Competitive Enterprise Institute

{{denialism||2}}'''Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI)''' is a [[libertarian]] [[think tank]] based in [[Washington DC]].

It was founded by [[lobbyist]] Fred Smith, and has been funded by a laundry list of bogeymen, such as [[Koch Industries]], [[Richard Mellon Scaife|the Scaife Foundations]], Exxon, Philip Morris, etc. Like any of the Beltway think tanks that spews [[vulgar libertarianism]], they take quite a consistent line against any [[government]] regulation of their financial backers.

CEI is a major proponent of [[global warming denial]], [[second-hand smoke]] denial, and denial of any [[science]] establishing that industrial activity can cause [[environmental]] damage. One of their adjuncts is the noted denialist [[shyster]], [[Steve Milloy]]. 

==Cooler Heads Coalition==
The "Competitive Enterprise Institute" put together something called the "[[Sound science|Cooler Heads Coalition]]," which is basically a committee that takes the output of the [[bullshit]] factory that comprises various denialist think tanks and funnels it into a single [[propaganda]] outlet (their website) and hypes denialist petitions.  Cooler Heads try to obscure their connections to vested interests which stand to lose if fossil fuel use is regulated.<ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mjKCBPzTvEkC&pg=PA232&lpg=PA232&dq=Cooler+Heads+Coalition+mislead&source=bl&ots=mv0p7_HCx7&sig=I2h8_LzaaSi4oJANHIwG9HwSXAg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiulJ6FnN3JAhWJ8RQKHSD9CWUQ6AEILzAD#v=onepage&q=Cooler%20Heads%20Coalition%20mislead&f=false A Citizen's Guide to Politics in America]</ref>   They're linked to [[Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow|CFACT]], the [[Heartland Institute]] and the [[Marshal Institute]]. <ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RsYr_iQUs6QC&pg=PA151&lpg=PA151&dq=cooler+heads+coalition+climate+change+denial&source=bl&ots=r5PH09qf7J&sig=nLJ5O1WgrF5i0ooqz_B9XiJjSmE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_pdLV6qbLAhWCPxoKHZjBBjcQ6AEIQzAG#v=onepage&q=cooler%20heads%20coalition%20climate%20change%20denial&f=false Organised Climate Change Denial]</ref>

Their website appears superficially like a genuine consumer organization and it can be hard for online enquirers to sort out who is behind what they browse.<ref>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=mjKCBPzTvEkC&pg=PA220&lpg=PA220&dq=cooler+heads+coalition&source=bl&ots=mv0u8VNBvb&sig=B8y74ZP3o4mxIuW6U3hkM-mojAQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-uNDWrvDKAhVMcRQKHcohBEo4FBDoAQgbMAA#v=onepage&q=cooler%20heads%20coalition&f=false A Citizen's Guide to Politics in America] This has slightly different information from the one above.</ref> 

Cooler Heads Coalition hosted lectures by "Climate Misinformer, [[Richard Lindzen]]" more than once. <ref>[https://cei.org/news-letters-cooler-heads-digest/mit-climatologist-richard-s-lindzen-address-cooler-heads-coalition] [http://www.globalwarming.org/2009/10/27/deconstructing-global-warming-presentation-by-dr-richard-s-lindzen/]</ref> Lindzen stands accused of ignoring vital parts of [[Scientific method|Scientific]] data that go against the Cooler Heads Coalition agenda. <ref>[https://www.skepticalscience.com/skeptic_Richard_Lindzen.htm Climate Misinformer: Richard Lindzen]</ref> Lindzen was also involved with ''[[The Great Global Warming Swindle]]'' which tries unreasonably to [[Global warming denialism|deny]] [[global warming]].

==Bureaucrash==
They run an [[astroturf]] organization called Bureaucrash, which organizes libertarian "activists." Its communications director Lee Doren has a [[YouTube]] channel "HowTheWorldWorks," peddling [[laissez-faire]] [[talking point]]s on the economy and environmental denialism.

==Africa Fighting Malaria==
CEI also has connections to the astroturf group [[Africa]] Fighting Malaria, which exists mainly to shill for [[DDT]], spread [[anti-environmentalism]], and pay out large sums of money to its "fellows."

==See also==
*[[Heartland Institute]] A similar body
*[[Roger Bate]], founder of AFM
*[[S. Fred Singer]], occasionally shills for them
*Cooler Heads members: [[Grover Norquist|Americans for Tax Reform]], [[FreedomWorks]], [[George C. Marshall Institute]], [[Heritage Foundation]]

==External links==
*[http://cei.org/ CEI site], [http://bureaucrash.com/ Bureaucrash] ([http://www.bureaucrashcontraband.com/ Get some sweet Bureaucrash swag. Yay capitalism! What's your anti-gov?]), [http://www.globalwarming.org/ Cooler Heads Coalition], [http://www.fightingmalaria.org/ Africa Fighting Malaria]
*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Competitive_Enterprise_Institute Sourcewatch entry], [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bureaucrash Bureaucrash entry], [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Cooler_Heads_Coalition Cooler Heads Coalition entry], [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Africa_Fighting_Malaria Africa Fighting Malaria entry]
*[http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments/2007/521/351/2007-521351785-04467a1e-9.pdf Their tax returns (2007)]
*[http://deepclimate.org/tag/competitive-enterprise-institute/ Deep Climate's category]
*Bug Girl: [http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/08/09/an-odd-email-campaign-by-africa-fighting-malaria/ An Odd E-mail Campaign by Africa Fighting Malaria]
*FactCheck: [http://www.factcheck.org/misleading-ads/scientist_to_cei_you_used_my_research.html Scientist to CEI: "You used my research to confuse and mislead"]
*Island of Doubt: [http://scienceblogs.com/islandofdoubt/2008/03/the_cei_is_still_at_it_lying_t.php CEI is still at it -- fighting reason]
*Deltoid: [http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2009/11/competitive_enterprise_institu.php Completely Evil Institute], [http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2006/05/co2_we_call_it_life.php CO2: We call it life], [http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2008/03/new_cei_ad_al_gore_we_call_him.php Al Gore: We call him fat], [http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2007/06/raw_story_follows_the_money_on.php Rachel Carson smears], [http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2007/06/the_rachel_carson_telephone_ga.php Rachel Carson telephone game], [http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2010/06/africa_not_fighting_malaria.php Africa Not Fighting Malaria], [http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2007/05/africa_fighting_malarias_wedge.php Africa Fighting Malaria's "Wedge Document"]

==References==
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[[Category:Think tanks]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]
[[Category:Kochsphere]]
[[Category:Libertarianism]]

Categories: Think tanks, Propaganda, Kochsphere, Libertarianism