,0,4382040.story?page=1&coll=la-home-headlines" target="_blank" style="">LA Times</a> [3].

The NAACP has called on the government to repair and reopen the units within six months. The units are in relatively good shape, the NAACP, adding that it makes no sense to demolish them while thousands of people are waiting in trailers and other temporary housing arrangements for some sort of shelter to become available.

The Yes Men member who pulled off the stunt was Andy Bichlbaum, a.k.a. Rene Oswin (Rene is French for renewal, and Oswin is the patron saint of people who have been betrayed). He managed to get on the program for the conference after another member of the Yes Men posing as a PR flak from Hill and Knowlton called conference organizers and persuaded them that HUD would like to use the conference platform to make a "major announcement."

Now HUD has had to issue denials that it will reverse course and save the public housing complexes.

The hoax was well timed. The Bush Administration has had to deal with more news this week about its gross mismanagement of the Katrina disaster. An AP poll on the recent one-year anniversary of the disaster showed that 67 percent of Americans disapprove of how the President handled Katrina. News coverage of Bush's recent tour of the damaged city pointed out the slow pace of recovery. Only $44 billion of the $110 billion approved by Congress has been spent on the recovery so far. Much of that went for no-bid contracts to Halliburton, Bechtel, and other well-connected corporations that <a href="http://www.alternet.org/katrina/25514/" target="_blank" style="">have reaped a huge windfall</a> [4] from the disaster. Meanwhile, thousands of people are still homeless as debate rages on about whether to rebuild or simply do away with the large poor sections of the city that were hardest hit.

Wednesday’s editorial in the <a href="http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060830/OPINION01/608300337/1068" target="_blank" style="">Detroit Free Press</a> [5] urged the President to stop making Pollyanna pronouncements and "get a clue": Half of New Orleans residents have not returned, the levees are not adequately repaired, there is still no electricity in about half of the affected area, hospitals are still closed, and mental health services are missing for the people who are still there, living in FEMA trailers and dealing with incredible hardship and stress. These people need more than upbeat speeches from Federal officials. They need concrete help.

The Yes Men's promise brought home how inadequate the government's actual response to Katrina has really been.

</div>

<li class="taxonomy_term_26 first last" style=" display: inline; list-style-type: none; padding: 0px 0.5em;"><a href="http://progressive.org/list/ruth" rel="tag" title="Ruth Conniff is the Political Editor of the Progressive Magazine. A native of Madison, WIsconsin, she first joined the magazine when she was hired as a summer intern by the late Erwin Knoll after her sophomore year at Yale. Shortly after graduating from college in 1990, she came to work as Associate Editor for the Progressive, becoming Washington Editor and opening the Progressive's Washington, DC, office in 1997. During the 1990s, Conniff covered welfare reform in Wisconsin and around the country, as well as the drug war in Colombia, and other topics, including women's sports (an avid runner, Conniff coached her old high school track and cross-country teams at Madison East High School for many years).In Washington, Conniff became a regular on TV pundit shows on CNN, Fox News, and PBS. She still appears frequently on PBS's To The Contrary and on the Ed Schultz Show on MSNBC.Conniff was the recipient of an " award="" from="" madison="" magazine="" for="" her="" coverage="" of="" the="" wisconsin="" uprising="" in="" progressive="" feature="" story="" on="" school="" privatization="" is="" a="" chapter="" book="" it="" happened="" recently="" published="" by="" verso="" today="" conniff="" lives="" with="" husband="" and="" three="" who="" marched="" capitol="" their="" teachers="" public="" schools="" rally="" ruth="" twitter="" style="">Ruth Conniff</a></li>

</ul>

</div>

<h3 style="text-align: left;">The Progressive</h3>

</div>

==

<a href="http://grist.org/news/yes-men-prank-the-chamber-of-commerce-and-get-away-with-it/">http://grist.org/news/yes-men-prank-the-chamber-of-commerce-and-get-away-with-it/</a>

if you’re going to prank the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, you’d better brace yourself for a long legal battle.

It’s been almost four years since the <a href="http://theyesmen.org/">Yes Men</a> conned reporters into thinking the chamber was finally warming up to the dangers of climate change. The tricksters put up a fake website and sent out a fake press release under the chamber’s name, <a href="http://grist.org/article/2009-10-19-chamber-plays-the-fool-in-yes-men-hoax/">fooling a number of mainstream news outlets</a> into believing that the business group had reversed course and decided to support climate legislation. The Yes Men also held a fake news conference, which went on for a number of minutes before an actual chamber spokesman barged in and busted it up (video is below).

Laughs were had, feelings were hurt, confusion reigned for the better part of five minutes, and then, of course, the stodgy old men in ties talked to their lawyers and filed the inevitable lawsuit.

On Friday, with court proceedings in the stalled case finally set to get underway, the stodgy old men in ties backed down. <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/06/10/chamber-cools-to-lawsuit-on-global-warming-hoax/" target="_blank">From The Wall Street Journal</a>:

The Chamber’s … lawsuit alleged the Yes Men infringed its trademarks, engaged in false advertising and committed cyberpiracy that confused the public about the organization’s policy positions. “The acts are nothing less than commercial identity theft masquerading as social activism,” the lawsuit alleged.

In response, the Yes Men argued the hoax was protected First Amendment speech that criticized the Chamber on a matter of public concern. “The Yes Men deliberately used the Chamber’s logo and service marks to poke fun at it,” the group said in court papers. “Without using the Chamber’s marks, the parody would have lost virtually all of its force and purpose.” …

An updated version of the Chamber’s lawsuit would have been due in court Monday. In dropping the lawsuit, the Chamber cited “the age of the case,” and the fact that it had taken control of the domain name the Yes Men previously used for their fake web site.

</blockquote>

The Chamber of Commerce <a href="http://motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/trademark%20infringement,%20unfair%20competition%20and%20false%20advertising">is suing the Yes Men</a> over the <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/yes-men-punk-chamber">parody press conference</a> the group pulled off last week.

The Chamber has <a href="http://www.uschamber.com/assets/091026_complaint.pdf">filed a civil complaint</a> in the US District Court of Washington, DC, accusing Yes Men Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos (also known as Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, respectively) of trademark infringement, unfair competition and false advertising. The Chamber's suit also lists several members of the DC-based activist group the Avaaz Action Factory as co-defendants. The conduct of those who organized the event was "destructive of public discourse," the Chamber argues.

As the Yes Men have a new film in theaters currently, The Yes Men Fix the World, the Chamber also alleges that the prank was part of a "comprehensive scheme to promote their movie by wrongdoing against the plaintiff"—rather than an event meant to call attention to the organization's <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/more-chamber-commerces-climate-denial">views on climate change</a>.

"The defendants are not merry pranksters tweaking the establishment," said the Chamber in a <a href="http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2009/october/091026_complaint.htm">press release issued</a> with the suit. "Instead, they deliberately broke the law in order to further commercial interest in their books, movies, and other merchandise." [inhofe on nyt]

</div>

The Chamber has already <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/10/site-sore-eyes-chamber-targets-yes-men-parody-website">issued a complaint</a> regarding the <a href="http://www.chamber-of-commerce.us/090118tjd_prosperity.html">parody website</a> that the Yes Men created for the event.

Despite the fact that the Yes Men have pulled off similar stunts spoofing Exxon, Dow Chemical, Halliburton, George W. Bush, and the World Trade Organization, among powerful entities, they've never actually gone to court over them, according to the group. The Chamber appears to be taking the hoax a bit more seriously than previous targets of their humor.

kate shepard

Feb. 27, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MASSIVE LEAK REVEALS CRIMINALITY, PARANOIA AMONG CORPORATE TITANS

Dow pays "strategic intelligence" firm to spy on Yes Men and grassroots activists. Takeaway: movement is on the right track!

<a href="http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html">WikiLeaks begins to publish today</a> over five million e-mails obtained by Anonymous from "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The emails, which <a href="http://wikileaks.org/gifiles/">reveal everything</a> from sinister spy tactics to an insider trading scheme with Goldman Sachs (see below), also include <a href="http://wikileaks.org/gifiles/releasedate/2012-02-27-00-stratford-monitored-bhopal-activists-including.html">several discussions</a> of the Yes Men and Bhopal activists. (Bhopal activists seek redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India, that led to thousands of deaths, injuries in more than half a million people, and lasting environmental damage.)

Many of the Bhopal-related emails, addressed from Stratfor to Dow and Union Carbide public relations directors, reveal concern that, in the lead-up to the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, the Bhopal issue might be expanded into an effective systemic critique of corporate rule, and speculate at length about why this hasn't yet happened—providing a fascinating window onto what at least some corporate types fear most from activists.

"[Bhopal activists] have made a slight nod toward expanded activity, but never followed through on it—the idea of 'other Bhopals' that were the fault of Dow or others," mused Joseph de Feo, who is listed in one online source as a "Briefer" for Stratfor.

"Maybe the Yes Men were the pinnacle. They made an argument in their way on their terms—that this is a corporate problem and a part of the a [sic] larger whole," wrote Kathleen Morson, Stratfor's Director of Policy Analysis.

"With less than a month to go [until the 25th anniversary], you'd think that the major players—especially Amnesty—would have branched out from Bhopal to make a broader set of issues. I don't see any evidence of it," wrote Bart Mongoven, Stratfor's Vice President, in November 2004. "If they can't manage to use the 25th anniversary to broaden the issue, they probably won't be able to."

