Front Group King Rick Berman Gets Blasted by his Son, David Berman

Rick BermanWashington, D.C. lobbying scourge Richard B. "Rick" Berman is facing steadily increasing pushback these days, and some of it is coming from a surprising source -- his own son, musician David Berman.

Berman has long been the front man through which corporations have aggressively attacked their opponents without leaving fingerprints. Known to his own friends and enemies alike as "Dr. Evil," Berman has perfected the art of setting up non-profit "charitable" groups to advance corporate interests. The groups have deceptively helpful-sounding names, like "Guest Choice Network," the "Employment Policies Institute" or the "Center for Consumer Freedom," but really serve as well-funded attack dogs for the tobacco, alcohol, chain restaurant, tanning and other industries. The groups' non-profit status makes their funding hard to trace, which has permitted Berman to operate in the shadows for decades while pocketing millions from unpopular industries for his work thwarting public interest legislation.

Pushback against underhanded lobbying tactics

Berman depends on secrecy to cloak his operations, but recently the Congressional watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) unveiled a hard-hitting new Web site, www.BermanExposed.org, which unmasks Berman's front groups, tactics, employees and projects. (Berman succeeded in knocking this website offline on January 29 but it was back up by February 1.) CREW's Web site outs Berman's "charitable" groups as the lobbying tools they are, and describes how he uses them to run attack ads and implement other tactics to fight Mothers Against Drunk Driving, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other public interest groups' efforts to raise awareness of obesity, secondhand smoke, drunk driving, mad cow disease, and other causes. CREW even posted a photo of the $3.3 million house Berman purchased with money he has earned from his dirty lobbying tactics.

Another Blow Hits Closer to Home

CREW's new site was a resounding strike at Berman, but it might have inadvertently catalyzed yet another blow that hits even closer to home.

Rick Berman's son, singer-songwriter David BermanRick Berman's son, David Berman, is a 42-year-old singer-songwriter who, since 1989, has been the front singer for a popular New York City indie rock band called the "Silver Jews." Over the years, the Jews have developed a loyal following, but on January 22, 2009 David Berman stunned his fans by posting a note to an online message board announcing that after all these years he was leaving the Silver Jews. The reason? His father, Rick Berman.

In scathing language, David disclosed to his fans who his father is, and how leaving the band related to his father's work. David wrote,

Now that the Joos are over I can tell you my gravest secret. Worse than suicide, worse than crack addiction:

My father.

You might be surprised to know he is famous, for terrible reasons. My father is a despicable man. My father is a sort of human molestor.

An exploiter. A scoundrel. A world historical mother******* son of a bitch. (sorry grandma).

You can read about him here:

www.bermanexposed.org

... A couple of years ago I demanded he stop his work. Close down his company or I would sever our relationship.

He refused. He has just gotten worse. More evil. More powerful. We've been "estranged" for over three years.

Even as a child I disliked him. We were opposites. I wanted to read. He wanted to play games.

He is a union buster.

When I got out of college I joined the Teamsters (the guards were union organized at the Whitney).

I went off to hide in art and academia.

I fled through this art portal for twenty years. In the meantime my Dad started a very very bad company called Berman and Company.

He props up fast food/soda/factory farming/childhood obesity and diabetes/drunk driving/secondhand smoke.

He attacks animal lovers, ecologists, civil action attorneys, scientists, dieticians, doctors, teachers.

His clients include everyone from the makers of Agent Orange to the Tanning Salon Owners of America.

He helped ensure the minimum wage did not move a penny from 1997-2007!

The worst part for me as a writer is what he does with the English language.

Though vicious he is a doltish thinker, and his spurious editorials rely on doublethink and always with the Lashon Hara.

As I studied Judaism over the years, the shame and the shanda, grew almost too much. My heart was constantly on fire for justice. I could find no relief.

This winter I decided that the SJs [Silver Jews] were too small of a force to ever come close to undoing a millionth of all the harm he has caused. To you and everyone you know.

Literally, if you eat food or have a job, he is reaching you.

I've always hid this terrible shame from you, the fan. The SJs have always stood autonomous and clear.

Hopefully it won't contaminate your feelings about the work ... In a way I am the son of a demon come to make good the damage.

Previously I thought, through songs and poems and drawings I could find and build a refuge away from his world.

