Only a flunky flak would not ask questions given such data.How people call themselves scientists and not bureaucrats is the real question. Does holding a chart or graphic in ones hands entitle him to be categorized as 'scientist'? It certainly doesn't qualify one to be considered an 'engineer'.
The threshold of what qualifies as 'science' is way too low.
Top Physics Professor Resigns From Post, Denouncing Global Warming "Fraud"
Now, the more recent "tree ring" data. There were two major groups of tree rings. One came from trees that'd lived on top a tall hill or ridgeline along the Lena river in Siberia.
The samples had been taken several decades ago ~ for an entirely different purpose (like NO ONE would imagine you could determine actual temperature from a tree ring ~ maybe relative climate conditions, but not temperature)
Mann found a second, and more recent sample that had been taken of trees along the Lena river. He requested a set and included them in his analysis (if we can call it that).
Apparently unbeknownst to Mann at that time the second sample wasn't from the top of the hills ~ in fact, it was impossible to gather additional samples from those trees since the local climate had gotten much colder, deteriorated, and all the trees had died and been blown away into the nether regions of the Lena river estuary region.
The Russian sample takers cleverly went to the BOTTOM OF THE HILLS and took supplemental samples from trees that were still alive. Apparently for their purposes that was OK.
These projects are written up and available on the internet.
Well, anyway, ol'Doc Mann pawed through his samples of tree rings to get a stream of data to which he imputed temperatures.
Remember, it was colder up in the mountains where the first samples grew. It was warmer down in the valleys where the second samples grew.
He stuck his inferences from the two samples together and got a jump in temperature (just like you would get a jump in temperature comparing termometers at the bottom of Death Valley in summer with the top of Everest in winter).
He stuck them on the "current" end of his graph and voila, a hockeystick!
I think we are faced with a fork in the road. Either Dr. Mann is a bright guy with poor judgment or he's not a bright guy and engages in risky behavior.
So many choices; so little time.