On a regular basis, anthropogenic global warming skeptics wonder how folks like soon-to-be-Dr. Al Gore and his band of not so merry climate change sycophants can so easily get seemingly intelligent people to buy their junk science hook, line, and sinker.
With this in mind, the comedy duo of Penn and Teller set out to see whether they could get people at an Earth Day rally called "WorldFest" to sign a petition banning water.
For those unfamiliar, this was the "6th Annual WorldFest, a solar-powered celebration of music, the environment, animals, health and social consciousness" held at Woodley Park in Encino, California, April 2006.
Penn Jillette marvelously described their intentions (absolutely hysterical video available here, grateful h/t to Gary Hall):
We sent one of our pals, Chris McGaughah (sp), to a rally to collect signatures for a petition. She's gonna ask people to sign a petition banning Dihydrogen monoxide. That's di-hydrogen-monoxide. Water. That's right, water. And she's not going to lie, or even stretch the truth. Not at all. She's just going to talk about what water is, and what it does, with vocabulary and tone of environmental hysteria.
So as not to give anymore away, I encourage readers to watch this three and a half-minute film, and get an understanding as to how easy it is to pull the wool over folks' eyes.
In the middle of the signature collecting -- which went remarkably well -- Jillette made the following spectacular observations:
Is passion supposed to replace common sense? We understand the desire to join up and do something important. It, it's sexy to save the world. But, you gotta spend a couple of minutes to find out if you're really saving the world and not just being herded around by some politically motivated a**holes who may not really care that much about the environment, but see this as some chance to raise money for whatever they think is a good idea. No end justifies the means of lying.
I couldn't agree more, Penn.
As an aside, this is not a recent video, as it was posted at YouTube last December. However, I imagine many of you are like me and are just now finding out about this wonderful exercise crafted by this great comedy duo.
Bravo, gentlemen! Bravo!
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
I personally despise Penn
August 1, 2007 - 13:28 ET by zfI personally despise Penn with a passion, but when properly focused on the right targets he can come up with a nice moment or two. Good stuff here.
I guess I balance you out,
August 1, 2007 - 13:34 ET by sarcasmoI guess I balance you out, then, because I think Penn's one of the greatest entertainers of our time. And I love Teller (a great libertarian writer, and a fantastic athlete!) too. When I'm next in Vegas, their show is one of my "must do" things to see, if only because they deserve some money directly from me for the years of wonderful entertainment combined with unusually sane politics...
JMR
I'm not sure which is the
August 1, 2007 - 13:50 ET by Jack BauerI'm not sure which is the one who talks -- but their Bullsh*t series is outstanding.
Penn's the loud obnoxious
August 1, 2007 - 17:09 ET by sarcasmoPenn's the loud obnoxious one, but the trick to watching those two is to always keep your eyes on Teller while Penn's trying to distract you. This link has a nice description of the show my $77 will buy someday. As for their barnyard-named series, the few episodes I've seen have been so good that I've deliberately tried to avoid watching it, instead reluctantly convincing myself that I need to buy the DVDs someday so I'll have the entire thing.
JMR
I think I speak for all
August 1, 2007 - 17:20 ET by TruthMongerI think I speak for all Roman Catholics when I applaud their uplifting Showtime "Holier than thou" extravaganza...
In the episode, says Donohue, “We are told that Mother Teresa intentionally let the poor suffer, providing neither beds nor bathroom facilities. ‘She had the f—king coin and pissed it away on nunneries,’ says Penn. As for the nuns who worked with Mother Teresa, they are referred to as ‘f—king c—ts.’”
Did someone here call them "truly talented libertarians?"
I absolutely agree with you
August 1, 2007 - 17:33 ET by sarcasmoI absolutely agree with you that they hold some views most people would find offensive, but their views (for me, at least) don't detract from their talent. Like I said, Penn's obnoxious. :) I think of their atheism as something like a white blood cell for faith, but at times I'd personally prefer if they made their points on matters of faith differently...
OTOH, unlike network executive weasels, chances are Penn's not scared to say exactly what he thinks about The Prophet Mohammed or Scientology, if only he were allowed, so maybe the answer for other religions is to get more violent or litigous. I hope not, though. Like many here, I've come to see atheism as just another faith, but the atheists never seem to see it that way.
