Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Climate Science?

"You have signed the death warrant of science."

polluterwatch.org

Last week a group of 20 very alarmed climate scientists revealed that they had sent a letter to President Barack Obama, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy director John Holdren asking for a civil investigataion into companies and organizations that publicly express doubt about predictions of impending catastrophic man-made global warming pursuant to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act. The letter specifically urged that the administration launch …

…a RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) investigation of corporations and other organizations that have knowingly deceived the American people about the risks of climate change, as a means to forestall America's response to climate change. …

The methods of these organizations are quite similar to those used earlier by the tobacco industry. A RICO investigation (1999 to 2006) played an important role in stopping the tobacco industry from continuing to deceive the American people about the dangers of smoking. If corporations in the fossil fuel industry and their supporters are guilty of the misdeeds that have been documented in books and journal articles, it is imperative that these misdeeds be stopped as soon as possible so that America and the world can get on with the critically important business of finding effective ways to restabilize the Earth's climate, before even more lasting damage is done.

Georgia Tech climatologist Judith Curry quotes an email her colleague Peter Webster sent to one of the letter's signatories: You have signed the death warrant for science. Maybe not a death warrant, but certainly a new low in politicizing science.

Comments

[Jordan]

So now the Church of Carbontology is pressing for blasphemy laws. Fitting.

[tarran]

It's so funny how CAGW cultists scream they are not promoting a religion while acting exactly like members of every fucking doomsday cult that makes apocalyptic predictions that fail to come true.

[Ra's al Gore]

Report: Climate scientist who wants to bring skeptics up on RICO charges makes $750K/yr thanks to taxpayers

From 2012-2014 Leader of RICO20 climate scis paid self &wife; $1.5M from gov't climate grants for part-time work

? Roger Pielke Jr. (@RogerPielkeJr) September 20, 2015

The $350k-400k/yr paid leader of the RICO20 from his "non-profit" presumably on top of his $250k/yr academic salary

? Roger Pielke Jr. (@RogerPielkeJr) September 20, 2015

[Sapient Mulch]

If you're not part of the solution...

[Ted S.]

You're part of the precipitate?

[BigT]

A colloidal suspension?

[Austrian Anarchy]

Patriarchy? Sorry, that is my favorite leftoid quip as of late.

[Austrian Anarchy]

You don't say.

[wareagle]

Indeed. How dare anyone express doubt about predictions coming from a group with, as best I can tell, a record of total failure on predictions.

[PlaystoomuchHALO]

"20 very alarmed climate scientists"

Would these be the ones futzing with temperature data in order to keep their grant money coming in?

[C. S. P. Schofield]

Yes. They are greatly alarmed that if this goes on they might have to start working for a lving.

[Old Man With Candy]

We have to protect our phoney baloney jobs here, gentlemen! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately! Immediately! Harrumph! Harrumph! Harrumph!

[Francisco d'Anconia]

I didn't get a harrumph from that guy.

[tarran]

Probably not.

The ones engaged in shenanigans keep a low profile lest their dirt laundry be outed.

I suspect that these are true believers who just can't figure out why their religion has peaked and is in a slow decline. They assume that this must be the work of Satan's followers sabotaging their attempts to bring God's word to the people and are hoping for a tool, any tool, that can stop the Prince of Lies in his tracks.

[Mrs. Lemuel Struthers]

OT:

49% of Americans say government is an immediate threat to citizens' freedom

My question: what's wrong with the other 51%?

[In League with the Dark Ones]

They work for the government.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

I remember when it was only 47%.

[bacon-magic]

They get paid by the taxpayers. FTFY (that includes the employees and the unemployees)

[CatoTheChipper]

You are rather loose with the word 'work'.

[R C Dean]

Well, around 20% of them actually work for the government . . . .

[C. S. P. Schofield]

They think government is an EVENTUAL threat.

[R C Dean]

To the extent the DOJ cares about what statutes actually say, this will be tough under RICO, which requires that actual criminal laws other than RICO be broken multiple times.

So, what other crimes have the climate scientists (I won't call them "skeptics" because I won't play the rigged game that the climatistas want to play) committed?

[tarran]

They didn't credulously accept what they were being told and actually examined the evidence and hypotheses for holes.

In science a lack of faith is praiseworthy.

In religion it is literally damned.

[RBS]

Crimes Against Humanity, Crimes Against Nature, Crimes Against THE STATE.

[B.P.]

Hey, give them a break -- They're hysterical letter-signers, not prosecutors.

