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Global Warming Zealots and More Attempts to Crush Dissent
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency says he will investigate a threatening letter sent by the leader of an EPA-member group, vowing to "destroy" the career of a climate skeptic.

During a Capitol Hill hearing yesterday, Sen. James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican and ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, confronted EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson about the strongly-worded letter written July 13 by Michael T. Eckhart, president of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) that was sent to Marlo Lewis, senior fellow of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).
There is an irony and hypocrisy in this the Left apparently doesn't fathom. The Bushitler types are all in a lather about the encroachment of the Bushitler regime on privacy and free speech, and the coming Bush dictatorship. However, they fail to grasp that efforts to regulate Talk Radio, stifling of dissent in the Climate Change debate are just as insidious.
"It is my intention to destroy your career as a liar," Mr. Eckhart wrote. "If you produce one more editorial against climate change, I will launch a campaign against your professional integrity. I will call you a liar and charlatan to the Harvard community of which you and I are members. I will call you out as a man who has been bought by Corporate America. Go ahead, guy. Take me on."
What makes this even more stupid is that Mr. Eckhart (ahem, Michael Eckhart of the Haw-vahd community, sorry.) failed to comprehend that Mr Lewis might actually make the letter public.
It was a brilliant move, wasn't it.
CEI does not dispute climate change, however it differs with certain environmental groups, including ACORE, on the causes. After Mr. Inhofe read Mr. Eckhart's comments, which were first reported by Inside the Beltway two weeks ago, the EPA chief promised to probe the matter. "Statements like this are of concern to me. I am a believer in cooperation and collaboration across all sectors," Mr. Johnson assured. "This is an area I will look into for the record."

When Mr. Johnson confirmed that EPA is a member of ACORE, Mr. Inhofe asked if "it is appropriate to be a part of an organization that is headed up by a person who makes this statement."

Late yesterday, Mr. Inhofe announced he will send letters to the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and EPA, urging them to "reconsider their membership of ACORE."
As one who is in the atmospheric sciences, I can safely say that few atmospheric scientists argue against the evidence that the atmosphere has measurably warmed over the past 25-30 years. The argument is about 1st order causes. I have a real problem with anyone who states that the magnitude of the current warming is solely due to anthropomorphic CO2.

Science is about discourse, and debate. It is a wholly human endeavor with a human component. The history of science is littered with the corpses of theories, and "scientific truths" that have been subsequently found to be wrong. Stifling dissent in science may be human, but it is not science.
Posted by: anymouse 2007-07-28
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=194740