AstroTurf maker reaches deal with Calif. officials

California officials say they have reached an agreement with the makers of AstroTurf to nearly eliminate lead from its artificial grass.

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President Obama's "grassroots army" has descended upon college campuses, knocking on dorm doors to recruit students and slam lawmakers with phone calls pushing health-care "reform."

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As the FCC prepares to lay down tougher net neutrality rules, hundreds of nonprofit groups are filing comments urging the agency to go slow on the policy. Is telco funding behind this push? Ars investigates the murky world of lobbying.

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'XYZ Organization' magically shares AT&T's lobbying positions

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Rolling Stone: health care town hall protests tightly orchestrated by corporate funded "right-wing groups", health care lobbyists

I was just pointed to a story in Rolling Stone from last week confirming virtually everything that progressives have been saying about the fake health care town hall protests over the summer.

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Meet the cable and phone industry's latest AstroTurf attempt

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After hearing from a caller that accuses Harper's Kevin Baker of being insulting to the protesters by calling them "tea baggers" and astroturf and calling him "wimpy" to boot, Baker explains that he isn't the one that came up with that term.

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Color me unsurprised to find out that an employee of Winner and Associates — who you'll recall we revealed were behind the astroturfing campaign to discredit Sarah Palin — was in on the National Endowment for the Arts phone call outlining how the Obama Administration would  …

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Will FOX News viewers ever know they were lied to? FNC, Griff Jenkins, and Glenn Beck owe us an apology

As most probably know, last week FOX News was caught on two different occasions spreading blatant misinformation. On Friday, they placed an ad in the Washington Post alleging that ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and CNN failed to cover the 9/12 protest.

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It's Time for Healthcare Supporters to Counter-Protest

We've been watching the Tea-baggers, Tenthers, Deathers, Birthers and more stage their own vocal protests against just about everything - from the Stimulus to Healthcare Reform to the legitimacy of the Presidency.

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Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) noted an amusing error by attendees of the so-called "9/12" rallies in Washington. Instead of reporting the actual attendance of 70,000 (to take the higher estimate), they reported it as 2 million. That's quite a mistake. It's two orders of magnitude.

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With all these corporate fronts coming out of the woodwork, how can citizens tell true grassroots organizations from corporate fronts operated by highly-paid PR and lobbying firms? Here are some tips to help readers spot this kind of big-business hanky-panky.

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You thought they were just unhinged. But here's what they're really saying to the armed and dangerous.

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a fun video about how the "astroturf" argument cuts both ways

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Beware those organizations claiming to represent "your neighbors." Scooby Turf may be a better way to describe Responsiblehealthcare.org and League of American Voters.

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Cap and Trade grassroots meetings are not grassroots

Organizing their employees (scared of jobs?, being fired if they don't show?) at a recent town meeting on cap and trade were 3 local well services, members of the Energy Citizens in their yellow t-shirts paid for by the local services, Energy Citizens are made up of companies and …

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The Daily Show describes the segment by saying, "Fox News turns into the liberal media by defending protesters, criticizing the president and shoving its values down America's throat."

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A good summary of all of the lobbying groups who have been polluting sites like Newsvine with synthetic grass-roots opinion in support of corporations wanting to frighten legislators into thinking that they're up against "massive" public opposition.

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The American Petroleum Institute has launched a website to promote its anti–climate bill astroturfing efforts. Site visitors can sign an e-petition to tell their lawmakers, "I call on Congress to reject climate change policies that could raise energy costs and eliminate Amer …

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Ernest Hancock, the online radio host who staged an interview with an assault rifle-wielding cohort at the Obama event in Arizona yesterday -- and was himself armed with a 9 millimeter pistol -- was a vocal supporter and friend of right-wing anti-government militia members who we …

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Are ther no limits to what corportations will and are allowed to do to keep control of the country Read:

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excerpt: ""CNN's Don Lemon interviewed two astroturf town hall protesters in Atlanta Monday, and when one of them claimed that no "real Americans" spoke at Obama's town hall meetings, Don shut him down instantly. ""

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"Following on the heels of the so-far successful anti-health-care backlash, advocates and opponents on the climate bill are 'funneling cash into groups designed to rally at town halls and to "educate" voters,' " writes Gold, quoting fellow Wall Street Journal reporter …

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Katy Weber Abram may be the new "Joe The Plumber." Sean Hannity is promoting her as the newest right-wing heroine in the health care debate. The truth is, she's been involved in right-wing politics for about three years.

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Dick Armey, the once Republican House leader from Texas, was forced to resign from the board of a prominent Republican lobby firm due to this ties to Freedom Works.

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The aptly named Dick Armey is ousted from DLA Piper due to his connection his group "freedom works"... which has spread lies and misinformation about health care reform

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