BatesMotel#2 - US Rep Lamar Smith - Follow the money. A collection.

This is a tour de force of sorts, that is if you like collections of valuable information.  In particular background information for who this US Representative Lamar Smith is and why he's the darling and good servant to the Texas oil aristocracy.

https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/06/21/exxon-koch-lamar-smith-exxon-knew

No commentary simply a sampling of articles and quotes.  First related to US Representative Lamar Smith, chairman of the House “Science” Committee.  Then to the people who own him and a peek behind the curtain of the only constituency that matters in Rep Smith’s pay to play world.  

https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/industries.php?cycle=2016&cid=N00001811

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Battle between NSF and House science committee escalates: How did it get this bad? | Oct. 2, 2014 

Lamar Smith’s dreadful plan to religion up your science | May 6, 2013

Lamar Smith on Principles & Values - Christian Scientist.

House Science Committee Is More Worried About Aliens Than Climate Change | May 22, 2014

Rep. Lamar Smith, Who Criticized ‘The Idea Of Human-Made Global Warming,’ Set To Chair House Science Panel | Nov 28, 2012

The Disgrace of Lamar Smith and the House Science Committee | NOV. 17, 2015

7 Very Wrong Things About Climate Science And Energy In House Science Chair Lamar Smith’s - May 20, 2013

Merchants of Doubt  

The Republican War On Science 

NEW DREXEL STUDY REVEALS FUNDERS BEHIND CLIMATE CHANGE DENIAL EFFORT | Dec 20, 2013

Trump Billionaires Have Poured Millions Into Climate Science Denial | January 17, 2017

Koch Industries multibillionaire Koch brothers bankroll attacks on climate change science and policy |  March 18, 2010

Peabody Coal Bankruptcy Reveals Climate Denial Network Funding | June 13, 2016

Climate Change Denial Arguments

Climate Myths sorted by taxonomy

Prominent Climate Change Deniers

America's theologians of climate science denial | November 4, 2012

Peabody Energy Funding Climate Change Denial and Anti-Renewable Campaigns | 2016

Rex Tillerson's Record on Climate Change: Rhetoric vs. Reality | Dec 22, 2016

Exxon boss: climate change is ‘real’ and ‘serious’ | Oct 19, 2016

Who is Bankrolling the Climate Change Counter-Movement?

Here's A List Of All The Science That Donald Trump Denies     

(edited at 11:15 pm Mtn Time, Feb 18)

BatesMotel#1-US Rep Lamar Smith, Koch ties shackles behavior

In an upcoming post I'm going to dissect US Representative Lamar Smith's February 5th press release on behalf of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.  The one where he uses the words of John Bates in an attempted character assassination.  But before I get to that I want to present some background information.  First an article by Steve Horn printed at DeSmogBlog in June of last year.

Exxon, Koch Ties May Help Explain Rep. Lamar Smith's Probing Request of "Exxon Knew" Environmental Groups

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith recently caused a ruckus by targeting environmental groups that are pushing for ExxonMobil to be held accountable for funding climate change denial despite their deep internal corporate knowledge of the role of fossil fuel pollution in global warming. Rep. Smith penned letters to several environmental groups and foundations requesting all of their…

GOP House Science Committee Delusionals - Americans, now what are you going to do?

This is fresh news and fits right in with my little debate regarding the Republican disconnect from our planet's physical reality.  But I will have Graham Readfearn tell this story, thanks to DeSmogBlog's easy Republish option.  Although now with Trump and his cronies taking over all branches of our government what's a concerned citizen to do?  I don't know, but lots and lots of phone calls do make a difference up on the hill.

Voter Backlash Forced Republicans To Abandon Plans To Destroy Ethics Committee. - January 4, 2017 

https://trofire.com/2017/01/04/voter-backlash-forced-republicans-abandon-plans-destroy-ethics-committee/

Tips on Calling Your Member of Congress

http://civilrights.org/action_center/resources/calling-congress.html

When you dial 202-224-3121 you are directed to an operator at the Capitol switchboard. This switchboard can direct you to both senators as well as representatives.

Once the operator answers, ask to be connected to whomever you are trying to reach. They will send you to your senator's or representative's office line, and a legislative assistant will answer the phone.