Mongoven even speculates on coordination between various activist campaigns that had nothing to do with each other. "The <a href="http://yeslab.org/project/chevron">Chevron campaign</a> [in Ecuador] is remarkably similar [to the Dow campaign] in its unrealistic demand. Is it a follow up or an admission that the first thrust failed? Am I missing a node of activity or a major campaign that is to come? Has the Dow campaign been more successful than I think?" It's almost as if Mongoven assumes the two campaigns were directed from the same central activist headquarters.

Just as Wall Street has <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/special/2011/11/21/373143/washington-lobbyists-occupy-wall-street/" style="">at times let slip their fear</a> of the Occupy Wall Street movement, these leaks seem to show that corporate power is most afraid of whatever reveals "the larger whole" and "broader issues," i.e. whatever brings systemic criminal behavior to light. "Systemic critique could lead to policy changes that would challenge corporate power and profits in a really major way," noted Joseph Huff-Hannon, recently-promoted Director of Policy Analysis for <a href="http://www.yeslab.org/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">the Yes Lab</a>.

Among the millions of other leaked Stratfor emails are some that reveal dubious financial practices, including an apparent insider trading scheme with Goldman Sachs Managing Director Shea Morenz, who joined Stratfor's board of directors and invested "substantially" more than $4 million in the scheme, called StratCap. "What StratCap will do is use our Stratfor's intelligence and analysis to trade in a range of geopolitical instruments," wrote Stratfor CEO George Friedman in September 2011. StratCap was designed through a complex offshore share structure to appear legally independent, but Friedman assured Stratfor staff otherwise: "Do not think of StratCap as an outside organisation. It will be integral... It will be useful to you... We are already working on mock portfolios and trades." (StratCap has been due to launch in 2012, though that could now change.)

Other emails show Stratfor techniques of a truly creepy Spy vs. Spy sort: "[Y]ou have to take control of him. Control means financial, sexual or psychological control," wrote CEO Friedman recently to an employee, Reva Bhalla, on how to exploit an Israeli intelligence informant providing information on Chavez's cancer. (Stratfor's "confidential intelligence services" clients include, besides Dow and Union Carbide, the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines, the US Defense Intelligence Agency, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.)

Perhaps most entertainingly of all, the email trove reveals that Stratfor's "Confederation Partners"—an unethical alliance between Stratfor and a number of mainstream journalists—are referred to informally within Stratfor as its "Confed Fuck House." (Another discovery: Coca Cola was spying on PETA. More such gems are sure to surface as operatives sift through the 5.5 million emails.)

A number of the remaining Yes Men-related emails take the form of reports on public appearances by the Yes Men, such as one that describes one audience comprised of "art students on class assignments and free entertainment." Another notes that "The Yes Men tweeted about the US Chamber of Commerce 'plotting forged emails, documents to trick (AND smear) opponents,'" a reference to an <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/feb/16/anonymous-internet">apparent plot</a> to discredit Chamber opponents using forged documents, as revealed when thousands of emails were recently leaked by Anonymous from cyber-security firm HB Gary. Yet another discusses Alessio Rastani, the Wall Street trader <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/sep/29/alessio-rastani-no-prank">widely mistaken</a> for Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum, who proclaimed, live on the BBC, that "governments don't rule the world, Goldman Sachs rules the world."

"Rastani was right," said the real Andy Bichlbaum five months later. "But it's now very clear that it doesn't have to be that way anymore."

The Yes Men and representatives from the Bhopal Medical Appeal will join Julian Assange of Wikileaks at a press conference at noon today, Feb. 27, at the Frontline Club in London. test  <a href="http://theyesmen.org/stratfor" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">http://theyesmen.org/stratfor</a>

This week, an insignificant market trader and self-proclaimed financial self-help guru, Alessio Rastani, rocketed to stardom after speaking frankly on the BBC about the collapsing market and his plans to make money from it. We Yes Men heard about it right away, because soon after the broadcast, people started emailing from all over the world to congratulate us on another prank well done. They couldn't imagine that a real trader could possibly speak so candidly about the market, so they assumed Rastani was one of our posturings.
He wasn't. Rastani is small potatoes, but he's a real trader. And he said nothing that would suggest otherwise; he simply described what he does, more honestly than a true insider would, but quite accurately. "Every night I dream of another recession," Rastani said, and explained that it's possible to make huge money from a big crisis even when millions of others lose their life savings, and worse.
Well, duh. Don't we all know that Goldman Sachs bet against the same housing market they were such a big player in, and made $1bn in profit when the sub-prime crisis rendered millions of Americans homeless? John Paulson, the manager whose hedge fund was betting for Goldman, could have honestly said exactly what Rastani said, but of course he knew better – possibly because unlike Rastani, Paulson's firm had a major, immediate and provable impact, and there's no telling how his millions of victims might have reacted. Unlike Rastani, true industry insiders like Paulson, Geithner et al remain silent about the way their system works, couching it all in technical jargon and full-on deceit. They've been doing it for decades, and, since Ronald Reagan's day, with increasing consistency.
Lately, it hasn't been working so well. Something has been speaking in very plain language to millions of people. The crowds amassing in cities from New York to Athens to Paris are just the tip of the iceberg, just the most visible of all those who have long known, viscerally, that Rastani's point of view is actually mainstream. Those people also know that, armed with truth and awareness, anything is possible.
As Michael Moore pointed out to those occupying Liberty Plaza near Wall Street, in America it's just 400 people who own as much as most of the rest of us put together. And when the rest of us decide we really want to change the rules of the game, and take back this country for all the people, those 400 won't be able to do anything about it.---

This week, an insignificant market trader and self-proclaimed financial self-help guru, Alessio Rastani, rocketed to stardom after <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/poll/2011/sep/27/shocked-stock-market-trader-alessio-rastani?newsfeed=true" title="Guardian: Are you shocked by this stock market trader's comments?" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">speaking frankly on the BBC</a> about the collapsing market and his plans to make money from it. We <a href="http://theyesmen.org/" title="The Yes Men" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Yes Men</a> heard about it right away, because soon after the broadcast, people started emailing from all over the world to congratulate us on another prank well done. They couldn't imagine that a real trader could possibly speak so candidly about the market, so they assumed Rastani was one of our posturings.

He wasn't. <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/8792829/BBC-financial-expert-Alessio-Rastani-Im-an-attention-seeker-not-a-trader.html" title="Telegraph: BBC financial expert Alessio Rastani: 'I'm an attention seeker not a trader'" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Rastani is small potatoes</a>, but he's a real trader. And he said nothing that would suggest otherwise; he simply described what he does, more honestly than a true insider would, but quite accurately. "Every night I dream of another recession," Rastani said, and explained that it's possible to make huge money from a big crisis even when millions of others lose their life savings, and worse.

Well, duh. Don't we all know that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/goldmansachs" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Goldman Sachs" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; background-repeat: no-repeat;">Goldman Sachs</a> bet against the same housing market they were such a big player in, and made $1bn in profit when the sub-prime crisis rendered millions of Americans homeless? John Paulson, the manager whose hedge fund was betting for Goldman, could have honestly said exactly what Rastani said, but of course he knew better – possibly because unlike Rastani, Paulson's firm had a major, immediate and provable impact, and there's no telling how his millions of victims might have reacted. Unlike Rastani, true industry insiders like Paulson, Geithner et al remain silent about the way their system works, couching it all in technical jargon and full-on deceit. They've been doing it for decades, and, since Ronald Reagan's day, with increasing consistency.

Lately, it hasn't been working so well. Something has been speaking in very plain language to millions of people. The crowds amassing in cities from New York to Athens to Paris are just the tip of the iceberg, just the most visible of all those who have long known, viscerally, that Rastani's point of view is actually mainstream. Those people also know that, armed with truth and awareness, anything is possible.

As Michael Moore pointed out to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/occupy-wall-street" title="Guardian: Occupy Wall Street" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">those occupying Liberty Plaza</a> near Wall Street, in America it's just <a href="http://www.alternet.org/economy/145705/the_richest_1%25_have_captured_america%27s_wealth--what%27s_it_going_to_take_to_get_it_back" title="AlterNet: The richest 1% have captured America's wealth what's it going to take to get it back?" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; border-collapse: collapse; text-decoration: none; background-repeat: no-repeat;">400 people</a> who own as much as most of the rest of us put together. And when the rest of us decide we really want to change the rules of the game, and take back this country for all the people, those 400 won't be able to do anything about it.

