Facebook Friends: R U Fucking Kidding Me?

Now this is pretty funny, Facebook friends…

The Alabama Environmental Council and the Alabama Rivers Alliance are co-hosting the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival on tour in Birmingham at The Harbert Center on August 21, 2009.

The main event for the Wild and Scenic Fest, the largest environmental film festival in North America, is celebrated each January in Arizona City, Nev., and hosted by the South Yuba River Citizens League.

“Wild and Scenic provides a great opportunity for the community to come together and enjoy fascinating stories from people all over the world who are experiencing nature and learning important environmental lessons in the process,” said Cindy Lowry, Executive Director of Alabama Rivers Alliance.

The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival in Birmingham will exhibit 15 independent films running about two and a half hours. Films will show the Earth’s beauty, the challenges facing our planet, and the work that individuals and communities are doing to protect their environment. Through these films, Wild and Scenic both informs people about the state of the world and inspires them to take action.

“The goal of both of our organizations is to encourage individuals to join in support for our environment and help in any way they can. This way, we all can partner for preserving our rivers and our state,” said Michael Churchman, Executive Director for the Alabama Environmental Council.

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The radical right fringe that has been out in numbers to protest meaningful reform in the U.S. health care system is not the only corrupt barrage members of Congress will face during the August recess.

Grist magazine is reporting that the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, the group whose money ultimately funded the forged letters recently exposed in the national press, has planned a $1 million ad and “volunteer” blitz over the August congressional recess aimed at Senate Democrats in coal-dependent states.

The group plans to organize 225,000 “volunteers” in what its calling “America’s Power Army,” to attend town hall meetings, fairs and other functions attended by members of Congress. The paid staff will work to round up volunteers, providing them with “information or T-shirts” and encouraging them to ask questions of the legislators.

The group is also leading a “road trip in search of a better climate solution” over the recess.

The group is guilty of a practice that is now being called “astroturfing,” the corporate practice of funding initiatives that mimic “grassroots” support for an issue. It has been getting a lot of attention these days, after it came to light that a pro-coal group was ultimately behind forged letters to Congress on the climate bill. But the practice is neither new nor rare, and we can expect to see similar actions over the next weeks as representatives return to their home districts for August recess.

It would sort of be nice to see a counter-astroturfing strategy from the left, as well as some organizational turnout on the part of people who favor health care reform. But you know liberals. Mostly, they are content to watch MSNBC — and send each other e-mail messages.