As
Linkin Park
Joins UN on
Energy Citing
Haiti, No
Cholera or
BofA Coal
Answers
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
November 8, updated
-- As four
members of the
band Linkin
Park stood
with UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on
November 8
talking about
people in
Haiti, five
blocks south
the plight
of the more
the six
thousand
Haitians
killed by
cholera which
four reports
say was
brought in by
the UN was
being
discussed.
Inner
City Press,
carrying a
copy of the
Petition for
Relief filed
with the UN on
behalf of the
Haitians ran
to Ban
Ki-moon's
stakeout with
Linkin Park,
but Ban
Ki-moon was
gone.
Band
member Mike
Shinoda was
speaking about
participating
in Ban's
"Sustainable
Energy for
All"
initiative, co-led
by Charles
Holliday the
chairman of
Bank of
America, protested at
Occupy Wall
Street for
being the
number one
funder of
mountaintop
removal coal
mining.
Inner
City Press
asked Shinoda
and the three
others about
the UN's role
in the cholera
in Haiti, and
about Bank of
America, MTR
coal mining
and if they
would use
their access
to make the UN
improve. Video
here,
from Minute
19:47.
Shinoda
gestured to
Ban Ki-moon's
adviser on
such issues,
Bob Orr. Band
member Brad
Delson took
the microphone
but did not
directly
answer. He
spoke about
solar lamps
the Linkin
Park fan base
helped
purchase. He
said, "We're
here for
humanitarian
issues..
we're not
politicians,
we're
musicians."
Not a
politician yet,
one wag
snarked.
But
it's clear
that the UN,
and the UN
Foundation
wanted Linkin
Park to appear
with Ban. So
how will the
band use this
access, given
that the UN
has so far
claimed
immunity when
charged with
misdeeds and
negligence in
Haiti and
elsewhere?
Again
Delson
answered for
the band, if
not responded:
"We're talking
about
solutions we
believe in."
Fine. To raise
money for
lamps in Haiti
is good. But
to appear,
twice now,
with Ban
Ki-moon and
the UN, one
might expect
some due
diligence,
some follow
through. What
do the (other)
members of
Linkin Park
incluing Rob
Bourdon and
Joe Hahn who
were at the
stakeout but
said nothing,
and fan base,
think of Bank
of America and
its practices?
(c) UN Photo
Ban previously
with Linkin
Park, Shinoda
& answers
not shown
Bob
Orr finished
up, saying
that for
sustainable
energy "we
need everyone
on board." One
wag wondered:
BP? Bernie
Madoff? It
would seem a
line is drawn
somewhere: the
question is
where.
Footnote:
Orr
also said, "We
are not hiding
any facts...
Yes Bank of
America is
involved." But
less than an
hour later at
the UN's noon
briefing when
Inner City
Press asked
Ban's
spokesman
Martin Nesirky
why Orr is not
even named on
the list of
Ban's senior
officials
making public
financial
disclosure,
Nesirky had no
answer. (But
see UN's Nov
17 response to
Nov 8
question,
published Nov
20, here.)
Watch
this site.
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