===

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men</a>

The Yes Men are a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_jamming" title="Culture jamming" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">culture jamming</a> activist duo and network of supporters created by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Servin" title="Jacques Servin" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Jacques Servin</a> and<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Vamos" title="Igor Vamos" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Igor Vamos</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-chron.com-1" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[1]</a> Through actions of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_media" title="Tactical media" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">tactical media</a>,[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">citation needed</a>] the Yes Men primarily aim to raise awareness about what they consider problematic social issues. To date, the duo has produced two films:<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_(film)" title="The Yes Men (film)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The Yes Men</a> (2003) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World" title="The Yes Men Fix the World" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The Yes Men Fix the World</a> (2009).<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-chron.com-1" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[1]</a> In these films, they impersonate entities that they dislike, a practice that they call "identity correction". The Yes Men operate under the mission statement of lies and exposing truth. They create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they intend to spoof, which have led to numerous interview, conference, and TV talk show invitations. They espouse the belief that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation" title="Corporation" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">corporations</a> and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public. Elaborate props are sometimes part of the ruse (e.g. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#New_York_Post_and_SurvivaBall" title="The Yes Men" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Survivaball</a>), as shown in their 2003 DVD release The Yes Men. The Yes Men have collaborated with other groups of similar interest, including <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Improv_Everywhere" title="Improv Everywhere" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Improv Everywhere</a>and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Lambert" title="Steve Lambert" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Steve Lambert</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[2]</a>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Background" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">1 Background</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Projects" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2 Projects</a>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-3" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#George_W._Bush" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.1 George W. Bush</a>

<li class="toclevel-3 tocsection-4" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Ice_Age_Petition" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.1.1 Ice Age Petition</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-5" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Dow_Chemical" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.2 Dow Chemical</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-7" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#New_Orleans_and_HUD" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.4 New Orleans and HUD</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-8" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#ExxonMobil" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.5 ExxonMobil</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-9" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Milton_Friedman_documentary" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.6 Milton Friedman documentary</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-11" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Captain_Euro" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.8 Captain Euro</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-12" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#New_York_Times" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.9 New York Times</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-13" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#New_York_Post_and_SurvivaBall" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.10 New York Post and SurvivaBall</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-14" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#US_Chamber_of_Commerce" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.11 US Chamber of Commerce</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-15" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Canadian_environment_minister" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.12 Canadian environment minister</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-16" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Niger_Delta_Hoax" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.13 Niger Delta Hoax</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-17" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#GE_Tax_Refund_Hoax_reported_by_the_AP" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.14 GE Tax Refund Hoax reported by the AP</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-2 tocsection-18" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Shell_Oil_and_ArcticReady.com" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2.15 Shell Oil and ArcticReady.com</a></li>

</ul>

</li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-19" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#Footnotes" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">3 Footnotes</a></li>

<li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-20" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#External_links" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">4 External links</a></li>

</ul>

</td></tr></tbody></table>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">Background[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Background" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h2>

According to Servin, the Yes Men concept initially sprang from their creation of a fake website spoofing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization" title="World Trade Organization" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">World Trade Organization</a>. To the surprise of Servin and Vamos, many believed the site to be authentic, and the two were consequently contacted to speak at a conference in Austria. Since this time, the Yes Men have continued performing large-scale hoaxes, in what they describe as a collaborative effort with journalists to help the media tell stories which they believe are important.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[3]</a>

The Yes Men often deploy a satirical approach: they pose as a powerful entity (typically a corporate or government representative or executive) and make ridiculous and shocking comments that caricature the ideological position of the organisation or person. Furthermore, they acknowledge the idea that many corporate or government entities manipulate their ideology using <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_(public_relations)" title="Spin (public relations)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">spin</a>; in response, the Yes Men use this power of spin to their own advantage, and use media outlets to disseminate their personal interpretation of the situation. A sense of humor and shock value is usually employed to make these issues more palatable to the general public and to call greater media attention to stories of interest.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-chron.com-1" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[1]</a> Some of these outrageous ideas include the possibility to sell one's vote or that the poor should consume recycled human waste. On most occasions, little to no shock or outrage is publicly evoked in response to their prank.

On occasion, the Yes Men's phony spokesperson will make announcements that represent fictitious scenarios for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-globalization_movement" title="Anti-globalization movement" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">anti-globalization movement</a> or opponents of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_crime" title="Corporate crime" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">corporate crime</a>. The result often heed false news reports which cover the demise of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization" title="World Trade Organization" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">World Trade Organization</a>, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Chemical" title="Dow Chemical" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Dow Chemical</a> paying compensation to the victims of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster" title="Bhopal disaster" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Bhopal disaster</a>, which the Yes Men intend to provide publicity for problems concerning these organizations. One of the effects of apologizing and promising support on behalf of an organization is that the organization is then later forced to re-acknowledge the event in question and retract all of the proposed good will. This served to further publicize the negative event of the organization and sets-up the organization to look bad for taking back any support The Yes Men offered under the name of their organization.

The Yes Men have posed as spokespeople for the WTO, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonalds" title="McDonalds" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">McDonalds</a>, Dow Chemical, and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Housing_and_Urban_Development" title="United States Department of Housing and Urban Development" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">United States Department of Housing and Urban Development</a>. The two leading members of the Yes Men are known by a number of aliases, most recently, and in film, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Bichlbaum" title="Andy Bichlbaum" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Andy Bichlbaum</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Bonanno" title="Mike Bonanno" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mike Bonanno</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Servin" title="Jacques Servin" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jacques Servin</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-simcopter-4" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[4]</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Vamos" title="Igor Vamos" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Igor Vamos</a>, respectively). Servin is an author of experimental fiction, and was known for being the man who inserted images of men kissing in the computer game <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SimCopter" title="SimCopter" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">SimCopter</a>. Vamos is an associate professor of media arts at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rensselaer_Polytechnic_Institute" title="Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute</a>, New York. They are assisted by numerous people across the globe. There are other full-time members, such as Whitney Black and Rocco Ferrer, who take a more behind the scenes approach.

Their experiences were documented in the film The Yes Men,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[5]</a> distributed by United Artists, the film documentary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Info_wars" title="Info wars" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">info wars</a>, and the book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men:_The_True_Story_of_the_End_of_the_World_Trade_Organization&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="The Yes Men: The True Story of the End of the World Trade Organization (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The Yes Men: The True Story of the End of the World Trade Organization</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0972952993" class="internal mw-magiclink-isbn" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">ISBN 0-9729529-9-3</a>). Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno also directed a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_in_film" title="2009 in film" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2009</a> film entitled<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World" title="The Yes Men Fix the World" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The Yes Men Fix the World</a>, which premiered at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundance_Film_Festival" title="Sundance Film Festival" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Sundance Film Festival</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[6]</a> In 2009 they launched their online video channel on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babelgum" title="Babelgum" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Babelgum</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-7" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[7]</a>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">Projects[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Projects" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h2>

<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">George W. Bush[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: George W. Bush" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h3>

One of the Yes Men's first pranks was the satirical website www.gwbush.com, established for the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_US_presidential_election" title="2000 US presidential election" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">2000 US presidential election</a> to draw attention to alleged hypocrisies on Bush's actual website. When asked about the site in a press conference on May 21, 1999, Bush responded that the website had gone too far in criticizing him.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-8" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-9" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[9]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[10]</a>

In 2004, the Yes Men went on tour posing as the group "Yes, Bush Can!" and encouraged supporters to sign a "Patriot Pledge" agreeing to keep <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_waste" title="Nuclear waste" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">nuclear waste</a> in their backyard and send their children off to war. They appeared at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Republican_National_Convention" title="2004 Republican National Convention" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2004 Republican National Convention</a> and drove across the country at first in an RV with a George W. Bush body wrap, and then in a painted van.

<h4 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">Ice Age Petition[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Ice Age Petition" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h4>

The Yes Men posed as working as part of the Bush-Cheney campaign. They carried around a petition asking for signatures to support <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming" title="Global warming" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">global warming</a> because America's competing countries will suffer while America only bears minor side-effects.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-11" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[11]</a>

[img]

On December 3, 2004, the twentieth anniversary of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster" title="Bhopal disaster" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Bhopal disaster</a>, Andy Bichlbaum appeared on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_World" title="BBC World" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">BBC World</a> as "Jude Finisterra",<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-12" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[12]</a> a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Chemical_Company" title="Dow Chemical Company" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Dow Chemical</a> spokesman.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[13]</a> Dow is the owner of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Carbide" title="Union Carbide" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Union Carbide</a>, the company responsible for the chemical disaster which killed thousands and left over 120,000 requiring lifelong care.

On their fake Dow Chemical website, the Yes Men said that Dow Chemical Company had no intention whatsoever of repairing the damage.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-14" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a> The real company received considerable backlash, and both the real Dow and the phony Dow denied the statements, but Dow took no real action.

The Yes Men decided to pressure Dow further, so as "Finisterra," Bichlbaum went on the news to claim that Dow planned to liquidate Union Carbide and use the resulting $12 billion to pay for medical care, clean up the site, and fund research into the hazards of other Dow products. After two hours of wide coverage, Dow issued a press release denying the statement, ensuring even greater coverage of the phony news of a cleanup. In Frankfurt, Dow's share price fell 4.24 percent in 23 minutes, wiping $2 billion off its market value. The shares rebounded in Frankfurt after the BBC issued an on-air correction and apology. In New York, Dow Chemical's stock were little changed because of the early trading.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-CNNWorld-15" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[15]</a>

After the original interview was revealed as a hoax, Bichlbaum appeared in a follow-up interview on the United Kingdom's Channel 4 news.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[16]</a> During the interview he was asked if he had considered the emotions and reaction of the people of Bhopal when producing the hoax. According to the interviewer, "there were many people in tears" upon having learned of the hoax. Bichlbaum said that, in comparison, what distress he had caused the people was minimal to that for which Dow was responsible. The Yes Men claim on their website that they have been told by contacts in Bhopal that once they had got over their disappointment that it wasn't real, they were pleased about the stunt and thought it had helped to raise awareness of their plight.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-17" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background-image: none;">[17]</a>

At the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=International_Payments_Conference&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="International Payments Conference (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">International Payments Conference</a> on April 28, 2005, 'Dow representative' "Erastus Hamm" unveiled Acceptable Risk, the Acceptable Risk Calculator, and the Acceptable Risk mascot — a life-sized golden skeleton named Gilda — to an audience of about 70 banking professionals.

In February 2012, it was widely reported in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Stratfor_email_leak" title="2012 Stratfor email leak" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">2012 Stratfor email leak</a> that Dow Chemical Company hired private intelligence firm <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratfor" title="Stratfor" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Stratfor</a> to monitor the Yes Men.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[18]</a>

One of the Yes Men's most famous pranks is placing a "corrected" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization" title="World Trade Organization" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">WTO</a> website at <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.gatt.org/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">http://www.gatt.org/</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Agreement_on_Tariffs_and_Trade" title="General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade</a>). The fake site began to receive real emails from confused visitors, including invitations to address various elite groups on behalf of the WTO, to which they responded as if they were the actual WTO.

