Five new forged letters fraudulently sent to Congressmembers have turned up in an ongoing Congressional investigation into the Astroturf campaign launched by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) and it subcontractor Bonner & Associates.
The newly confirmed forgeries were sent to at least three Congressmembers and all fraudulently claimed to represent the views of elderly services organizations and senior centers, including the non-profit Erie Center on Health & Aging.
A total of 13 letters from nine different community groups have now been verified as forgeries, with dozens more letters still being vetted to determine if they were forged by Bonner & Associates, or actually represented the views of the named signers.
ACCCE hired Bonner & Associates in an attempt to scuttle Democratic support for the Waxman-Markey climate and energy legislation approved earlier this summer by the House of Representatives. ACCCE and Bonner have claimed that the first few forgeries uncovered were the work of a rogue temporary employee whom Bonner has since fired, although that person has not been identified to verify this claim. The newly revealed forgeries indicate that the ACCCE/Bonner Astroturf campaign was surely a more highly coordinated effort than even the best and brightest temp could muster.
In addition to Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) who received previously confirmed forgeries claiming to represent the NAACP as well as Hispanic and women’s advocacy groups, the new letters were also sent to Pennsylvania Reps. Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA) and Christopher Carney (D-PA). Roll Call reports that "all three Members represent conservative, Republican-leaning districts and could be vulnerable in the 2010 elections."
These three members have received a total of 58 letters - possibly all forgeries - a matter being investigated by the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, chaired by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA). Chairman Markey has called on ACCCE and Bonner & Associates to verify whether the remaining several dozen letters were also sent fraudulently.
"Weve seen fear-mongering with our nations senior citizens with health care, and now were seeing fraud-mongering with senior citizens on clean energy," said Chairman Markey. "Lately, democratic debate has been deceptively debased by fake facts and harsh rhetoric. We must return to an honest discussion of the issues, and ensure that this sort of campaign does not further poison the well of trustworthy debate."
Read all of the fraudulent letters now received by the Select Committee below, courtesy of EnviroKnow.
[All letter links are PDF documents]
Perriello:

Senior Center Inc., Charlottesville, VA
Creciendo Juntos, Charlottesville, VA [previously made public]

Jefferson Area Board on Aging, Charlottesville, VA [previously made public]

American Association of University Women, Charlottesville, VA [previously
 made public]

NAACP-Charlottesville, Charlottesville, VA [5 letters] [previously made 
public]

NAACP-1, NAACP-2, NAACP-3, NAACP-4, NAACP-5
Dahlkemper:

Slippery Rock Senior Center, Slippery Rock, PA
Erie Center on Health & Aging, Eire, PA
Butler Senior Center, Lyndora, PA
Carney:

Dunmore Senior Citizens Center, Dunmore, PA
Thanks to EnviroKnow for the PDF copies of the letters.
Follow Kevin Grandia on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kgrandia
Remember when we were a country of laws? Me neither.
You seem to be arguing in defense of Bonner & Associates and the ACCCE, so let's get it out there once and for all:
Are you in favor of, and defending, the behavior in this article? A simple yes or no is all that's required.
We'll wait here patiently for an answer.
There is very little honor left in our people.
http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/731/
Money hand-over-fist from the status quo, consequences to our civilization and our children be damned:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/26/climate-change-obama-administration
"Power attracts psychotics - always."
Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
Why don't you try and explain how they will lose? Maybe people believe they should be responsible for themself? It is actually all lower income people who will lose if the cap and trade goes through. Think it through companies will not eat the increased cost. It will get passed to the customers in higher energy costs.
Sue them.
Liars.
There is no such thing as "Clean Coal".
http://www.publicintegrity.org/articles/entry/731/
IMHO what underscores the *psychosis* of the corporate mind is the willful denial of empirical evidence of a trend that could prove ultimately *fatal* to our civilization, if not our species, yet the corporate CEOs and their paid minions simply do not care as long as they can make their next quarter's profits.
"Power attracts psychotics -always."
Leland R. Erickson
Citizen
...coal that is left in the ground.
Bonner and Associates
1101 17th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
202-463-8880-phone
202-833-3584-fax
Aren't you sick to death of this too? I'm tired of bad practices being so easy for the companies who use them. Make it harder for them.
American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
333 John Carlyle Street
Suite 530
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
703-684-6292
info@cleancoalusa.org
Just because you don't like facts does not make them lies.