A respected state climatologist resigns his post citing inability to do his job due to political pressure. Sounds exactly like the "inconvenient truth" scenario that Al Gore complained about in his book and documentary. Only thing is in this case it's a Democratic governor, Tim Kaine of Virginia, arguably silencing a climatologist who believes the globe is warming, but that the Gore-ian forecasts of doom are overwrought.
So how did the Washington Post report Dr. Pat Michaels's complaint of political pressure infringing on his academic freedom? By penning an article downplaying an arguable intrusion of political influence in the sanctuary of scientific inquest.
While the Post has been keen on furthering the meme that President Bush and his administration have conducted a campaign to silence scientists who believe in man-made global warming, staffer Jackie Spinner spun out an article on page B3 of the Saturday Post that found no substantial loss to the Old Dominion's citizens in Michaels's resignation.:
The University of Virginia's climatology data center is seeking a lower profile after its former top official, the state climatologist, resigned this past summer amid questions over whether he should use the position to promote his doubts about theories on global warming.
The Climatology Office has been renamed, dropping a formal reference to the state in its name. The office receives half its $183,000 operating budget from the state and half from U-Va. and is the main outlet in Virginia for information on the impact of weather and climate on economic and ecological systems.
The former state climatologist, Patrick J. Michaels, has been on sabbatical from the university for the past year, said Joseph C. Zieman, chairman of the school's Department of Environmental Sciences, which houses the center. Zieman said Michaels resigned the post this summer and was replaced by U-Va. research scientist Jerry Stenger, who has been running the center without the formal state title. Stenger has worked at the center for more than 20 years.
The university is considering eliminating the title of state climatologist, Zieman said.
But wait: if global warming is such a pressing issue as Gov. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) insists -- and Spinner noted that Kaine has testifed before the Virginia legislature about the supposed impact of warming on the Chesapeake Bay -- then why is the state climatology office being downgraded? Spinner reports that Michaels has had run-ins with Kaine and other governors, but isn't that something to be prized and safeguarded when scientists produce research not to the liking of partisan politicians?
Apparently there's a double standard when it comes to global warming science and political independence for scientists.
What's more, Virginia's decision to downgrade the state climatology post is a grave mistake, at least one colleague of Michaels insists. Spinner noted that objection, but buried it at the end of her article:
But Paul G. Knight, the state climatologist for Pennsylvania and president of the American Association of State Climatologists, which Michaels once headed, decried the developments.
"They're throwing the baby out with the bathwater," Knight said, referring to Michaels' departure and the possible elimination of the title. Most states have a state climatologist. "The state tended to focus on his opinions instead of what the people of Virginia were getting, which was better than most places."
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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Comments Policy
Stenger's an empty suit
September 29, 2007 - 19:03 ET by scamoramaStenger doesn't have a tenth the expertise of Michaels, but he's probably better-versed in the necessary politics.
A shame for the people of Virginia.
This speaks volumes
September 29, 2007 - 20:34 ET by Army Bratabout the hypocrisy on the left. There are no rules for the alarmists...just guidelines to be used as one sees fit. Can you imagine the howl if it was a pro AGW climatologist in this position? It would be good for a few days headlines at least. How pathetic.
Happy Trails...
Nothing New Here
September 29, 2007 - 21:18 ET by pbthinkerThere's nothing new here, this is how Democrats operate. Republicans should operate like this also, but they don't. If Republicans do this, the press is all over them, Democrats do it and it's business as usual.
No one should be surprised that the Post won't say anything negative about this. Anyone remember maccaca?
Never argue with an idiot. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.
Throwing Money Away
September 29, 2007 - 21:58 ET by Lame CherryThe fight over global warming is a ridiculous venture on both parts. Since it is a natural event caused by the sun which the Bible predicts along with many other monopoly factors from control of money, food, water and power will bring about cataclysmic wars.
Think of this in a math problem. Virginia is silencing a citizen who is bringing out facts. Lies prevail which are designed to enslave people and drain finances from the west to break them into vassal states. The inflow of power whether it is English in the American Revolution or Rommel in North Africa always results in supply dwindling.
Once supplies dwindle whether it is the Nazi using more resources than gaining in death camps or aborticide profiteers reaping more profit than the deficit of 6 million dead babies who will not be taxpayers..........the end result is always the collapse of the cause.
It does not make any difference if the cartel religion of anti life whose main thrust in this is killing of masses of people to martial resources for an immortal elite now about to initiate their new order based on the ancient rites...........it always comes to the natural law God instituted in that being:
This dimension no matter the asset gathered will always break down to the original elements and scatter within a specific time. It is as certain as an apple will decompose as the Tower of Babel will implode and combined power (the false life replacing God) will always fragment and scatter.