Appearing in newly purchased suits, the Yes Men gave speeches encouraging corporations to buy votes directly from citizens. They argued that the US Civil War was a waste of money because Third World countries now willingly supply equivalent slaves. They also urged people to listen to the WTO instead of the facts. They then unveiled a gold spandex body suit that they claimed would allow productivity to increase, as managers would not have to oversee workers in person but could keep track of them via images on an attached screen as well as implanted sensors.

The Yes Men appeared on August 28, 2006 at a "Housing Summit" in New Orleans, taking the stage along with New Orleans Mayor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Nagin" title="Ray Nagin" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Ray Nagin</a> and Louisiana Governor <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Blanco" title="Kathleen Blanco" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Kathleen Blanco</a>. Before an audience composed mostly of real estate developers, one of the Yes Men gave a speech in which he claimed to be Rene Oswin, a fictitious "assistant under-secretary" at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Housing_and_Urban_Development" title="United States Department of Housing and Urban Development" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">United States Department of Housing and Urban Development</a>(HUD). In his speech he claimed that HUD would reopen public housing facilities that had been closed since <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina" title="Hurricane Katrina" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Hurricane Katrina</a> struck in August 2005. He said that HUD had changed its mind about tearing down the undamaged housing units, and would not tear down the housing projects, as they had planned to do in order to replace them with mixed-income development.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-19" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[19]</a>

HUD has called this prank, which brought attention to the lack of affordable housing,[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">citation needed</a>] a "cruel hoax." A former resident of the community was quoted by Bichlbaum as saying, "do whatever's most effective, do it, don't worry about how it affects us," however.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[20]</a> HUD spokeswoman Donna White said no one named "Rene Oswin" works for the department. White commented, "I'm like, who the heck is that?"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[21]</a>

The fictitious Oswin also announced that the big oil companies would contribute some of their record profits to rebuild the wetlands destroyed by the construction of oil tanker canals to prevent the city from being inundated by future hurricanes.

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On June 14, 2007, the Yes Men acted during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada" title="Canada" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Canada</a>'s largest oil conference in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calgary" title="Calgary" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Calgary</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberta" title="Alberta" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Alberta</a>, posing as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExxonMobil" title="ExxonMobil" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">ExxonMobil</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Petroleum_Council" title="National Petroleum Council" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">National Petroleum Council</a> (NPC) representatives. In front of more than 300 oilmen, the NPC was expected to deliver the long-awaited conclusions of a study commissioned by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Secretary_of_Energy" title="United States Secretary of Energy" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">U.S. Energy Secretary</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Bodman" title="Samuel Bodman" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Samuel Bodman</a>. The NPC is headed by former ExxonMobil CEO <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Raymond" title="Lee Raymond" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Lee Raymond</a>, who is also the chair of the study.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-22" style="text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap; background-image: none;">[22]</a> When the Yes Men arrived at the conference they said that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Raymond" title="Lee Raymond" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Lee Raymond</a> (the promised speaker) was unable to make it due to a pressing situation with the president. The Yes Men then went on to give a presentation in place of Lee Raymond.

In the actual speech, the "NPC rep" announced that current U.S. and Canadian energy policies (notably the massive, carbon-intensive processing of Alberta's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_sands" title="Oil sands" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">oil sands</a>, and the development of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_coal" title="Liquid coal" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">liquid coal</a>) are increasing the chances of huge global calamities. But he reassured the audience that in the worst case scenario, the oil industry could "keep fuel flowing" by transforming the billions of people who would die into oil.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-23" style=" text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[23]</a>

The project, called Vivoleum, would work in perfect synergy with the continued expansion of fossil fuel production. The oilmen listened to the lecture with attention, and then lit "commemorative candles". At this point, event security recognized the Yes Men and forced them off stage, and the 'punchline' — that the candles were made of Vivoleum obtained from the flesh of an "Exxon janitor" who died as a result of cleaning up a toxic spill — was not delivered to the audience, but only to reporters.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-24" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[24]</a>

In July 2007, in order to obtain interviews with right wing think tanks, the Yes Men pretended to be filming a documentary about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Friedman" title="Milton Friedman" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Milton Friedman</a>. (In fact, their documentary, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World" title="The Yes Men Fix the World" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The Yes Men Fix the World</a>, did end up speaking about Friedman at length.) After interviewing members of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_Enterprise_Institute" title="Competitive Enterprise Institute" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Competitive Enterprise Institute</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Enterprise_Institute" title="American Enterprise Institute" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">American Enterprise Institute</a>, several of whom appear in the film, the Yes Men were foiled at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_Institute" title="Cato Institute" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Cato Institute</a> by libertarian activists <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureaucrash" title="Bureaucrash" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Bureaucrash</a>, one of whose members had been hanging around the Competitive Enterprise Institute two days before and recognized the duo. On their way out, Bureaucrash members threw colored powder at the Yes Men in a reference to the rainbow.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-25" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[25]</a>

On March 10, 2008, the Yes Men responded to a letter from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP" title="BP" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">BP</a> (merged from British Petroleum and Amoco) accusing them of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_violation" title="Copyright violation" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">copyright violation</a>, with a letter apologizing for having forgotten BP with the spoof site half-completed and that "BP does every bit as much damage to this planet as does Exxon, Halliburton, or any other more obviously nefarious company" and deserves its own properly completed spoof site.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-26" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[26]</a>

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In 1999, the Yes Men visited the offices of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Corporate_Vision_Strategists&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Corporate Vision Strategists (page does not exist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Twelve Star Communications</a>, creators of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europhile" title="Europhile" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Eurofederalist</a> superhero <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Euro" title="Captain Euro" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Captain Euro</a>, "a comic book character designed to promote European unification with young children." Inside, the impostors discover the hidden, dark truth about European Unification.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-27" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[27]</a>

The Yes Men (along with the Anti-Advertising Agency) also claimed partial responsibility for a prank on November 12, 2008, where approximately 80,000 copies of a fake edition of the July 4, 2009 edition of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The New York Times</a> were handed out on the streets of New York and Los Angeles.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-28" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[28]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[29]</a> The fake edition shows their ideas for a better future with headlines such as Iraq War Ends and Nation Sets Its Sights on Building Sane Economy. The front page contained a spoofed motto, "All the News We Hope to Print" from the famous phrase "All the news that's fit to print".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-30" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[30]</a> Articles in the paper announce dozens of new initiatives, including an establishment of national health care, a maximum wage for C.E.O.s and an article wherein <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush" title="George W. Bush" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">George W. Bush</a> accuses himself of treason for his actions during his years as president.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[31]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-32" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[32]</a> There is also a Reuters photo of the fake cover page<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-sewell-33" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[33]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-34" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[34]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[35]</a> and a fake website,<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.nytimes-se.com/" style="text-decoration: none; padding-right: 13px; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">http://www.nytimes-se.com/</a>.

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Jones_(journalist)" title="Alex Jones (journalist)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Alex S. Jones</a>, a former Times reporter and media scholar, said of the paper, "I would say if you’ve got one, hold on to it...it will probably be a collector’s item. I’m just glad someone thinks The New York Times print edition is worthy of an elaborate hoax. A Web spoof would have been infinitely easier. But creating a print newspaper and handing it out at subway stations? That takes a lot of effort."<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-sewell-33" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[33]</a>

On September 21, 2009, one day before a UN summit lead-up to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference_2009" title="United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009" class="mw-redirect" style=" text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009</a>, over 2,000 volunteers distributed throughout New York City a 32-page "special edition" <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Post" title="New York Post" style=" text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">New York Post</a>, blaring headlines (cover story "We're Screwed") that the city could face deadly heat waves, extreme flooding, and other lethal effects of global warming within the next few decades. The paper had been created by the Yes Men and a coalition of activists as a wake-up call to action on climate change. Other articles describe the Pentagon's alarmed response to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming" title="Global warming" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">global warming</a>, the U.S. government's minuscule response, China's advanced alternative energy program, and how the Copenhagen climate talks could be a "Flopenhagen".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-36" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[36]</a>There is also a fake website.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-37" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[37]</a> A "climate change horoscope" satire on the Sally Brompton horoscope in the Post was commissioned from an environmental activist horoscope writer but was not published.

On September 22, 2009 the Yes Men demonstrated on the alleged behalf of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halliburton" title="Halliburton" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Halliburton</a> and dozens of other climate threatening corporations an inflatable ball-shaped costume known as the SurvivaBall, claiming it was a self-contained living system for surviving disasters caused by global warming. Over two dozen people wore the SurvivaBall costumes as it was demonstrated in the East River.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-38" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[38]</a> Police shut down the demonstration for lack of a permit. Co-founder of the Yes Men, Andy Bichlbaum, was arrested on an outstanding parking ticket charge and a handful of other Yes Men were served with summons and tickets for disorderly behavior and creating hazardous conditions.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-39" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[39]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-40" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[40]</a>

The SurvivaBall was also used in a protest at the steps of the capitol. The protesting balls demanded action be taken on global warming to achieve the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/350.org" title="350.org" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">350.org</a> goal. Their strategy was to block the entrance until the government comes to a binding agreement on climate change. Further information on the SurvivaBall concept can be found on the mock website <a href="http://www.survivaball.com/index.php">http://www.survivaball.com/index.php</a>.

