Basically the guy largely responsible for this infamous graph that subsequently ignited global warming alarmism in the late '90s/early '00s:
Posted on 01/25/2024 11:13:31 AM PST by Ultra Sonic 007
After 12 years of wandering in the wilderness of the D.C. court system, Michael Mann’s defamation case against Mark Steyn and Rand Simberg has finally gone to trial. Opening statements were delivered today. The trial is being live-streamed, and I got the court’s app to work just in time to hear Steyn’s opening.
The case, as you likely recall, arises out of an internet post written by Simberg, which Steyn quoted and added a few comments to. The two posts drew a parallel between Jerry Sandusky, the disgraced Penn State football coach, and Mann, also a Penn State employee and, like Sandusky, investigated by Penn State’s administration in what amounted to a cover-up. Steyn described Mann’s famous hockey stick temperature chart–accurately–as fraudulent.
Mark fired his lawyer some time ago and elected to try his case pro se. I was afraid this might prove a bad mistake. Also, Mark has often talked about this lawsuit as a landmark free speech case. But defamation has always been recognized as an exception to the First Amendment, or whatever other free speech principles may apply. Free speech concerns are incorporated into defamation law, in the U.S., via the actual malice standard. I thought that the only way to try this case was with an aggressive truth defense. Even if the jury ultimately wasn’t sure which side was right in the global warming debate, it would be obvious that Mark believed that what he said about Mann’s hockey stick was true. Ergo, no actual malice.
I shouldn’t have worried. Mark’s opening statement, delivered on his own behalf, was a bravura performance. It was bold, frequently crossing the line, I thought, from exposition into argument–proper in a closing argument, but not an opening statement. It was shrewd, too. Mark showed one or two of Mann’s tweets, in which he attacked scientists and others who disagree with him–including one scientist who will be a witness in the case–in crude and childish terms. Mark portrayed Mann as a guy who lurks on Twitter, saying worse things about his critics than they say about him. A guy, Mark said, who can dish it out but can’t take it. That was an inspired theme.
And Mark’s opening was, happily, all about truth. Every word of his post, as he said repeatedly, was true. He did not back away from the comparison between Sandusky and Mann. On the contrary, he aggressively and effectively defended it. Not that Mann is a child abuser, of course: rather, the link is the corruption of Penn State’s administration, as embodied in Graham Spanier, the president of the university who went to prison, along with two other PSU administrators and Sandusky. In both Sandusky’s case and Mann’s, Penn State’s corrupt administration purported to investigate, but didn’t.
Mark displayed an email from Mann to a friend in which he said that he wasn’t worried about the administration’s investigation of his work, because he had gotten a phone call from Graham Spanier–who was not supposed to be involved in the investigation, at all–and Spanier had been reassuring. Mark showed photos of Spanier and the other Penn State administrators in prison jump suits.
So, in my opinion as a reformed trial lawyer, the case is off to a good start. Whether Mark can maintain the high standard he set today remains to be seen. But the day will come when he, personally, will cross-examine Michael Mann. I may have to buy a plane ticket to Washington to see it.
Steyn is a genius. I have long despised Never-Trump Hinderaker, and the fact that he underestimated Steyn confirms my assessment.
“The Climatic Research Unit scumbags were ALL caught red handed. They later claimed that the emails were taken out of context. No they weren’t. The emails PROVED there was indeed a cabal of climate “scientist” conspiring to push the global warming hoax. These filthy pricks should ALL be fired along with the media enablers who hid the truth.”
BTTT
I'm actually glad about that. Here is my thinking:
When he was first charged in that lawsuit; most people believed the "Global Warming" b.s. Now, I think people are much more skeptical about it. This may help his case, as he may be seen as someone who was ahead of the curve on this subject; instead of a "climate denier", if it had taken place much sooner.
Steyn deserves a big win here, this is being streamed?
Michael Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author, and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas.
Mann has received numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as nominations for four Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
His most acclaimed works include the films
Thief (1981),
Manhunter (1986),
The Last of the Mohicans (1992),
Heat (1995),
The Insider (1999),
Ali (2001),
Collateral (2004),
and Public Enemies (2009).
He is also known for his role as executive producer on the popular TV series Miami Vice (1984–90)
wow.
( i wonder if there is a brief synopsis of the current state of affairs somewhere.)
I think the East Anglia CRU guys are now mostly retired.
From the world of why one shouldn’t mix politics and science and committed by our side of the aisle.
Maggie Thatcher gave out the initial funding to set up the CRU. The idea was to discredit the use of coal in order to gain leverage over Neil Kinnock. Kinnock and his UK Coal miners’ union were routinely paralyzing British governments. Collapsing a few making all sorts of demands like keeping mines open that produced no coal.
Moral of the story: Sometimes even the good gals\guys do dumb political things and it comes back to bite them!
Go Mark!
Basically the guy largely responsible for this infamous graph that subsequently ignited global warming alarmism in the late '90s/early '00s:
Mark Steyn has been VERY ill this is not the time for him to be going through this, I HATE THE LEFT!!!
I don’t believe Mann was ever at Penn, he was at UVA then Penn State then Yale.
It was proved not long after this bubbled to the surface the east Anglia people changed all the data upwards then destroyed the original database. It was never lost, it was deliberately destroyed so they couldn't get charged with manipulating the data.
This PDF document produced by the Lavoisier Group, outlines all the despicable Climate Fraud. It is a world wide hoax with nearly ALL western governments in on the machinations.
My niece is named Harmony.....She is brilliant...but waste’s her brilliants...
Is this supposed to be a joke?
No, wait. That's not funny.
He was at UVA when I was there...It was him and his detractor Pat Michaels going at it over there. Wonder if Steyn will call Michaels as a witness to Mann’s chicanery.
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