Billions which the world can not afford are being concentrated in sham science and once it overloads along with the attempted concentration of power........various predators will always assemble against each other, create wars for purpose of profit and power.......and bring everything tumbling down as they will not be able to control the random chance of war and it will consume them as well as the intended.
A world body citizens will always have like in animals, one group of rats who will refuse to be caught in a trap, eat poison, come out to be shot or succumb to disease to perpetuate the species. Humans showed this resilient nature in the Plague (Science now has shown the same gene pool which survived the Plague also have resistance to Aids.) In this once global warming or solar warming has collapses free societies, the wars and culling begin.......that there will always be a body of humans resistant to the collective.
It does not matter whether Reagan, the Pope and the Saudi's crumpled the Soviet Empire or if the Bolsheviks conducted an implosion to save themselves.........the important fact is the mass control of populations as in communist China still are rioting and refuse to march to the lock step...........and there are not enough resources to kill or murder billions of people and those same people are a necessary hedge against inbreeding as all peoples are not Basque genetic superiors not carrying weak genes.
This is all throwing money away and the mathematicians who are part of the cartel religion reviving the ancient sciences are more intelligent than to think they can overcome the mathematical laws of this dimension with their geometric frequency patterns. The same math they use to create is the same math which is defined to consume.
In that the cycle of sun is a frequency meant to consume or tribulate and they can in fake science or initiated measure only ride the light wave causing all of this.
In essence, the same silence being administered will be the curve silencing them. It is as much throwing money away in Virginia employing a "climatologist" (like Virginia can do anything about climate or it's climate has changed in any way to study worth noting) as it is throwing money at fake scientists feeding at the trough.
This will all melt down, decay, decompose and return to the sub base of the single human in control of the decision of their own destiny. That is the law in what "in the course of human events" to "unalienable rights" in the codes our founders were inspired by God to record in putting into words the basic science of physics they knew in their inpsired nature.
Billions which could have been used not in "liberal enslavement of mankind in welfare" but in the advancement of life quality are now being wasted. This will bite the people in power in cause and effect.The same Newton who observed the laws of nature is still the same Newton's Law which nothing outside of God can defer.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
The Governor
September 30, 2007 - 06:12 ET by ding7777of Virginia has no authority to "sack" the State Climatologist since the State Climatogist is employed by the UVa. The real problem with Micheals is getting a paycheck from anonymous energy companies.
You mean, like
September 30, 2007 - 06:33 ET by danboYou mean, like Hanson? Then a whole lot of people need to withdraw.
"There is a clear attempt to establish truth not by scientific methods but by perpetual repetition."
- Richard S. Lindzen, Ph.D. Professor of Meteorology, MIT
danbo, no
September 30, 2007 - 07:08 ET by ding7777Hansen never receive money from an (anonymous) source.
btw, how did the Gov of Virginia "arguably" silence Michaels? The Gov has no authority over the "State Climatologist"
No, he got it from known
September 30, 2007 - 07:34 ET by danboNo, he got it from known sources. One the Heinze foundation. 2 from his own admission he was offerded a 10,000 grant. From one of Soros foundations and by his own admission used legal and media resources paid by them. Which means his expenses were paid. And I doubt we know the full extent as no one's books were opened. Nor do we know who else Hansen got money from.
You're the one accusing Michaels of an impropriety in money. Yet your guru has also recieved money and services. You want to point fingers yet pretend everything is ok with the AGW mafia.
"There is a clear attempt to establish truth not by scientific methods but by perpetual repetition."
- Richard S. Lindzen, Ph.D. Professor of Meteorology, MIT
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September 30, 2007 - 08:03 ET by dahliatraversNot only did they get rid of Dr. Pat Michaels, they eliminated the position of State Climatologist?? That's a bit of an extreme measure.
Isn't anthropogenic global warming an important and alarming phenomenon? And wouldn't that make it correspondingly important for a state to have a Climatologist? So why would a state get rid of this position?
How typically Stalinesqe of the liberals...
September 30, 2007 - 10:13 ET by c5thenThey politicize a scientific issue (global warming) and then criticize a scientist for arguing against their side for getting involved in political matters. They hound the scientist so much and ask for investigations into whether he should be using his State post to discuss political issues, that the scientist resigns.
If a scientist is not free to express doubts about any theory or premis,then science is dead and we are back to the government dictating beliefs as in the "dark ages".
This is clearly a case of someone, a scientist, being forced out of a position because of his scientific views that are contrary to the Governor's political views.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Fred08.com
c5
September 30, 2007 - 10:25 ET bywould this have occured?:
"The University of Virginia's climatology data center is seeking a lower profile after its former top official, the state climatologist, resigned this past summer amid questions over whether he should use the position to promote his support of theories on global warming."
no he would be celebrated
Supreme Court, National Security, Borders, Fiscal Restraint, my litmus test for President.