<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">US Chamber of Commerce</h3>

On October 19, 2009, the Yes Men spoofed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Chamber_of_Commerce" title="United States Chamber of Commerce" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">United States Chamber of Commerce</a>, declaring a U-turn on their climate change policy.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[41]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-42" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[42]</a> The Yes Men were not able to complete the conference without being exposed as a hoax, although their message that the United States Chamber of Commerce needs to reevaluate their direction in terms of clean energy was their primary concern and was received. Major TV and news organisations carried this story briefly before the hoax was uncovered. The US Chamber of Commerce two weeks later did change their official policy though, according to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Gore" title="Al Gore" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Al Gore</a> it was "not because of" the Yes Men's stunt. The Chamber has launched a lawsuit against The Yes Men who will be defended by the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Frontier_Foundation" title="Electronic Frontier Foundation" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Electronic Frontier Foundation</a>. The suit was dropped in June 2013.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-43" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[43]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-44" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[44]</a>

The Yes Men released a film documenting this prank bundled with their 2009 film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men_Fix_the_World" title="The Yes Men Fix the World" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The Yes Men Fix the World</a>. This has been released as a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peer-to-peer" title="Peer-to-peer" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">P2P</a> Edition" version available for free download using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons" title="Creative Commons" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Creative Commons</a> copyright by available from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://eztv.it/ep/21608/the-yes-men-fix-the-world-p2p-edition-2010-hq-x264-vodo/" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%;" xmlns:data="data">EZTV among other sources</a>. In the film they say their choice to release this way is to counteract the US Chamber of Commerce lawsuit provision that film of the hoax be destroyed - an attempted example of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Streisand_effect" title="The Streisand effect" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">the Streisand effect</a>.

<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">Canadian environment minister<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Canadian environment minister" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h3>

During the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference" title="2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference</a> in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen" title="Copenhagen" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Copenhagen</a>, the Yes Men put out a statement in which they purported to be the Canadian environment minister, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Prentice" title="Jim Prentice" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jim Prentice</a>. The statement pledged to cut carbon emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. The statement was followed by a response from the Ugandan delegation, praising the statement, that was also faked. Another fake statement was then put out blasting the falsehoods of the original fake statement. A fake story in a European edition of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_Street_Journal" title="Wall Street Journal" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Wall Street Journal</a> was also posted online. Jim Prentice described the hoax as "undesirable".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-45" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[45]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-46" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[46]</a>

<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">Niger Delta Hoax<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: Niger Delta Hoax" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h3>

On March 28, 2010, a video was released on YouTube with the title "Shell: We are sorry".<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-47" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[47]</a> A man called Bradford Houppe, from the Ethical Affairs Committee at Royal Dutch Shell gave a four minute long apology to the people of the Niger Delta for ruining their land, water, and communities. This video was created in response to the numerous environmental problems and human rights violations that have occurred in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria since Shell began oil exploration in the region decades ago. Shell has yet to make any official statement about this video.

<h3 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin: 0px 0px 0.3em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom-style: none; line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">GE Tax Refund Hoax reported by the AP<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select: none; font-weight: normal; margin-left: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 1em; display: inline-block; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: GE Tax Refund Hoax reported by the AP" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h3>

On April 13, 2011, a hoax website with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL" title="URL" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">URL</a> similar to that of the GE press domain (genewscenter.com) designed to look like the GE news center website. The hoax site posted the claim "GE Responds to Public Outcry – Will Donate Entire $3.2 Billion Tax Refund to Help Offset Cuts and Save American Jobs." and it seems that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Associated_Press" title="Associated Press" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">AP</a> reported the story as fact, as reported by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_(magazine)" title="Good (magazine)" class="mw-redirect" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Good</a>.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-48" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[48]</a>

In June 2012, the Yes Men collaborated with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace" title="Greenpeace" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Greenpeace</a> and members of the Seattle Occupy movement to create ArcticReady.com, a parody website criticizing Shell Oil's drilling activities in the arctic circle.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-49" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[49]</a> The website launch was commemorated by a fake launch party held in the Seattle Space Needle. Shell Oil disavowed any affiliation with the website or the launch party on June 14, 2012.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_note-50" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none; white-space: nowrap;">[50]</a>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">Footnotes[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Footnotes" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h2>

<li id="cite_note-chron.com-1" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;">^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-chron.com_1-0" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-chron.com_1-1" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">b</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-chron.com_1-2" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">c</a> Britt, Douglas (April 30, 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/6983925.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"The Yes Men infiltrate DiverseWorks"</a>. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 2, 2010.</li>

<li id="cite_note-2" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-2" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://theyesmen.org/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"The Yes Men"</a>. The Yes Men. Retrieved August 2, 2010.</li>

<li id="cite_note-3" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-3" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6fay3RNXI8" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"The Yes Men Fix the World's Andy Bichlbaum on How The Yes Men Got Started"</a>. YouTube. September 28, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2010.</li>

<li id="cite_note-simcopter-4" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-simcopter_4-0" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://articles.nydailynews.com/1996-12-08/news/18024496_1_simcopter-helicopter-simulation-game-maxis" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"PIXEL GAIETY COSTS JOB"</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_News_(New_York)" title="Daily News (New York)" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Daily News (New York)</a>. 1996-12-08. Retrieved May 30, 2012.</li>

<li id="cite_note-6" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-6" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://theyesmenfixtheworld.com/index.htm" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD - THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD - The new movie that exposes the world of big business and the outrageous pranks that highlight the ways that corporate greed is destroying the planet. Featuring Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno"</a>. The Yes Men Fix The World. Retrieved 2010-08-02.</li>

<li id="cite_note-7" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-7" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.babelgum.com/yesmen" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Yes Men"</a>. Babelgum. Retrieved 2010-08-02.</li>

<li id="cite_note-8" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-8" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Neal, Terry M. (November 29, 1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPcap/1999-11/29/002r-112999-idx.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Satirical Web Site Poses Political Test"</a>. The Washington Post.</li>

<li id="cite_note-9" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-9" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Slater, Wayne (May 22, 1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.rtmark.com/more/articles/bushdallas0522bush1bushsite.htm" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Bush criticizes Web site as malicious"</a>. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved May 30, 2012.</li>

<li id="cite_note-11" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-11" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_kqsuOxKFY" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"YouTube - The Yes Men on Ice Age Petition"</a>.</li>

<li id="cite_note-12" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-12" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Bonanno, Mike; Bichlbaum, Andy; Gonzalez, Juan (July 23, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/23/yes_men" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">""The Yes Men Fix the World": In New Film, Anti-Corporate Pranksters the Yes Men Continue to Jolt Polluters and Profiteers"</a>. Democracy Now!. Retrieved 2010-12-04. "ANDY BICHLBAUM: Well, Jude is the patron saint of the impossible, and there’s absolutely no way a company like Dow will ever do the right thing in Bhopal, unless we force it. And Finisterra, of course, end of the world, end of the earth. It’s just never going to happen."</li>

<li id="cite_note-13" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-13" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=LiWlvBro9eI" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"YouTube: Bhopal Disaster - BBC - The Yes Men"</a>. BBC World News.</li>

<li id="cite_note-14" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-14" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.dowethics.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Dow Ethics website"</a>.</li>

<li id="cite_note-CNNWorld-15" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-CNNWorld_15-0" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://articles.cnn.com/2004-12-03/world/bhopal.hoax_1_dow-chemical-dow-stock-bhopal?_s=PM:WORLD" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Bhopal hoax sends Dow stock down"</a>. CNN.com. December 3, 2004. Retrieved May 30, 2012.</li>

<li id="cite_note-16" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-16" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.babelgum.com/4024557/yes-men-the-legendary-bbc-bhopal-hoax.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Yes Men: The legendary BBC Bhopal Hoax"</a>. Babelgum.com. Retrieved 2010-08-02.</li>

<li id="cite_note-17" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-17" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.theyesmen.org/faq#falsehopes" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Frequently Asked Questions"</a>. The Yes Men. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-08-02.</li>

<li id="cite_note-18" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-18" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Stratfor-was-Dows-Bhopal-spy-WikiLeaks/articleshow/12062587.cms" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Stratfor was Dow’s Bhopal spy: WikiLeaks"</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times_of_India" title="The Times of India" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">The Times of India</a>. February 28, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2012.</li>

<li id="cite_note-19" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-19" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/08/28/hud.hoax/index.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Oops: Impostor scams Louisiana officials"</a>. CNN. 2006-08-28.</li>

<li id="cite_note-20" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-20" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Koppelman, Alex (August 29, 2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/08/29/yes_men" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"The HUD Hoax"</a>. Salon.</li>

<li id="cite_note-21" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-21" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Rood, Justin (August 28, 2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2006/08/fake_hud_official_punkd_louisi.php" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Fake HUD Official Punk'd Louisiana Pols"</a>. TPM Muckraker. Retrieved May 30, 2012.</li>

<li id="cite_note-22" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-22" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20061102073241/http://ga3.org/campaign/lee_raymond/explanation" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"What's At Stake? Don't Let Exxon Decide Our Energy future!"</a>. The Exxpose Exxon campaign. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://ga3.org/campaign/lee_raymond/explanation" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">the original</a> on 2006-11-02.</li>

<li id="cite_note-23" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-23" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0706/S00281.htm" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Exxon Proposes Burning Humanity for Fuel"</a> (Press release). The Yes Men. June 15, 2007.</li>

<li id="cite_note-24" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-24" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Scott, Norvall (June 15, 2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070615.RTICKERMN15/TPStory/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Pranksters disrupt oil patch conference"</a>. The Globe and Mail.</li>