That same link also features:
During the "Profanity" episode, Penn and Teller themselves did not use any profanity, even changing the name of the show to "Humbug!" for that episode. At one point, Penn suggests the use of the phrase "Jesus Christ!" by a non-Christian is not profanity, but as Teller apparently drops a bowling ball on his foot just as he mentions the phrase, his yelling of the expression makes its use ambiguous.
the above humorous interlude regarding profanity.
JMR
Absolutely
August 1, 2007 - 13:30 ET by Clear thinkerAbsolutely brilliant!
Get Email updates from Fred http://socialnet.imwithfred.com/email_alert_july_26.html
Noel - I saw this a few
August 1, 2007 - 13:32 ET by drillanwrNoel -
I saw this a few months ago. It's really rather brilliant at pointing out the absurdity of these enviro-causes. Just before seeing this posted here I walked past my TV to hear that weather mouse, Dr. Heidi Fleiss ... er ... Cullen schlepping her sky is falling update on TWC. EVERY natural, climate/weather, animal world event is now fully owned (via MSM thievery) by the GW cultists.
heh...hehheh...hehhehheh...h
August 1, 2007 - 13:44 ET by vrwc13heh...hehheh...hehhehheh...ha...haha...hahaha...hahahaha...hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
btw: think any of these folks who signed were homeschooled?
common sense isn't very common anymore - v
I Think Not
August 1, 2007 - 16:49 ET by Wildcatter1980The home schooled are more like to have the better and more well-rounded education and less likely to have been given only one side of things (yes, I do mean indoctrinated into the left-wing point of view) .
Just my $0.02
To steal a line from the
August 1, 2007 - 13:45 ET by The Wicked ConservativeTo steal a line from the BBC...Liberals will approach any pet cause with an almost teenage fascination.
and they call me a mind numb robot...rofl
You can't save the Earth unless You're willing to make other people sacrifice. Dogbert the Green Consultant summing up the elite left.
Woodley Park?!?!?!?!
August 1, 2007 - 13:53 ET by Mr. KafirNoel,
I live 20 minutes from that park. Major lefty hangout. Along with the illegal alien soccer games, and gangbanger rap music played at 100 decibels. Not exactly a bastion of intellectual curiosity. Dumbasses...
The funniest scenes are
August 1, 2007 - 13:59 ET by drillanwrThe funniest scenes are those of the idiots signing the stupid petition while holding a bottle of water.
Did that one woman
August 1, 2007 - 15:02 ET by ErgoDyneDid that one woman interrupt the petitioner (blonde) and tell her that "I'm familiar with it" ??
That's what I heard and I cracked up. She doesn't need the facts about water causing excessive urination, she's familiar with this horrible chemical. Too funny!
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
I see an opportunity here.
August 1, 2007 - 14:03 ET by Clear thinkerI see an opportunity here. Time to copy the elemental table and sell to liberals!
Get Email updates from Fred http://socialnet.imwithfred.com/email_alert_july_26.html
You've made an assumption . .
August 1, 2007 - 14:23 ET by FastEd. . that ehey would know what it is, be able to read it, then understand it.
There is no sense in being stupid, if you can't prove it! - my dad V
We in the community refer
August 1, 2007 - 14:32 ET by cjbreischWe in the community refer to it by its short name, DHMO.
For more on the dangers of DHMO, see http://www.youtube.c...
cj... ...and the laughter
August 1, 2007 - 16:57 ET by bigtimercj...
...and the laughter continues for me...
Thanks for the clip!
Welcome to the IDIOCRACY...
August 1, 2007 - 14:32 ET by slayerwatcherWelcome to the IDIOCRACY...
As soon as I read this, I recalled an episode of The Man Show on Comedy Central. They set up a booth at a farmer's market and successfully got thousands to sign a petition to end women's suffrage, demanding the repeal of the 19th Amendment.
Finally, someone (a man) came along and "warned" people that they were signing a petition to end women's voting rights. Some actually told him to leave them alone so they could sign the petition. It was priceless.
common sense is an oxymoron...
August 1, 2007 - 15:14 ET by wizardjrI have two wonderful quotes from HL Menken that hit this nail right on the head:
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary."
"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public."
