Frank Williams, the president of the not-for-profit public broadcasting Coos Media Center has continually used his position to provide a media platform for proponents of the Jordan Cove LNG project. This week the organization posted yet another one of Williams’ “interviews”, this time with the star of the ruby slipper video, Brooke Walton, along with Mark Wall of Roseburg Resources Company both representing BS Oregon. Like all of Williams’ “infomercials” it is full of, well, BS and painfully embarrassing to watch despite the gushing enthusiasm of the participants.
The entire program devolves pretty quickly when Wall, who I understand is married to Kathy Wall, COO for the Port of Coos Bay, call opponents of LNG liars and both Walton and Wall proceed to demonstrate that all they know about the project is what the industry has told them. 
One of the highlights of the program was when they are talking about the tax benefits to Coos County and Walton says she just doesn’t know why people think Jordan Cove tax dollars will all go the Coos County Urban Renewal Agency (CCURA) rather than to the county general fund. Gosh, maybe this map from the Coos County Assessors office will explain why. The blue area is all within the urban renewal district and Jordan Cove is squarely situated in the blue area on that sandy patch of urbanity known as the North Spit. Considering the Port manages the CCURA it is even more curious that Wall doesn’t seem to be aware of this fact.
Walton cutely refers to opponents as “antis” who are afraid of the “unknown”. Or maybe we have done our homework and know that the empirical evidence does not support the rosy picture they paint.
BS Oregon is now an official 501C3 and it would be interesting to learn who is funding Ray Bucheger, the DC lobbyist to represent BS Oregon on radio programs like Mark McKelvey’s show.
Coos Media clearly owes the opposition some equal time, or it may risk its non-profit status, so it might be a great idea to take the claims made by this pair, (just ignore Williams), and show the real data and let the public decide who is lying.
I hear JC’s crap over the radio all the time at the gym. This B.S. from Walton & Wall just sounds like more of the same old garbage-in-garbage-out propaganda campaign; lies, lies and more lies. Whenever I hear their bull crap, I want to throw those weights against the wall. Makes me so mad.
I’ve given up writing articles for The Advocate, where Mark McKelvey reigns supreme as gatekeeper and Editor-In-Chief. Predictably, MM often disagrees with my assessments & assertions, taking this as an invitation to debate with moie. His demeanor is so patronizing, so sanctimonious, I’ve decided my time can be better spent elsewhere. I’ve never even addressed the LNG issue in my articles to The Advocate! It really is a shame, because if there was ever a time when a genuinely progressive publication was needed in Coos County it is NOW.
We’ve got to keep countering these idiots and their lies, for our own sanity if nothing else. – Doro
Being on Mark’s “show” would be only a slight improvement over being on Frank Williams “show”. Both are there only to help the fossil fuel industry make more money, but Mark has more duties, he has to help sell the democratic party and help Arnie and Caddy hold onto their seats in addition to promoting LNG and coal if he could find an audience. His job is a bit more complicated than Franks.
I would however tune-in to a show with Mark as a guest on the Wes Brown Show. Both claim to be progressive democrats. But one is a phony.
Mary,
You and Jody have an open invitation to appear on my show anytime. Just let me know when.
Best,
Mark
Thanks, Mark, I will mention it to Jody
As good as they are, these videos by SCDC have to be counting on the locals not being able to use the internet to find more reliable sources and more entertaining forms to get it. Check out this video on the twins. They have some similarity’s to our nations other twins, the dems and the repubs.
http://earthjustice.org/features/campaigns/things-find-a-way-an-animated-video#twins
If Wall hadn’t had the audacity to accuse opponents of lying I might have ignored this but I think I am going to produce a video response to air on PEG. Probably will use clips of Walton and Wall and since they only believe what the applicant tells them, use the applicant’s own literature submitted to FERC, etc… to prove them wrong, or show them to be the liars, however you want to look at it.
Wait till you see the new infomercial that Frank Williams has made, interviewing a guy from Boston named John Hill.
This guy will make you feel real safe. This is the best Frank can do, his show should be called dumb and dumber. These two spend half the show selling LNG and the other half is spent on the effort to discount renewable energy and telling incoherent stories about Boston.
If you don’t think SCDC has took over this station, just like they did our county government a few years ago, then I want to sell you some swamp land. This project being built won’t depend on how much local spin these snake-oil salesmen manage to do, it depends on whether the pipeline gets built and that depends on this country going down the wrong road with more fracking. Its unfortunate that these people who are a part of this push for LNG are cashing in their credibility and reputations,the younger people get it, they’re future is being sold by this corrupt system of capitalism and massive protests are the only thing that’s going to stop more fossil fuel projects like this one from being built.
We just need to remember who the players are that are pushing this, when they try to maintain control of the system that they are using so well to their advantage, after they are stopped by “National” public opinion, we should not keep re-electing the same crowd to run things around here, we see where they’re going and we know who pays for the campaign signs.
Channel 98 called an amateur effort is a masterpiece of understatement. I look forward to the disc golf tournaments and my daily fix about the SS Catalina. Or the cook from the Mill followed by a good Hoot Gibson movie. Any viewer, regardless of the topic, will need little time to recognize that Mr. Williams may not be the brightest star in the night sky. Nice to read that the prancing princess has climbed from the slow moving chattering choo choo to bring us the facts of life. Why is the Boost SOUTHWEST Oregon team, an entity with, according to their web site, no objective other than to see Jordan Cove a reality, led by a Portland lawyer and now represented by Wall of Roseburg. Why aren’t these two fellows boosting industry in their own communities? Jordan Cove does not have an obligation to pay any agency any tax money. Nor are they obligated to donate monies to schools or any other entity. The rich Canadians will get richer; my struggling neighbors who carry the tax load will be damaged more.
It is flabbergasting to read that the governors of Oregon, California, and Washington, and the enviro minister of BC, met in San Francisco this week to pledge their efforts toward clean energy economies, while in Coos Bay the so-called “leaders” cant wait to sell out the public commons to gas and oil interests.
“We are the first generation to feel the sting of climate change and we are the
last generation who can do something about it,” Washington Gov. lay Inslee said.
Well what do you think, Governors Kitzhaber, Inslee and Brown, would planning for gas pipelines and an export terminal at the mouth of the Coos estuary be a smart move for the future of Oregon?
“No Federal or State monies”, sorry Mr. Wall, you lost every argument with that dumb-ass comment. My humble opinion only, of course. Couldn’t listen to another word. How does this guy get away with that statement?
I’m distended already, don’t need any of these hicks blowing more smoke up my old arse. Just another Coos County Circle Jerk.
ENOUGH !!!