And this is supposed to be an article about "climate change," on its merits? There is not a single statement about the current state of the science of climate change in this entire article.
What we have instead goes entirely to ad hominem considerations. Moreover, this 100-proof exercise in pure sophistry seems to have only one end in view: to separate, on the basis of ideology (or "received opinion") the "good guys" from the "bad guys" in the public mind, on what should be purely scientific questions.
Indeed, the author has already firmly confessed to this, in saying that it is conservative thought itself — right-wing ideology, that is — that is "wrong" on this issue, and thus must be defeated by this saintly crowd of AGW devotees, who are being unfairly beat up by the "hired guns" of the nefarious energy industry and its nefarious cohorts.
What does anything of this have to do with actual science???
Our attention is diverted here to the sheer nobility of the AGW pioneers. They are the beacons of truth. They are virtuous, down to the core. So much so, that we must shoot a video, capturing them in the "truth" of all their raw, passionate humanity — I gather the idea here mainly being that the more we see how lovely these people are personally, the more we can forgive the sheer craftiness (including cheating) of their personal pronouncements on climate "change."
Of course, let it not be thought that these beacons of truth are at all affected by pecuniary considerations of filthy lucre. They are far too noble for that dontcha know.
And yet in saying "Their lives have been upended in an effort to have their research suspended," I think we get the main clue behind the writing of an article like this.
The main fear on exhibit here is loss of research grants, of academic positions, of professional respectability, ultimately of personal self-esteem and self-satisfaction.
Nothing in this catalogue of "sins" has anything to do with legitimate science.
It is all entirely a side show, all sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Still, dear Cincinatus' Wife, it is deeply distressing that a screed like this can pass muster as a bone fide contribution to rational public discourse.
It doesn't "contribute"; and it isn't even "rational."
It’s become their religion - and they want it to be a universal religion.
The insane closed minded/single-mindedness of these science thugs is the ignoring of the most dangerous developing pollutions in the environment. We humans are literally poisoning our planet while arguing about anthropogenic warming so that an elite gaggle of wealth-beyond-avarice oligarchs can enslave more people via taxation on ‘carbon’ totals. It is a form of deadly insanity to allow this great deceit to continue.
I tire of all the politics under the cover of science.