[Ra's al Gore]

To the extent the DOJ cares about what statutes actually say

Penaltax

[Agammamon]

RICO, which requires that actual criminal laws other than RICO be broken multiple times.

I don't believe this is true - RICO deals with conspiracy - *intent* - and a conspiracy can be shown to exist (under RICO's very lax standards) even for a pattern of behavior where every individual act (except one) is legal and the participants never even overtly communicate with each other.

[waffles]

Judith Curry's letter seems on point to me. Why are scientists letting themselves become political pawns? What does science have to do with what is clearly a nonscientific issue? Those northern Virginia professors must live in one hell of an echo chamber in order to think this is a good idea.

[mfckr]

Because being political pawns nets them more money.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

I'm willing to believe most of these people earnestly believe that they are correct, and propose these things out of fear for the planet and human well-being.

And I extend the same courtesy to those scientists who disagree and argue the opposite.

[mfckr]

Maybe. But there's obviously a lot of grant money circulating in academia for pro-AGW research, and a culture of thought has emerged around that to keep the $ flowing. Incentives can certainly influence a person's beliefs.

[Old Man With Candy]

'm willing to believe most of these people earnestly believe that they are correct

Upton Sinclair's famous quote comes to mind: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!"

[mad.casual]

Those northern Virginia professors must live in one hell of an echo chamber in order to think this is a good idea.

An echo chamber that is well short of the 100K signatures needed to prompt a response to a petition on whitehouse.gov and seems to know it.

[MJGreen - Docile Citizen]

"You have signed the death warrant of science."

Nothing more really needs to be said. That is exactly what these twenty morons are doing. Have some damn perspective, you numbskulls.

[BigT]

organizations that have knowingly deceived the American people about the risks of climate change, as a means to INSTIGATE America's response to climate change. ...

FIFY

[R C Dean]

If I'm looking around for a big fraud case having to do with global warming "science", I'd probably start with the guys who are submitting phat grant applications, you know?

Be careful what you wish for, climatistas . . . .

[Juan Segway, Sidewalk Avenger]

Isn't this exactly how the golden age of science in the Islamic world ended?

[Warty]

Kind of that, but also kind of the Mongols sacking Baghdad too.

[Heroic Mulatto]

I would suggest that the true cause of the decline of the Golden Age of Islamic Science were the issuance of proclamations such as this:

The hospital shall keep all patients, men and women, until they are completely recovered. All costs are to be borne by the hospital whether the people come from afar or near, whether they are residents or foreigners, strong or weak, low or high, rich or poor, employed or unemployed, blind or sighted, physically or mentally ill, learned or illiterate. There are no conditions of consideration and payment, none is objected to or even indirectly hinted at for non-payment.

[commodious spittoon]

In other words, hospitals shall cease to exist.

[mfckr]

Interesting.

[Warty]

Oh, so in case you missed my recommendation, you might like this. It managed the impossible feat of simultaneously being fascinating and reliably putting me to sleep.

[Heroic Mulatto]

784 pages? That goes on the "not until I finish the data analysis portion of my study" list.

[Juan Segway, Sidewalk Avenger]

Hm. I was referencing Taqi al-Din's observatory, but this...yeah. This explains a lot.

[Warty]

I think you might be onto something, though. The Mamluks and their contemporaries were far more oppressive and totalitarian than previous governments.

[MacDaddy81]

Newer evidence suggests they stole many of those ideas from India anyway.

[Paul.]

Apparently what we call 'arabic numbers' and the introduction of the concept of zero (0) is Hindu in origin.

[MacDaddy81]

Exactly.

[Gene]

So this isn't an Onion piece?

[LoneWaco]

I fucking love science witch hunts!

[Wasteland Wanderer]

I observed what you did there, and am dutifully recording the result applying a "trick" to make my observations fit my preconceived notions.

[Corning]

"You have signed the death warrant for science. Maybe not a death warrant, but certainly a new low in politicizing science."

Ah yes. In the face of government scientists who receive billions in grants and funding calling to fill prisons with people who disagree with them Ron decides to play Solomon and split the child in half over how science might be harmed.....

Never mind the naked tyranny.

[SamDod598]

I like to roll that beautiful bean footage.

http://www.Full-Anon.tk

[Bubba Jones]

In my professional experience, researchers lack even the most basic grasp of ethical concepts.

[Migrant Log Chipper]

I read a similar piece by Steyn ....my first thought was time to fuel up the woodchipper.

[IceTrey]

Meanwhile they ignore the solution, the molten salt thorium reactor.