<li id="cite_note-25" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-25" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Morrison, Richard (July 13, 2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20071023215659/http://pranks.com/2007/07/14/cato-institute-kos-yes-men-attempt/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Just Say No to the Yes Men"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://pranks.com/2007/07/14/cato-institute-kos-yes-men-attempt/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">the original</a> on October 23, 2007.</li>

<li id="cite_note-26" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-26" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Bichlbaum, Andy (March 10, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://theyesmen.org/agribusiness/beyondpetrol/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Apology to BP"</a>. The Yes Men. Retrieved June 8, 2010.</li>

<li id="cite_note-27" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-27" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://theyesmen.org/hijinks/euro" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Making Europe Fun and Interesting"</a>. 2000. Retrieved April 22, 2009.</li>

<li id="cite_note-28" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-28" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Lambert, Steve. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://fillip.ca/content/best-case-scenario" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Fillip / Best Case Scenario"</a>. Fillip.ca. Retrieved August 2, 2010.</li>

<li id="cite_note-29" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-29" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Dobnik, Verena (November 13, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2008-11-12-new-york-times_N.htm" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"'New York Times' spoof circulated"</a>. USA Today. Retrieved October 31, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-30" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-30" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Pilkington, Ed (November 12, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov/12/new-york-times-spoof" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"New York Times 'special edition' spoof perplexes readers"</a>. Guardian. Retrieved October 31, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-31" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-31" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.spiegel.de/media/0,4906,19346,00.pdf" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" http="http" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" background-position="background-position" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat">"Der Spiegel"</a> (PDF). Retrieved October 31, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-sewell-33" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;">^ <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-sewell_33-0" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">a</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-sewell_33-1" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">b</a> Chan, Sewell (November 12, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/12/pranksters-spoof-the-times/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Liberal Pranksters Hand Out Times Spoof"</a>. The New York Times. Retrieved October 31, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-34" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-34" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Nolan, Hamilton (November 12, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://gawker.com/5084164/fake-new-york-times-declares-iraq-war-over-heres-who-did-it" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Fake New York Times Declares Iraq War Over! Here's Who Did It"</a>. Gawker. Retrieved October 31, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-35" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-35" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7725973.stm" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Pranksters print spoof NY Times"</a>. BBC News. November 12, 2008. Retrieved October 31, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-36" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-36" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://vimeo.com/6676567" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"SPECIAL EDITION" NEW YORK POST</a> by the Yes Men</li>

<li id="cite_note-37" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-37" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://nypost-se.com/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">http://nypost-se.com/</a> "WE'RE SCREWED" climate change special edition New York Post online edition September 21, 2009</li>

<li id="cite_note-38" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-38" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.babelgum.com/4005324/balls-across-america.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Balls Across America"</a>. Babelgum.com. Retrieved 2010-08-02.</li>

<li id="cite_note-39" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-39" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Millman, Jennifer (September 24, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Fake-Post-Guys-Pull-Another-One-Yes-Man-Arrested-60700217.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Cops Arrest "Yes Men" Co-Founder in Latest Prank"</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC" title="NBC" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">NBC</a>. Retrieved April 18, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-40" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-40" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Noor, Jaisal (September 22, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.indypendent.org/2009/09/22/yes-men-arrest/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"The Yes Men’s Andy Bichlbaum Arrested at ‘SurvivaBall’ Demo"</a>. The Indypendent. Retrieved April 18, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-41" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-41" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Goldenberg, Suzanne (19 October 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/oct/19/chamber-commerce-climate-hoax" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"US Chamber of Commerce falls victim to 'fraud' over climate hoax"</a>. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-10-20.</li>

<li id="cite_note-42" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-42" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYGcIhNGSIY" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Will the real chamber of Commerce please stand up?"</a>. YouTube. October 19, 2009. Retrieved October 31, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-43" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-43" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Upton, John (June 14, 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://grist.org/news/yes-men-prank-the-chamber-of-commerce-and-get-away-with-it" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Yes Men prank the Chamber of Commerce — and get away with it"</a>. Grist.</li>

<li id="cite_note-44" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-44" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Davis, Wendy (June 14, 2013). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/202401/chamber-of-commerce-drops-lawsuit-against-parodist.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Chamber Of Commerce Drops Lawsuit Against Parodists"</a>. Online Media Daily.</li>

<li id="cite_note-45" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-45" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Goldenberg, Suzanne (December 14, 2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2009/dec/14/environment-canada-spoof" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Copenhagen spoof shames Canada on the truth about its emissions"</a>. London: The Guardian. Retrieved December 14, 2009.</li>

<li id="cite_note-46" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-46" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.babelgum.com/4021000/yes-men-canada-takes-stand-climate-change-not.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Yes Men: Canada Takes Stand on Climate Change. NOT!"</a>. Babelgum.com. Retrieved August 2, 2010.</li>

<li id="cite_note-47" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-47" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zciWUOrIUqo" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zciWUOrIUqo</a></li>

<li id="cite_note-48" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-48" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }Goldmark, Alex (April 13, 2011). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.good.is/post/ap-falls-for-hoax-that-ge-will-donate-3-billion-tax-refund/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"AP Falls for Hoax that GE Will Donate $3 Billion Tax Refund"</a>. Good.is. Retrieved April 18, 2011.</li>

<li id="cite_note-49" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-49" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/en/blog/shellfail-inside-story-greenpeace-yes-men/blog/40876/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Greenpeace, the Yes Men and the inside story of #ShellFail"</a>.</li>

<li id="cite_note-50" style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Yes_Men#cite_ref-50" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">^{</a> }<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.shell.us/home/content/usa/aboutshell/projects_locations/alaska/events_news/06142012_statement.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">"Shell not involved in spoof video and fake advertisements"</a>.</li>

</ol>

</div>

<h2 style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; margin: 0px 0px 0.6em; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 0.5em; padding-bottom: 0.17em; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(170, 170, 170); line-height: 19.2px; background-image: none;">External links[<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Yes_Men&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: External links" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">edit</a>]</h2>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.theyesmen.org/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">The Yes Men official website</a></li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://vodo.net/yesmen" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">The Yes Men Fix the World - Peer to Peer Edition</a> Free video download.</li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.babelgum.com/yesmen/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">The official Yes Men video channel on Babelgum</a></li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.theyesmen.org/book/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">Book website</a></li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-04142005-174336/unrestricted/Boyd_thesis.pdf#search=%22%22The%20Yes%20Men%20and%20Activism%20in%20the%20Information%20Age%22" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" http="http" upload.wikimedia.org="upload.wikimedia.org" wikipedia="wikipedia" commons="commons" icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif="Icons-mini-file_acrobat.gif" padding-right="padding-right" px="px" background-position="background-position" background-repeat="background-repeat" no-repeat="no-repeat">The Yes Men and Activism in the Information Age(pdf)</a></li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.indiewire.com/people/people_040930yesmen.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">Interview of the Yes Men.</a></li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07202007/watch.html" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">interview</a> on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Moyers_Journal" title="Bill Moyers Journal" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: none;">Bill Moyers Journal</a>, 20 July 2007</li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/05/12/1353258" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">Interview with Andy Bichlbaum</a> from Democracy Now! program, May 12, 2006</li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.gatt.org/" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">Spoof WTO/GATT website</a></li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/23/yes_men" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">The Yes Men Fix the World: In New Film</a> - video report by Democracy Now!</li>

<li style=" margin-bottom: 0.1em;"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zciWUOrIUqo&feature=player_embedded" style="text-decoration: none; background-image: url(" data:image="data:image" png="png" base64="base64" ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaaaoaaaakcayaaacnms="iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAKCAYAAACNMs" aaaavkleqvr4xn3pgqkamqhduxfqtu7kttkpd5ra8ainfartq2irxfwt2qedafttj2fspioe1ecoleuowwjgzyab="AAAAVklEQVR4Xn3PgQkAMQhDUXfqTu7kTtkpd5RA8AInfArtQ2iRXFWT2QedAfttj2FsPIOE1eCOlEuoWWjgzYaB" ikegorxxhqb="IkeGOrxXhqB" ua9bfcm0lazuh="uA9Bfcm0lAZuh" yiead="YIeAD" caqsz4kcmuaaaaasuvork5cyii="); padding-right: 13px; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat;" xmlns:data="data">Shell: We are sorry</a></li>

</ul>

</div>

</div>

===

It appears that a merry gang of agitprop pranksters associated with the Yes Men have pulled a fast one on Peabody Energy, the self-described "<a href="http://www.peabodyenergy.com/" style="">world's largest private sector coal company</a>."<div class="entry_body_text" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><div>

The prank took off in earnest Tuesday, when <a href="http://www.grinzo.com/energy/2011/05/10/coal-cares-no-really/">the following press release was published by PRNewswire</a>:

<blockquote>Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) Announces “Coal Cares™” Initiative, New Nationwide Campaign Against Stigma of Childhood Asthma

ST. LOUIS, May 10, 2011 / PRNewswire via COMTEX/ — Peabody Energy today announced the creation of an innovative new public health initiative designed to combat the stigma of asthma among American children ages 0-18. With Coal Cares™ (www.coalcares.org), Peabody will offer free, custom-branded inhaler actuators to children living within 200 miles of a coal plant, along with coupons worth $10 towards the purchase of the asthma medication itself.

“Too many young Americans face daily schoolyard taunting and bullying because of a condition over which they have no control,” said Gregory H. Boyce, [real] Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Peabody Energy. “By re-branding the inhaler as a cool, individualized, must-have accessory, Coal Cares™ will empower children to tell bullies: ‘suck it up.’” Children can choose from a variety of youth-themed inhaler cases, from tween faves like “the Bieber” and “My Little Pony,” to the “Emo” and “Diamond” inhalers for older, style-conscious youth. There’s even “My First Inhaler,” for tots.

