Perry and The Media

If you want to understand why many Americans no longer trust the media, take the recent case in which the media attacked Secretary of Energy Rick Perry for a statement that he did not actually make. Perry was quoting an individual woman who told that to him. Here is the full quote, “I just got back from Africa…I think I heard a lady say that there are people dying. Let me tell you where people are dying…in Africa because of the lack of energy that they have there. And it’s gonna take fossil fuels to push power out to those villages in Africa, where a young girl told me to my face ‘One of the reasons that electricity is so important to me is not only because I won’t have to try to read by the light of a fire, and have those fumes literally killing people, but also from the standpoint of sexual assault.’ When the lights are on, when you have light, it shines the righteousness, if you will, on those types of acts. So from the standpoint of how you really affect people’s lives, fossil fuels is going to play a role in that. I happen to think it’s going to play a positive role.” While this was not artfully stated, the point was rather clear, Fossil fuels are important for improving the quality of life of this young girl and others in many developing countries!

Read the quote that Perry is quoting a “young girl told me to my face” about increased sexual assault at night. Note that the media attributed the quote to Secretary of Energy Perry. It could be assumed that Perry may have agreed with that sentiment but Federalist writer Julie Kelly noted, “Perry delivered his remarks in an emotional tone, and it was clear that he was moved by his trip to Africa and hearing this young girl talk about her desire for something we Americans take for granted every single minute. It is also just common sense to suggest the light generated via electricity is desperately needed throughout this Dark Continent for a number of humanitarian purposes, including keeping vulnerable populations such as young girls safe at night…But this logic was of course completely lost on the blue-checkmark Twitter crowd. Reporters and liberal activists quickly twisted Perry’s words into this: Perry Says Fossil Fuels Prevent Sexual Assault. Anyone can read his comments over and over and not be able to truthfully make that connection.”

Perry’s point is that we take for granted this young girl’s dream about dependable electricity to just make her life easier, like being able to read at night or be safe at night. There is the usual Perry is an idiot or should resign since he says oil saves women from rape but then guess who agrees that dependable energy sources prevent rape, the UN. A UN report noted, “The Committee received 80,000 recommendations, including from UN Women’s Safe Cities’ partner Jagori. Among its recommendations, the report mentioned the need for changes in urban infrastructure and toilets. It also urged that better “street lighting everywhere would provide more safety since dark areas are more prone to facilitate crimes.” In addition, “Street vending should be encouraged to make the bus stops and footpaths safe for communities and pedestrians” The UN response is similar to the point Perry made, dependable energy will make the everyday living better. Perry observed that Fossil Fuels will play a role in providing inexpensive energy for many in the third world and this energy will provide light that will aid in the protection since as the UN report noted, criminals prefer the dark to commit crime including rape as opposed to the light where they can more easily be recognized. This is common sense but then in our present political scene, common sense is often missing. Perry’s point is simple and correct, cheap energy, which includes fossil fuels, will make the everyday life of many in third world countries, including Africa, better. This is something that Perry’s critics fail to see or care to see.