It is important to let them know why you are calling and what issue you are calling about. You will sometimes be able to speak directly to your senator or representative, but more often you will speak to a staff person in the member's office. This person keeps track of how many people called and their positions on issues, and provides a summary to the member. Be assured that your call does count, even if you are not able to speak directly to your senator or representative.

* You can also find the direct number to any member's office by consulting the

Senate phone list or House phone list

How to be effective about contacting your senator: What Really Happens When You Call?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/10/91524/-

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House Science Committee's Twitter Account Is Now Just Another Climate Science Denial Troll

There are plenty of climate science-denying trolls out there happy to dump their logical fallacies and partisan hyperlinks all over your social media feeds. You know, just for kicks. They'll litter Twitter with claims that global warming has stopped and fill Facebook with conspiracy theories like climate change science is a secret socialist plot. But it…

Profiles in Delusion - Bob Walker's NASA plans

Well, I can hide, but the ‘honey-do’ list finds me every time, maybe once I’m caught up (haha) I’ll get that full day(s) to focus on writing I keep hoping for.  Though I did get a few uninterrupted hours in and have a couple posts closer to being done. 

In my always growing backlog of projects is one started after reading an article by Oliver Milman about Trump's rationale to crackdown on "politicized science" meaning NASA's Earth Observation Mission - according to Bob Walker, a senior Trump campaign adviser: there was no need for Nasa to do what he has previously described as “politically correct environmental monitoring”.  In these people's minds keeping an eye on Earth's environmental systems is some frivolous waste of money.  I would love to see an honest rational person try to argue why our Earth's changing climate system is of so little interest, that our government's scientists should ignore it - bet I won't find any takers.  

I mean these people are so disconnected from basic down to Earth realities, they actually don't understand why we need healthy ecological systems and a diverse functioning biological web of live.  As for our atmosphere, they can't conceive how it could possibly have an impact on the planet's weather systems and biosphere.  It would be ludicrous except these types are becoming ever more powerful and have now been handed the operation of our government without any restraints - except for a concerned, informed, engaged, vocal public.  

Ugliest is that these Alt-right and Tea-partiers and the evangelical right are all so self-centered and self-certain that "God" is on their side that anyone who tries to school them differently is perceived an enemy and treated with contempt and ruthless hostility.

In any event, today DeSmogBlog published an article by retired Rear Admiral of the US Navy, David Titley PhD, who is now Professor at Penn State.  Here he gives this Trump threat a far superior and authoritative treatment than I could dream of, so I've purchased permission to repost his words from DeSmogBlog and am checking this one off my list.  For more details, check out Oliver Milman's informative news story.

"Trump to scrap Nasa climate research in crackdown on ‘politicized science’"

Nasa’s Earth science division is set to be stripped of funding as the president-elect seeks to shift focus away from home in favor of deep space exploration
Oliver Milman in New York | November 23, 2016  |  The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/nov/22/nasa-earth-donald-trump-eliminate-climate-change-research _______________________________________________________________________

Eyes in the Sky: Cutting NASA Earth Observations Would Be a Costly Mistake

By David Titley, Pennsylvania State University Donald Trump's election is generating much speculation about how his administration may or may not reshape the federal government. On space issues, a senior Trump advisor, former Pennsylvania Rep. Bob Walker, has called for ending NASA earth science research, including work related to climate change. Walker contends that NASA's proper…

Documenting Peabody Energy's failed courtroom deception - John Mashey

A month ago I posted: Judge rules: Drs. Spencer, Lindzen, Happer are not credible expert witnesses! about the rejection of the nonsensical claims of a number of expert climate science contrarians by a court of law.  It was a reminder that truth really does matter.  Today I saw that John Mashey has done a review of that court case and its highlights, including links to most the relevant documentation in this DeSmogBlog Repost.  It's a data gold mine for the serious student who wants to delve into the details of how contrarians try to deceive and I'm happy to add it to my collection:

Peabody's Outlier Gang Couldn't Shoot Straight In Minnesota Carbon Case, Judge Rebuffs Happer, Lindzen, Spencer, Mendelsohn, Bezdek

Overview On 04/13/15, Peabody Energy followed other major coal companies into bankruptcy, and days later lost a battle in a landmark legal war on Minnesota's Social Cost of Carbon (SCC). The "best" gang1 of climate denial outliers they could hire tried to confuse the court with absurd claims in both science and economics. The Judge was…

Viner 2000 - No More Snow - SAY WHAT?