But there is the matter of Justice.

And I'll tell you it's not just a metaphor. The desire for it actually burns.

It hurts.

There needs to be something more. I'll see what that might be.

DCB

Ouch.

David's powerful note provides insight into the tortured feelings David has endured as the son of the Lobbyist from Hell. We well agree that Rick Berman is guilty of shamefully obstructing public health and working to crush those who care about public welfare, clean air, the environment, animal rights and other causes. For any normal father, this public note would be excruciatingly painful. For all we know, it might be for Rick Berman, too. But will the pain of this note be enough to change him?

We hope David's public expression of his feelings about his father's work will make Rick Berman think about what he is doing to society, if not his family. If it isn't, well then David, we are on your side and are willing to help you in any way we can.

Comments

Whether or not he paid his own way through school does not determine if he is a hypocrite. I will assume you are insinuating his father paid for his education therefore he should be eternally grateful? Really, most parents help their children financially when they are starting college. The amount of money varies as some people can't afford to help as much. Rick Berman is a horrible man. He has, however made ample amounts of money. That said, Rick Berman can and should pay for 100% of his son's education. We all know it was "blood money" but to date, he has not been arrested that I am aware of. I was one of the lucky middle-class children. My father went to work every day to take care of our family. I was and still am proud of him. I feel sorry for David Berman because he had such a horrible person as a father. Yes, Rick Berman is rich, but that does not make him a good person. But he is fully capable of paying for his son's education. If I were David, I think I would do anything to get away from home (including college). So please, be kind to this man. He was brave enough to come forward and tell the truth about the horrible things his father has done. I've done some research and can tell you Rick Berman will take money from anyone to create a public unrest. He is well-funded by big industries like, tobacco, alcohol, meat producers and more.

Call David Berman a hypocrite if you must. But remember that any person can make a good decision at any point in time. I support the person who follows his/her conscience and actively pursues a deeper explanation of the world around them. I am ashamed that there are people who decry such efforts. There are so many ways to ignore or undermine deep truths. This is the job of Richard Berman. Consider the following quote from one of Richard Berman's websites: "Approximately 4.4 million U.S. households earning $30,000 or less completely eliminated their purchases of canned tuna between 2000 and 2006. During those years, women in those households gave birth to nearly 260,000 children. And canned tuna was the only source of omega-3 fatty acids their mothers could afford to buy." <a href="http://www.mercuryfacts.org/fMeltdown.cfm">http://www.mercuryfacts.org/fMeltdown.cfm</a> This is not quality information. Sardines are frequently even more affordable than tuna, walnuts are affordable and widely available sources of omega3 fatty acids. For more sources of omega fatty acids, check out the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid#Dietary_sources">wikipedia article</a>. This is just one of many examples of weak information presented in a slanted light by Richard Berman and his company. From the perspective of freedom of speech and information, David Berman's effort to show this is as important as his father's. His shame at his father's behavior is unimpeachable.

I'd love to see his slimy father acquire some morals, decency, and self-respect.

I think this board is the proper place to ask you about the activation proccess. My link is not working properly, do you know why it is happening? <a href="https://www.prwatch.org/?6b6ca2abd2ec31efde142e96af8">https://www.prwatch.org/?6b6ca2abd2ec31efde142e96af8</a>,

Thank you, David! Do your best. Do what you can. Don't expect your father to change. If he is a sociopath, he is not able. You probably can't use your relationship to reach him, but can do so to reach others. If you are even partially successful, those people on here who side with your father or laugh at your letter will thank you down the road. xo

Definitely a case of the son surpassing his father- in the best sense of the word! I applaud David's speaking out about his father's wicked agendas. I have known about Prick Berman's tactics for awhile and have cautioned people to look further than the word "humane", as there are groups like Berman's who use it to deceive people! Keep exposing daddy berman for the anti-human, anti-animal jerk he really is!

My heart goes out to David Berman - his plight is reminiscent of those children of Nazis whose public remorse and feelings of guilt are bottomless, all because of the "sins of their fathers." It is possible to right the wrongs done by one's parents simply by being a force for good. David, you are a mensch.

David's note to his father is heartwrenching. I think the correlation between his feelings and those of the children of Nazi's is apt. His voice is sorely needed and appreciated. I wish him peace.

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