Contact Information: CONTACT: The Center for Science and Public Policy 209 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Ste. 2100 Washington, D.C. 20003 Phone: (202) 454-5249 Email: Email Contact WEB SITE: http://ff.org/centers/csspp/pdf/20061212_monckton.pdf
British Lord Stings Senators Rockefeller and Snowe: 'Uphold Free Speech or Resign'
| Source: Center for Science and Public Policy
WASHINGTON, DC -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 18, 2006 -- Ewire -- Lord Monckton, Viscount of
Brenchley, has sent an open letter to Senators Rockefeller (D-WV) and Snowe
(R-Maine) in response to their recent open letter telling the CEO of
ExxonMobil to cease funding climate-skeptic scientists, according to The
Center for Science and Public Policy.
(http://ff.org/centers/csspp/pdf/20061212_monckton.pdf).
Lord Monckton, former policy adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher,
writes: "You defy every tenet of democracy when you invite ExxonMobil to
deny itself the right to provide information to 'senior elected and
appointed government officials' who disagree with your opinion."
In what The Charleston (WV) Daily Mail has called "an intemperate attempt
to squelch debate with a hint of political consequences," Senators
Rockefeller and Snowe released an open letter dated October 30 to
ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson, insisting he end Exxon's funding of a
"climate change denial campaign." The Senators labeled scientists with whom
they disagree as "deniers," a term usually directed at "Holocaust deniers."
Some voices on the political left have called for the arrest and
prosecution of skeptical scientists. The British Foreign Secretary has said
skeptics should be treated like advocates of Islamic terror and must be
denied access to the media.
Responds Lord Monckton, "Sceptics and those who have the courage to support
them are actually helpful in getting the science right. They do not, as you
improperly suggest, 'obfuscate' the issue: they assist in clarifying it by
challenging weaknesses in the 'consensus' argument and they compel
necessary corrections ... "
Lord Monckton's Churchillian reproof continues, "You acknowledge the
effectiveness of the climate sceptics. In so doing, you pay a compliment to
the courage of those free-thinking scientists who continue to research
climate change independently despite the likelihood of refusal of
publication in journals that have taken preconceived positions; the hate
mail and vilification from ignorant environmentalists; and the threat of
loss of tenure in institutions of learning which no longer make any
pretence to uphold or cherish academic freedom."
For the full story please click on the following link:
http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/3561