My dialogue with Lawyer continues, even as it's turned into another Whac-A-Mole exercise, where every response from me, is answered with avoiding my answers, along with ignoring my counter questions, instead willy-nilly piling on one rotten red herring after another.  

One of her diversions, hit the mark because it's such a perfect example of their contempt for accuracy - and in fact, an example of their practice of malicious manufactured slander with intent to harm and vandalize an honorable professional and his work - that saturates the climate science contrarian community. 

Specifically, the claim that Dr. David Viner predicted in 2000 that “Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past” - when in fact he never said that, an editor fabricated that copy selling headline.  It was nothing more than bait to sell papers and confuse people, not anything that Dr. Viner actually predicted.  

While researching this on the internet I was astounded at how well the Republican/libertarian PR machine has saturated the internet with repetitions and variations on this piece of malicious, I dare call it "criminal" mischief.

That's why I believe a DeSmogBlog Repost is in order.  This time it's an article by Graham Readfearn with more details about this fraud:

Climate Science Denier James Delingpole Calls For "Alarmists" To Face Court With Death Penalty Powers

I IMAGINE only a small percentage of people reading this have had any journalism training, but don't let that stop you from pondering the following ethical question. If you read a newspaper story that included a direct quote from someone - let's say, for instance, UK climate scientist Dr David Viner - would it be acceptable…

John Mashey looks behind Dr. Ivar Giaever's facade

Last month in my 'sock puppet' series I spent much time participating in and reporting on a debate within the comments of a YouTube video, "The PseudoScience of CO2 Based Climate" given by another self-deluded but oh so self-certain old character.  I know it's rude but the utter childishness of Giaever's arguments demand no less.  I'm amazed such transparent fraudsters aren't tossed out by their ears.  Nah, instead they get paraded around and applauded in a sick strategic effort to keep the public ill-informed.  Why do I think I can say such things about Ivar Giaever, well it's his own words and track record that speak for themselves.

I'll let John Mashey explain the details in this Repost of his recent DeSmogBlog article - after all he knows them much, much better than I do.
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Ivar Giaever: Nobel Icon For Climate Deniers, and Philip Morris

Sensible Nobel laureates study new topics before offering strong opinions on them. For example, at nearby Stanford, Burton Richter "retired" from high-energy physics, and kept contributing, as in talks, book and energy efficiency project. Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has no problem speaking on climate science. Of course, both have easy access to top…

1000frolly and how the science denying PR machine operates

Lately I've been marveling at the prodigious output of disingenuous climate science ridiculing videos by a certain 1000frolly at YouTube.  He went into over-drive around the Paris climate conference:

4 in the past 24 hours (+4)

11 in the past 2 days (+7)

19 in the past week (+8)

27 in the past 2 weeks (+8)

31 in the past 3 weeks (+4)

39 in the past month (+8)

Everything from "The rise of eco terrorism" - "our last year of freedom?" - to "human CO2 emission are wholly beneficial" - to claiming the scientific understanding of greenhouse gases is a big hoax, of course, ignoring all the modern marvels that demand and in their own way prove that thorough understanding!  

His videos exude such a contempt for Earth's physical being and processes - along with hostility and a contrived paranoid attitude towards their 'opponents' and the established scientific community at large, that I've been increasingly curious about who's behind this YouTube Channel.  

Today I came across an indication that this 1000frolly might be the infamous  Lord  Monckton himself.  This piqued my interest since I've had a few go-arounds with both 1000frolly and the Lord himself, whom I'll admit I studied closely for a while and am in awe of, as a political performer that is.  Unfortunately, the substance of his rhetoric is loaded with malicious fraud.  

Trying to solve the mystery I visited two of his YouTube vids and asked him straight out if he was Lord Monckton, so far no response. (1000frolly has responded with the highbrow: "Sorry; I only answer scientific questions.")  Later while trying to track down more information I came across this excellent exposition on one particular chapter in the War on Science which did such a good job of detailing the networks and connection at work, including Monckton and 1000frolly, that I thought it should be added to my collection.  Regarding the mystery of who's behind 1000frolly if anyone out there has any information please do share.

Now I will hand it over to John Mashey who has done some detailed research into the ways and means of the climate science contrarian PR campaign again people's right to learn about serious climate science and their one and only planet.

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https://www.desmogblog.com/2013/08/25/defamation-by-internet-part-1-murry-salbys-short-lived-blog-storm