Why I Am Peter Gleick
When your opponent has dipped his gloves in glue and glass and has kicked you in the nuts, most people would agree that if you depart somewhat from the Queensbury rules the other side has no right to complain about your ethics.
Far too many ordinary people are allowing sqeptics - quasi-skeptics - to do their thinking for them. Some things are really too horrible to contemplate. How easy it is to accept any seemingly plausible snippet from a seemingly plausible source if it explains the nasty thing away as an illusion or hoax.
A truly skeptical practitioner of law or science looks at all the evidence and then tries very hard to weigh all that evidence critically but fairly. The true skeptic does not allow personal bias to influence the outcome of the analysis.
Denial is a psychological defense against personally unacceptable truths. If an individual can't personally accept the damage we are doing to our planet, fine. But when powerful vested interests seek to leverage psychological denial as a weapon against scientists, against democracy and against the public interest then it is the duty of every rational human being to oppose them. When I use the term 'denialist' I mean to refer to anybody who is using propaganda to shill for corporate interests. I am ready with many others to stand up to the propagandist shills and to say, with a host of other climate protection activists:
I am Peter Gleick.
The Heartland Institute's president, Joseph Bast, is a hypocritical blustering bully. Instead of apologizing to the public for spreading disinformation about climate science and for providing a repository for the garbage spouted by "experts" who are much like that proven liar Monckton, he is instead threatening to sue just about everyone on the internet who has even mentioned denialgate.
So sue me!
But first, may I recommend a good book?
Speaking of spreading disinformation and providing a repository for "experts", maybe the GWPF - which shares many "experts" with the Heartless Institute - could also issue a public apology for being a propaganda mill? I don't think anyone should hold their breath.
Meanwhile, the morlock minions of the Moloch empire still fail to tell their audience about the revelation that the Heartland Institute is telling porkies in return for goodies. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Gina Rinehart is taking great strides towards buying Ludicrous Maximus a nice shiny new propaganda machine so he can race it in the Global Warming Stakes.
When your opponent has dipped his gloves in glue and glass and has kicked you in the nuts, most people would agree that if you depart somewhat from the Queensbury rules the other side has no right to complain about your ethics.
Far too many ordinary people are allowing sqeptics - quasi-skeptics - to do their thinking for them. Some things are really too horrible to contemplate. How easy it is to accept any seemingly plausible snippet from a seemingly plausible source if it explains the nasty thing away as an illusion or hoax.
A truly skeptical practitioner of law or science looks at all the evidence and then tries very hard to weigh all that evidence critically but fairly. The true skeptic does not allow personal bias to influence the outcome of the analysis.
Denial is a psychological defense against personally unacceptable truths. If an individual can't personally accept the damage we are doing to our planet, fine. But when powerful vested interests seek to leverage psychological denial as a weapon against scientists, against democracy and against the public interest then it is the duty of every rational human being to oppose them. When I use the term 'denialist' I mean to refer to anybody who is using propaganda to shill for corporate interests. I am ready with many others to stand up to the propagandist shills and to say, with a host of other climate protection activists:
I am Peter Gleick.
The Heartland Institute's president, Joseph Bast, is a hypocritical blustering bully. Instead of apologizing to the public for spreading disinformation about climate science and for providing a repository for the garbage spouted by "experts" who are much like that proven liar Monckton, he is instead threatening to sue just about everyone on the internet who has even mentioned denialgate.
So sue me!
But first, may I recommend a good book?
Speaking of spreading disinformation and providing a repository for "experts", maybe the GWPF - which shares many "experts" with the Heartless Institute - could also issue a public apology for being a propaganda mill? I don't think anyone should hold their breath.
Meanwhile, the morlock minions of the Moloch empire still fail to tell their audience about the revelation that the Heartland Institute is telling porkies in return for goodies. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Gina Rinehart is taking great strides towards buying Ludicrous Maximus a nice shiny new propaganda machine so he can race it in the Global Warming Stakes.
I don't agree with some of this, though - I think science should be held to a higher standard than a partisan think tank and therefore the reaction from inside science should be harsher toward one of its own than it is toward cranks who exist to foment doubt about global warming the same way anti-science GM food types exist to foment doubt about food.
I think, if it turns out as believed even among sympathetic types, Gleick invented the supposed summary he got mailed - and that these Heartland people claim does not exist - you don't actually want to be him. Lying and cheating to get real information is one thing - if it was right for people to do it to East Anglia or for Wikileaks to do it to everyone, it was right to do it to Heartland - inventing false documents because the issue is Just Too Important is clearly wrong.