Coal Cares™ launches today in commemoration of Asthma Awareness Month, the Environmental Protection Agency’s effort to call attention to rising asthma rates, especially among children. Coal Cares™ and its Puff-Puff™ line of inhalers is the first, and most ambitious, market-friendly public health initiative of this scope of any privately-owned American company, and testifies to the energy industry’s commitment to the well-being of all citizens, including the youngest.

“Our actions are guided by a singular mission: to be a leading worldwide producer and supplier of balanced energy solutions, which power economic prosperity and well-being,” said Boyce. “Coal Cares™ brings this mission to life, empowering children everywhere to take control of their destinies, beginning with their own lungs.”

“Coal Cares™ is emblematic of the return to self-reliance that healthy entrepreneurship demands,” said James Miasmus [fake/ epa doc?], Vice President of Government Affairs at Peabody USA. “Costly ‘scrubbing’ technology, on the other hand, is an untested and heavy-handed intrusion into our still-vulnerable economy. At Peabody, we’re thinking globally but acting locally, and locating preventive action at the point of consumption, where it belongs.”

“Coal Cares™ isn’t just the name of a campaign,” said Kevin Briesslau, Vice President of Communications at Peabody Coal. “It’s a philosophy, a way of doing business in harmony with the community we are a part of. After all, coal is the fastest-growing fuel in the world. We’re part of America’s heritage, and we’re here to stay.”

To learn more about Peabody’s Coal Cares™ initiative, visit: <a href="http://www.coalcares.org">www.coalcares.org</a>.

</blockquote>

If the press release seems a little strange, <a href="http://coalcares.org/">just try the website</a>, which delivers on the promise of <a href="http://coalcares.org/freeinhalers.html">Justin Bieber- and "Twilight"-themed asthma inhalers</a> ("made with eco-friendly recycled plastic, as well as with coal ash, a by-product of combustion from our plant smokestacks"). The site goes on to describe the many ways that <a href="http://coalcares.org/cleanenergy.html">solar and wind power are going to destroy us all</a>:

<blockquote>So-called “solar energy,” on the other hand, refers to the direct use of the violent fusion reactions occurring deep within our nearest star. As you might expect, this kind of “solar energy” naturally comes with a host of dangers that coal’s million-year buffering is designed to avoid. Some scientists refer to so-called “solar energy” as “mainlining the sun”—and it doesn’t take an Einstein to see an overdose looming.

[...]

There are so many varieties of existing solar energy technology, and so many more proposed, that the number and variety of disasters possible simply boggles the mind. The only reason we don’t see more incidences of death and injury from solar today is because it comprises less than 1% of our national energy portfolio. Increasing this amount would only heighten the potential for tragic accidents.

</blockquote>

I have to give the pranksters special props for their hilarious invocation of the "butterfly effect" as an argument against windmills:

<blockquote>Every science student has heard of the so-called “butterfly effect” from aptly-named “Chaos Theory”: namely, that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in the wilds of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, can set off a massive, community-shattering tornado in Bunker Hill Village, Texas. If, as scientists state, a mere butterfly can cause a tornado so many thousands of miles away, imagine what a hill-full of wind turbines can do.

Actually, a simple calculation shows precisely how much. Suppose a butterfly flapping its wings, producing about 12.5 W of energy, can unleash a tornado producing approximately 100MW of energy. By this measure, a large wind farm—producing 781.5 MW of energy, or the equivalent of approximately 63 million butterflies—could unleash the equivalent of 63 million tornados, or over 6 quadrillion watts of energy. That's still less than one one hundred millionth the energy of an asteroid hitting the earth, but it's nothing to sneeze at, either!

</blockquote>

Classic. And the prank <a href="http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/statement-from-peabody-energy-121566598.html">forced Peabody Energy to put out their own press release</a> disowning the spoof site. But is this the work of the Yes Men, or of their affiliates? <a href="http://theyesmen.org/coalcares">As it turns out, yes</a>:

<blockquote>The Coal Cares™ hoax was devised by a group called Coal is Killing Kids (CKK), a small environmental and public health group that aims to challenge Big Coal’s expensive lobbying against sensible updates to the Clean Air Act. “We don’t have their millions, but we do have a knack for incredibly tasteless jokes,” said Veronica Tomlinson, a pediatrician and member of CKK. CKK worked with the Yes Lab, which is a project of The Yes Men to help activist groups carry out media-savvy creative actions on their own.

"Sure, it’s kind of tasteless to say that ‘Bieber’ inhalers are a solution to childhood asthma," said Janet Bellamy, a spokesperson for CKK. "But it's a great deal more tasteless to cause that asthma in the first place, as coal-fired power plants have been proven to do." Added Justin V. Bond, another spokesperson for CKK: “It’s even more tasteless to disproportionately kill poor people.” Coal-fired power plants are very often built in areas populated by low-income citizens, who then bear the brunt of the health effects.

</blockquote>

In a typical Yes Men prank, the comedian-agitators labor to infiltrate conferences and media events under the guise of corporate factotums, then give voice to the idealized policies that they wish those organizations would support. This typically forces those actual organizations to walk back the news the pranksters manage to make, which helps to expose the difference between the actual and the wished-for policies. They call this practice "identity correction," and the best example I can show you is when Yes Men founder Andy Bichlbaum appeared on "BBC World News" impersonating an official from Dow Chemical, apologizing for the Union Carbide disaster and promising to fund a full remediation.

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<div class="dateauthor">June 13, 2013 | By <a href="https://www.eff.org/about/staff/corynne-mcsherry">Corynne McSherry</a></div>

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<h2 class="node-title">Chamber of Commerce Cries Uncle, Abandons Spurious Trademark Lawsuit Against the Yes Men</h2>

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The <a href="http://www.uschamber.com">United States Chamber of Commerce</a> has come to its senses at last and withdrawn its lawsuit against political activists <a href="http://theyesmen.org">the Yes Men</a>. In the lawsuit, the Chamber had claimed that a 2009 press conference—in which a Yes Man posing as a Chamber of Commerce spokesperson announced the Chamber was reversing its long held position and endorsing climate change legislation—infringed the Chamber's trademark rights. Before the press conference was even completed, a Chamber of Commerce representative rushed into the room and announced that the Chamber's position on climate change legislation had not in fact changed.  The result: widespread media coverage of the event and the Chamber's humorless response. The Yes Men <a href="http://vimeo.com/52088113">tell the story best</a>.

Did the Chamber of Commerce finally get a sense of humor? Or did it just realize the lawsuit was doomed?

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At that point, things took a dangerous turn.  Rather than letting matters lie, the Chamber pulled out all the stops to try to punish the activists. First, it sent an improper copyright takedown notice to the Yes Men's upstream provider demanding that a parody website posted in support of the action be removed immediately and resulting in the temporary shutdown of not only the spoof site but hundreds of other sites hosted by the Yes Men's web host.  Next, the Chamber filed suit against the activists in federal court.

With help from EFF and <a href="http://www.dwt.com">Davis Wright Tremaine LLP</a>, the Yes Men fought back, moving to dismiss the claims on First Amendment grounds.  As we explained, you can’t use trademark law to punish free speech just because the speaker happens to use your trademarks as a necessary part of its activism.

Did the Chamber of Commerce finally get a sense of humor? Or did they just realize their lawsuit was doomed? Either way, it’s a long-overdue victory for the Yes Men and their increasingly popular brand of political parody and satire.

The Yes Men are holding a new press conference responding to the Chamber’s decision to drop the case. Watch this space for more on their response.

UPDATE: There is apparently no such thing as a free lunch for the Yes Men — at least not one from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Still, they've posted highlights from <a href="http://yeslab.org/chambercriesuncle">their press conference on the steps of the Chamber</a>, which we've embedded below.   https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/06/chamber-commerce-abandon-spurious-trademark-lawsuit-against-yes-men