[Rebel Scum]

asking for a civil investigataion into companies and organizations that publicly express doubt

In other words, they want people prosecuted for thought-crime. The AGW crowd is full of nothing but totalitarian enablers and wannabe's.

[Pathogen]

The soothing sound of the wheels coming off their gravy train..
.
Desperation is a stinky cologne"

[Jackand Ace]

A "death blow to science?" And "maybe not," Ronald? Yikes. Exaggerate much? Its 20 scientists voicing their opinion, something climate scientists are starting to do more because of all the deaf ears on the reality AGW. But have at it, if it's so concerning to you.

In the meantime, we just experienced the warmest summer on record, and we are most certainly on the way to shattering the previous record for the year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/.....data-show/

No that's a story worthy of getting your dander up, Ronald.

[OldMexican]

Re: Jackass Ass,

Its 20 scientists voicing their opinion,

20 scientists ask the government to criminally investigate dissidents and Jackass Ass says this is nothing than "voicing their opinion".

something climate scientists are starting to do more because of all the deaf ears on the reality AGW

So in essence, science is about speaking ex cathedra.

The Jackass has spoken! And.... nobody listens!

[NotAnotherSkippy]

And what do the satellites say? The pause abides and the models have now breached the 97% CI.

[dantheserene]

Holy crap, the first six signatories are from GMU. The school that gave us the Mercatus Center and my bachelor's degree has gone off the rails.

[kevrob]

No matter how many free market-loving economists work at a state school, it is still a state school, and, outside of the ECON department, is bound to be rife with people who are either ideologically statist, or unconsciously so.

You mean schools and universities can be private? Who knew? Now, where's my paycheck full of tax money?!

Kevin R

[Jackand Ace]

So, Ronald, as you and Judith Curry fret how a letter written by 20 scientists will end all of science as we know it, a new real scientific study published in Nature tells us what we can expect if the permafrost melts, a now real possibility.

"The Arctic is warming roughly twice as fast as the global average1. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase at current rates, this warming will lead to the widespread thawing of permafrost and the release of hundreds of billions of tonnes of CO2 and billions of tonnes of CH4 into the atmosphere2.... Under the A1B scenario, CO2 and CH4 released from permafrost increases the mean net present value of the impacts of climate change by US$43 trillion, or about 13% (5?95% range: US$3?166 trillion), proportional to the increase in total emissions due to thawing permafrost. The extra impacts of the permafrost CO2 and CH4 are sufficiently high to justify urgent action to minimize the scale of the release."

That's right, $43T. But thanks for alerting the readers about that scurrilous letter and how damaging it will be.

[Jackand Ace]

Link

http://www.nature.com/nclimate.....e2807.html

[Greg F]

Under the A1B scenario ...

So the whole thing is based on failed computer simulations. Wonderful.

Jackand Ace your an idiot.

[PM]

If prior predictions hold true, the carbon bloom should probably be sequestered in the newly-risen oceans after the Himalayan glaciers melt.

[Cyto]

That's a pretty silly take. We have a group seriously requesting that the power of the state be used to silence those that disagree with them.

Pointing out some third group who published an article that the critics would also disagree with is not a very legitimate argument. Unless of course you believe that being right makes throwing people who disagree with you in jail alright.

[MikeP]

"...increases the mean net present value of the impacts of climate change by US$43 trillion, or about 13%..."

13%. A whole 13%!

Is this finally the straw that breaks the back of A1B, a scenario that persistently demonstrates that unrestrained growth provides much greater benefit than its concomitant climate change produces damage?

"The extra impacts of the permafrost CO2 and CH4 are sufficiently high to justify urgent action to minimize the scale of the release."

Given the pattern of these arguments, I find this claim dubious.

[PM]

"Our evidence is so strong that we must suppress with coercive violence any dissenting viewpoints against it!"

Said no scientist ever.

[kevrob]

Said no scientist ever.

Ultimately, Lysenkoism failed to deliver on its promises in agricultural yields and even had unfortunate consequences such as the arresting, firing, or execution of 3,000 biologists due to attempts from Lysenko to suppress opposition to his theory, the president of the Agriculture Academy was sent to prison and died there, and overall, scientific research in genetics was effectively destroyed until the death of Stalin in 1953. Due to Lysenkoism, crop yields in the USSR declined as well.
Lysenkoism is used metaphorically to describe the manipulation or distortion of the scientific process as a way to reach a predetermined conclusion as dictated by an ideological bias, often related to social or political objectives. - Wikipedia on Lysekoism

I guess you mean Lysenko was no scientist?

Kevin R

[BigT]

The scientists opinions matter just as much as yours or mine. Not more.