ABIR: “Disavow Relationship With Heartland”

The Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers [ABIR] have announced that they will discontinue their support for the Heartland Institute, after the Chicago based think tank started an ad campaign comparing people who believe in global warming with serial killers and mass murderers.

Reports said that billboards that appeared in the Chicago area, paid for the Heartland Institute, were designed to promote the organization’s International Congress on Climate Change in Chicago later this month.

The Kaczynski billboard remained live for 24 hours before widespread condemnation forced the group to pull the billboard. It has now suspended the short-lived campaign which was also going to feature similar billboards with figures including Fidel Castro, Charles Manson and Osama Bin Laden.

A statement from Heartland Institute President Joseph Bast said, “We know that our billboard angered and disappointed many of Heartland’s friends and supporters, but we hope they understand what we were trying to do with this experiment. We do not apologize for running the ad, and we will continue to experiment with ways to communicate the ‘realist’ message on the climate.”

ABIR President Bradley Kading communicated the decision to Heartland President Joseph Bast in a letter which said, “On behalf of the Association of Bermuda Insurers and Reinsurers, we write to disavow any future relationship with your organization.

“Recent revelations of the Heartland Institute’s radical position on climate change as portrayed on the new billboard featuring Ted Kaczynski made our association with other parts of your organization untenable.”

The letter from ABIR appears below click ‘Fullscreen’ for greater clarity:

#ABIR

Category: All, Environment, News