Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) is hostile to open debate over climate science and policy. Sadly, he’s far from being the only one. Many progressive Democrats, and their lapdogs in the mainstream media, have long been calling for a climate inquisition: prosecution, fines, imprisonment, and reeducation camps for economists, scientists, and political analysts whose research has led them to question whether humans are causing a climate catastrophe or that big government must impose harsh … [Read more...]
The Hazards of Lending Books on Climate Change
Today my good friend Dr. Tom Sheahen, a physicist and head of the Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology (ITEST), wrote to say, Already this morning a friend sent me the "Patriot Post" rendition of your article ["Senator Whitehouse, Your New Wardrobe Is Ready"] that quotes me at length. Thank you very much. The "sackcloth and ashes" wardrobe line was really clever. I didn't see that coming at all. I just wish some members of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church would … [Read more...]
Senator Whitehouse, Your New Wardrobe Is Ready
One of the things I most appreciate about Joe Bastardi's book The Climate Chronicles: Inconvenient Revelations You Won't Hear from Al Gore---And Others is the long historical perspective he brings. Again and again he quotes alarmists about manmade global warming claiming that this or that event, or this or that series of events, or this or that period in this or that place, is "unprecedented" and therefore obviously due to human-induced warming---and then he opens up the history records and … [Read more...]
Taking Politics Out of Climate Science
[Excerpted from the Washington Times] A red team, blue team match would test the assumptions of man-made global warming. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator Scott Pruitt wants to adopt a red team, blue team approach to weighing the scientific pros and cons about man-made global warming. According to E&E News reporter Emily Holden, “Climate scientists express concern that the ‘red team, blue team’ concept could politicize scientific research” related to global … [Read more...]
Do America’s Science Teachers and Students Need a Ministry of Truth?
Four liberal Democratic Senators---Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), Elizabeth Warren (MA), Brian Schatz (HI), and Edward Markey (MA)---are upset because Education Secretary Betsy DeVos called President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement an "example of his commitment to rolling back the unrealistic and overreaching regulatory actions by the previous Administration." Thank heavens! These gallant Senators, painstakingly working to protect the American people, have taken … [Read more...]
Open Letter to Attorneys General about Climate Change
Dear Attorneys General, You’re not stupid. Stupid people don’t graduate from law school. Neither are you generally ignorant. You know lots of law. But the day of the “Renaissance man,” vastly learned across all fields of knowledge, is long gone. All intelligent and learned people are ignorant about some things. So, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and members of Attorneys General United for Clean Power, take no offense when I tell you that your intent to investigate and … [Read more...]
What does the Threat to Prosecute “Climate Deniers” Mean?
The threat by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and "AG's United for Clean Power" (a group of 17 attorneys general) to investigate and prosecute for fraud corporations and organizations questioning belief in manmade global warming so dangerous as to justify spending $Trillions to reduce it by fractions of a degree has some precedent. No, not in the prosecution of tobacco companies for covering up the evidence of their product's carcinogenicity. The biophysical link there was crystal clear … [Read more...]
More Saber-Rattling by the Enemies of Free Speech and Real Science
Last week U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch told Congress that her department has discussed taking civil legal action (under RICO, the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) against "climate deniers" (whatever those are---I don't know any). “This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria for which we could take action on,” she said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing … [Read more...]
RICO and Climate Consensus: Putting the Chill on Science, Speech, and Human Flourishing
Forget about the First Amendment, the indispensable role of vigorous debate and testing in the progress of scientific knowledge, the reality of major reversals in science, the tremendous benefits of fossil-fuel-derived energy in lifting and keeping whole societies---and their individual members---out of poverty, disease, and premature death. Those mean nothing to climate alarmists like Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the Natural Resources Defense Council and other large environmentalist … [Read more...]
20 Scientists Call for Prosecution of CAGW Critics—Judith Curry Puts them to Shame
Recently 20 scientists, firm believers in CAGW and proponents of policies to reduce it, sent a letter to the White House supporting a call by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) for criminal prosecution under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) act of scientists who disagree with them. Hello?! Anybody ever heard of the First Amendment---you know, that stuff about freedom of speech and of the press? Or, for those who don't like America's Constitution and Bill of Rights, … [Read more...]
