Palin, polar bears, Shell Oil and The Nature Conservancy
The following is a guest column by Christine MacDonald, author of the just-published “Green Inc: An Environmental Insider Reveals How a Good Cause Has Gone Bad” (Lyons Press):
What do Shell Oil, Sarah Palin and The Nature Conservancy have in common?
Theyve all sold out the polar bear.
Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin staunchly opposed listing the polar bear as an endangered species, arguing that the federal designation could hurt drilling such as Shells plans to extract oil from the Chukchi Sea, where polar bears have lived for millennia.
The Nature Conservancy, one of the largest and best-funded environmental groups in the country, has taken millions of dollars from Shell. And, the environmental group has chosen to remain on the sidelines of the debate despite concerns that the offshore drilling will diminish the polar bears chances of survival.
Meanwhile, the Conservancy and several prominent nature groups which also take cash from the worlds largest oil companies have refused to comment on Palins and the oil companys fight to open the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve to drilling or the battle to maintain the ban on more offshore drilling on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, which House Democrats ceded on Wednesday.
Even the US Department of Energys own experts say sinking wells in ANWR and expanded offshore drilling would save only pennies a gallon on gas prices and it would take years to realize those price reductions. But the drilling could put at risk the already vulnerable ocean ecosystems and caribou herds, migratory birds, wolves and polar bears that call the Arctic refuge home.
Why wont these influential nonprofits speak out against drilling? Could the millions of dollars in oil industry donations be the reason?
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