Henry Louis Menken, 1880-1956
Not a new idea
August 1, 2007 - 15:28 ET by Carbon SasquatchPenn didn't invent this. I had a clipping from an hunting
magazine several years ago describing a conservative think tank's study
of cause-monkeys. They placed an ad in a lib magazine asking
readers to call their representatives at the toll-free number provided
in the ad and ask for a ban on the manufacture and sale of DHMO.
The text explained the dangers in all forms, that the DHMO
Manufacturers' Assn was just out to make a buck at the expense of its
unwitting customers, that DHMO had been incidiously inserted into all
aspects of life and must be stopped. The number went to an
answering machine at the think tank. The large number of
rightiously outraged callers was pretty astounding. Several
embellished their rants with personal tragedy stories.
Try searching via your favorite engine for DHMO or 'hydric acid'
Never go to a gunfight with a caliber that starts with less than four
This remind me of The Man
August 1, 2007 - 15:37 ET by FlashmanThis remind me of The Man Show when they collected signatures to end women's suffrage.
Something very similar here.
http://www.spikedhumor.com/articles/22008/End_Women_s_Suffrage.html?page=9
laughing so hard! Too funny
August 1, 2007 - 16:09 ET by Conservative Voicelaughing so hard! Too funny
ROFLMAO!...and the hits
August 1, 2007 - 16:23 ET by bigtimerROFLMAO!
...and the hits just keep on coming here today from all of you guys so far....
I cannot quit laughing ...thank you.
I am sending that clip to quite a few people on my email list...just too delicious not too!
Btw...I also liked the money grows on trees slip in they did.
Anyone Read This?
August 1, 2007 - 16:45 ET by CapitalismRulesHey, you gotta check out CNN.com's Carbon Offsets: Four Questions to Ask
This thing totally smacks of carbon credits being a foregone solution to "climate change." Check out this quote from Caitlin O'Neil:
Critics point out that offsets fall far short of solving global warming.......Still, while the study cautions that fliers shouldn't see carbon offsets as a way to buy "environmental pardons," it does allow that offsets might help spur innovation -- including the financing of carbon-reducing projects -- that otherwise wouldn't happen.
Translation: Even though Carbon Offsets are a sham, you'll feel all warm inside knowing that a project that has no scientific merit to what I believe is a scientific problem might take place, that might produce results that might help in a cause that might be causing global warming.
She then goes on to list the ways in which to best go about purchasing carbon "scoffsets".
Enjoy.
I grew up in Encino and I
August 1, 2007 - 16:47 ET by Trix RabbitI grew up in Encino and I used to play in Woodley park when I was a kid. I stopped going because it always seemed to attract the moonbats and perverts.
This very funny video just proved my point.
Liberal: a power worshipper without power. George Orwell
}}}----> DHMO
August 2, 2007 - 04:16 ET by Cool ArrowThe DHMO thing is so old, but it's not surprising so many people fell for it. I first read about it as a high school science project that scored highly.
We should be proud of our informed public.
Special thanks to our Public Schools, without whom none of this would have been necessary.
Noel, a hilarious true story about "di-hydrogen monoxide."
August 2, 2007 - 12:38 ET by Dave ROne morning about ten years ago or so, I was stuck in one of our famous traffic jams here, and was listening to the Neal Boortz show. He anounced, in a rather serious voice, that the City of Atlanta water system had been checked and was found to contain di-hydrogen monoxide.
Now, most people got it right away, but some listeners didn't, even after Neal dropped a few hints. Neal took a series of calls from some of his duller listeners who were truly concerned about the situation. Evidently, the City of Atlanta's phone lines were soon burning up with calls placed by concerned citizens.
But wait, it gets even better.
Apparently, things got so out-of-hand that the man in charge of the city's water system actually called the show. He stated flatly that he had consulted with his staff on the matter, and was calling to reassure Atlanta residents that he was 100% positive that there was absolutely no di-hydrogen monoxide present in the City of Atlanta's water system.
He was serious.
Had I not been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I would have had to pull over. I was laughing so hard I literally could not see.
Help Fred defeat everybody.
Dihydrogen Monoxide Website
August 2, 2007 - 13:48 ET by Wilbur747The dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide MUST be true...here's the 'official' website!!! We must act now to stop the spread of this horrific chemical!
www.dhmo.org
Enjoy!