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<h1 class="title" id="page-title" style="margin: 0px; line-height: 1.5em; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">U.S. Chamber Cries Uncle</h1><div class="region region-content" style="line-height: 21px;"><div id="block-system-main" class="block block-system first last odd" style="margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><div class="content"><div class="panel-display panel-1col clearfix"><div class="panel-panel panel-col" style="width: 495px;"><div class="panel-pane pane-views-panes pane-blog-panel-pane-1"><div class="pane-content"><div class="view view-blog view-id-blog view-display-id-panel_pane_1 view-dom-id-11d982bfab31a18cfdde7106e2bf0b07"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last" style="padding-bottom: 2em; margin-bottom: 2em; background-image: none; background-attachment: initial; background-size: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial;">BY MARY.NOTARI ON JUN 13 2013 - 10:36AM TAGGED: PROJECT: <a href="http://yeslab.org/project/chamber" style="text-decoration: none;">U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE GOES GREEN</a><div class="views-field views-field-body"><div class="field-content">June 13, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEYes Men Win Legal Battle With U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Despondent Activists Mourn Lawsuit WithdrawalContact: <a href="http://mailto:info@yeslab.org/" style="text-decoration: none;">info@yeslab.org</a> 
Electronic Frontier Foundation statement here
UPDATE: Photos and video from press conference added belowWashington DC, June 13, 2013 – The Yes Men today implored the U..S. Chamber of Commerce to reconsider their <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2013/06/10/chamber-cools-to-lawsuit-on-global-warming-hoax/" style="text-decoration: none;">recent decision</a> to withdraw the lawsuit they filed nearly four years ago, in a <a href="http://www.yeslab.org/lawsuitwithdrawal" style="text-decoration: none;">press conference on the steps of the lobbying giant itself</a>."Just as their case against us was finally heating up again, the U.S. Chamber decided to drop it," said former defendant Andy Bichlbaum of the Yes Men. "The U.S. Chamber knew this was our chance to challenge their silly claims and, since they claimed we had 'damaged' them, investigate the details of their finances through the discovery process. It's the height of rudeness to deprive us of this great opportunity.""The U.S. Chamber's lawsuit represented the only time in 17 years that anyone has been stupid enough to sue us," said former defendant Mike Bonanno. "This was the chance of a lifetime, and we profoundly deplore the U.S. Chamber's about-face."The U.S. Chamber sued the Yes Men and collaborators in 2009 after the activists <a href="http://yeslab.org/project/chamber" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: initial;">held a press conference</a> as the U.S. Chamber and announced that they were going to completely reverse their <a href="http://polluterwatch.org/us-chamber-commerce" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: initial;">regressive environmental policy</a> and support emissions reduction legislation. In their complaint, the U.S. Chamber claimed that the phony announcement was “commercial identity theft” and accused them of cyberpiracy,[IPAA?} trademark infringement, and false advertising. The Yes Men had legal <a href="https://www.eff.org/search/site/yes%20men" style="text-decoration: none; background-color: initial;">help from the Electronic Frontier Foundation</a> and Davis Wright Tremaine, and were eager to fight back against this attack on political free speech."In just the last fifteen years, the hoaxsters at the U.S. Chamber have spent nearly a billion dollars lying to <a href="http://www.rethinkingschools.org/opt-in/110803.shtml" style="text-decoration: none;">children</a> and <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/following-sec-complaint-greenpeace-asks-trans/blog/38866/" style="text-decoration: none;">adults</a>, and <a href="http://www.yeslab.org/lawsuitwithdrawal#references" style="text-decoration: none;">generally lobbying for corporations and against humans</a>," said Bichlbaum. "This lawsuit gave us a chance to help reveal the U.S. Chamber's many hoaxes to the public."The Yes Men are considering a lawsuit against the U.S. Chamber for depriving them of the opportunity to expose them. "Tell 'em to put their damn helmets on," said Bonanno, echoing <a href="http://www.dmlp.org/blog/2009/chamber-commerce-yes-men-we-are-not-amused" style="text-decoration: none;">Tom Donohue's words</a> upon launching the U.S. Chamber lawsuit in 2009. No lawyers have thus far volunteered to take on the new Yes Men case.Video of the full speech from the 06/13/2013 press conference in front the U.S. Chamber of Commerce:</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>

<a href="http://yeslab.org/chambercriesuncle">http://yeslab.org/chambercriesuncle</a>

=EFFLetter re: Yes Men parody site ...
DOCUMENT | OCTOBER 22, 2009 - 5:23PMDMCA notice for Yes Men site
DMCA notice for Yes Men site ...EFF IN THE NEWS | NOVEMBER 18, 2009 - 5:14PMEFF defends Yes Men from business rage over climate hoax
But lawyers from the Electronic Frontier Foundation are telling the Chamber to cool off about the whole affair.What's the furor about? The Yes Men...... off about the whole affair. What's the furor about? The Yes Men staged a fake press conference this week at the National Press Club in ...PRESS RELEASE | OCTOBER 22, 2009 - 1:58PMEFF: Chamber of Commerce Takes Aim at Yes Men
San Francisco - Attorneys for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have issued a takedown notice in an attempt to silence a parody website that was posted in...... silence a parody website that was posted in support of the Yes Men's embarrassing prank poking fun at the Chamber's stance on climate change ...EFF IN THE NEWS | NOVEMBER 20, 2009 - 3:09PMEFF to Represent Yes Men in Court Battle Over Chamber of Commerce Action
The Electronic Frontier Foundation said Wednesday that it will represent the Yes Men in fighting a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...... Foundation said Wednesday that it will represent the Yes Men in fighting a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce against the ...DEEPLINKS BLOG | JUNE 13, 2013 - 8:27AMChamber of Commerce Cries Uncle, Abandons Spurious Trademark Lawsuit Against the Yes Men
The United States Chamber of Commerce has come to its senses at last and withdrawn its lawsuit against political activists the Yes Men. In the...... and withdrawn its lawsuit against political activists the Yes Men . In the lawsuit, the Chamber had claimed that a 2009 press conference—in which a Yes Man posing as a Chamber of Commerce spokesperson announced the Chamber was ...EFF IN THE NEWS | NOVEMBER 20, 2009 - 2:57PMYes Men punk US Chamber of Commerce on climate change, sued
The EFF, having worked with the Yes Men to keep their fake site accessible, has announced that it will continue with what it terms a "free speech...The EFF, having worked with the Yes Men to keep their fake site accessible, has announced that it will continue ... Free Speech Chamber of Commerce v. Servin Yes Men punk US Chamber of Commerce on climate change, sued ...PRESS RELEASE | NOVEMBER 11, 2009 - 8:24AMEFF to Represent Yes Men in Court Battle Over Chamber of Commerce Action
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP, will defend the Yes Men and other activists in a lawsuit...... (EFF) and Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP, will defend the Yes Men and other activists in a lawsuit filed against them by the U.S. Chamber of ...EFFECTOR | MAY 22, 2012 - 1:16PMEFF, The Yes Men, and Protesters Fight Secret Negotiations to Regulate the Internet
13 608th 25 EFF, The Yes Men, and Protesters Fight Secret Negotiations to Regulate the Internet ...EFF IN THE NEWS | JANUARY 25, 2010 - 3:15PMYes Men Won't Take No For An Answer, Allege Suit Against Them Is Meant As Punishment For Political Parody
"The court should recognize the Chamber's lawsuit for what it is -- an attempt to use intellectual property and related law to punish a political...... light on its controversial position on climate change," the Yes Men argue in a motion filed on their behalf by the digital rights group ...EFF IN THE NEWS | SEPTEMBER 11, 2013 - 7:59AMNSA spying may give Somali men new trial
“This is the only case where the government has said, ‘Yes, we used it,’” said Hanni Fakhoury, a lawyer with the Electronic Frontier Foundation in...“This is the only case where the government has said, ‘Yes, we used it,’” said Hanni Fakhoury, a lawyer with the Electronic ...   NSA Spying NSA spying may give Somali men new trial ...PRESS RELEASE | AUGUST 20, 2014 - 11:18AMU.N. Free Expression Champion, Congressional Internet Defender, and Groundbreaking Counter-surveillance Artist Win EFF Pioneer Awards
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is pleased to announce the distinguished winners of the 2014 Pioneer Awards: United Nations...... will be Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos, better known as the Yes Men, who are known for their elaborate parodies and impersonations to fight ...EFF IN THE NEWS | NOVEMBER 19, 2009 - 1:14PMISP Takes Down Parody After Chamber Of Commerce Complains
The digital rights organization Electronic Frontier Foundation fired back a letter on behalf of the Yes Men, arguing that the site is protected by...... Frontier Foundation fired back a letter on behalf of the Yes Men, arguing that the site is protected by fair use principles because it "is ...EFF IN THE NEWS | NOVEMBER 19, 2009 - 1:25PMPunked US Chamber sues faux press release pranksters
But even after the Yes Men acknowledged the hoax, the press release remained online, and the Chamber couldn't help but toss a DMCA takedown at the...But even after the Yes Men acknowledged the hoax, the press release remained online, and the Chamber ...EFF IN THE NEWS | NOVEMBER 19, 2009 - 4:38PMDirty Air, Dirty Fight
Neither the Chamber's copyright nor its trademark claims have legal merit, countered Matthew Zimmerman, a senior staff attorney for the Electronic...... Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is representing the Yes Men. "It seems rather clear that this is a fair use of copyright material," he ...EFF IN THE NEWS | AUGUST 24, 2010 - 2:35PMElectronic Frontier Foundation warns of Epersonation Bill
"For example, the Yes Men, a group of artists and activists, pioneered "identity correction," posing as business and government representatives and..."For example, the Yes Men, a group of artists and activists, pioneered "identity correction," posing ...EFF IN THE NEWS | MARCH 21, 2011 - 1:22PMYour Online Impersonation Is Illegal in California
Supporters say the law will be interpreted to target internet stalkers and harassers, but critics like the Electronic Frontier Foundation worry that...... mushrooming ranks of satirical online impersonators like The Yes Men, who arguably intend to harm the reputation of their targets by making fun ...EFF IN THE NEWS | NOVEMBER 19, 2009 - 4:15PMAmerica's Chamber of horrors
You might think that an organisation boasting as long a history and as much accumulated savvy about how the American political system works as the US...... Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is representing the Yes Men in its legal battle with the Chamber, told Salon, "We are surprised and ...LEGAL CASE | JULY 1, 2011 - 4:04PMChamber of Commerce v. Servin
EFF and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP are defending the Yes Men and other activists in a lawsuit filed against them by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over...EFF and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP are defending the Yes Men and other activists in a lawsuit filed against them by the U.S. Chamber of ...PRESS RELEASE | JANUARY 6, 2010 - 8:30AMPolitical Parodists Strike Back Against U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Washington - A group of political activists including members of the Yes Men and the Action Factory have moved to dismiss a meritless lawsuit filed...... - A group of political activists including members of the Yes Men and the Action Factory have moved to dismiss a meritless lawsuit filed by ...DEEPLINKS BLOG | DECEMBER 29, 2010 - 5:02AM2010 Trend Watch Update: Fair Use of Trademarks...

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