Free Republic

A previously unknown agreement signed by the 15 Democratic state attorneys' general that represents a united assault on climate change skeptics shows just how broadly the coalition will interpret the law to attack and harass those who disagree with them. The agreement also makes clear that the investigation by prosecutors will remain secret - a star chamber if there ever was one. I really hope Exxon will hold out and refuse to settle with these vultures.

Democratic operatives responsible for creating their party’s platform this year have unanimously adopted a provision calling for the Department of Justice to investigate companies who disagree with Democrats on global warming science. A panel of Democrats voted Friday to approve a final draft of the party’s platform to promote “Progressive Democratic Values,” which apparently includes investigating energy companies who “misled” shareholders about global warming. “Another joint proposal calling on the Department of Justice to investigate alleged corporate fraud on the part of fossil fuel companies who have reportedly misled shareholders and the public on the scientific reality of climate change was also...

Two months ago Attorney General Loretta Lynch admitted during congressional testimony that Justice Department attorneys were looking into punishment for the fossil fuel industry and certain individuals, including academics and researchers. Their crime? Rejection or denial of climate change and therefore being opposed to President Obama's agenda on the issue. Today, five Republican Senators have sent a letter to Lynch reminding her that in America, we don't have thought police and the Justice Department doesn't have the power or authority to punish an entire industry because the people in it they think differently than the progressives in charge of the...

Why do liberals hate science? The left has long claimed that it has something of a monopoly on scientific expertise. For instance, long before Al Gore started making millions by claiming that anyone who disagreed with his apocalyptic prophecies was "anti-science," there were the "scientific socialists." "Social engineer" is now rightly seen as a term of scorn and derision, but it was once a label that progressive eggheads eagerly accepted. Masking opinions in a white smock is a brilliant, albeit infuriating and shabby, rhetorical tactic. As the late Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion,...

The ghost of Stalinist “science” is back with Lysenkoism 2.0. When top climate experts such as MIT's Richard Lindzen and former NASA climatologist Roy Spencer ridiculed the alarmist movement as the “climate cult” and “global warming Nazis,” they were a lot closer to the mark than even they probably realized. Instead of explaining why the satellite and weather balloon temperature record shows that there has been no warming in over 18 years, in defiance of every United Nations “climate model,” the warmists have decided to simply prosecute and terrorize their critics with threats of fines, jail time, and even executions....

The conservative media sites CNS News and The Blaze generated a buzz when they reported that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch had discussed taking legal action against “climate change deniers.” The stories focused on recent testimony Lynch gave before a Senate committee hearing. But the stories appear to exaggerate the extent to which the Department of Justice has gone after climate change skeptics. According to Lynch’s office, the action, asking the FBI investigate an allegation of wrongdoing, involves one party — the oil company Exxon Mobil. Individuals have not been targeted for investigation, according to the department, nor were any...

Just when we thought liberalism can’t get any more authoritarian, the Obama administration reminds us that it can.Attorney General Loretta Lynch recently confirmed that she had “referred” the “matter” of whether climate change “deniers” should be brought to court on racketeering charges to the FBI.Yes, that’s right. If you happen to disagree with the administration’s views of global warming, you could face a civil suit accusing you of fraud and corruption. This represents a breathtaking corruption of the law. Laws designed to catch mafia figures on corruption charges could be twisted to punish Americans whose only crime is to contest...

Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Wednesday that she has explored ways to “take action” on turning climate-change denial into a federal crime. Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse used a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to liken companies that refute certain environmental studies to the tobacco industry once downplaying the correlation between smoking and cancer. The Rhode Island senator then asked Lynch why the Obama administration has “done nothing” to civilly pursue energy companies in court. “This matter has been discussed. We have received information about it and have referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria...

.....Loretta Lynch acknowledged Wednesday that there have been discussions within the Department of Justice about possibly pursuing civil action against so-called climate change deniers.

Current attacks on those who question the science of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are signs of desperation. You can detect the exasperation in this comment by President Obama. “So unfortunately, inside of Washington we’ve still got some climate deniers who shout loud, but they’re wasting everybody’s time on a settled debate,” Obama said, doubling down on remarks made during his State of the Union Address this year by adding that, “Climate change is a fact.” Whoever said it wasn’t a fact? Does the President believe that if humans disappeared climate change would stop? If he does, it...

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival is happening now in Austin, Texas. Running from March 9 to 22, it’s a massive film, interactive and music festival that is nearly 20 years old. The festival brings together designers, developers, investors, entrepreneurs and politicians for panels and discussions about technology and innovation. For the third time in the last few years, Al Gore, founder and chairman of the Climate Reality Project, spoke at the festival on Friday. Naturally, his interactive discussion focused on addressing the climate crisis. The former vice president focused on the need to “punish climate-change deniers, saying politicians should...

In what looks like the final nail in the coffin for climate-change denial, some of the world’s most credible professional organizations have just announced they will no longer work with “climate deniers.” That’s right, ten of the globe’s top public relations firms have declared that they will no longer “frame the debate” from the “sky is NOT falling” perspective. Along with “the science,” the PR is now settled. A spokesman for WPP, the world’s largest ad agency and parent of Burson Marsteller and Ogilvy Public Relations, said… We ensure that our own work complies with local laws, marketing codes and...

Fresh off promises from CNN boss Jeff Zucker that the channel will pursue more stories on global warming — whether their audience likes it or not — CNN anchor Carol Costello presided over a segment with two religious figures agreeing that to deny climate change is to sin against God. But Costello did much more than just moderate the “debate,” railing against “deniers” and questioning whether they’re “reading the Bible.” In the eye-popping intro to the segment — which aired during CNN’s “Newsroom”, not an opinion program — Costello pulls no punches while savaging those who dare to question the...

Inspired by Apple CEO Tim Cook, Virgin founder Richard Branson has taken to his blog to say that businesses should begin standing up against climate change deniers. "While Tim told sustainability skeptics to 'get out of our stock,'" Branson writes, "I would urge climate change deniers to get out of our way." Cook's statements came at a recent shareholders meeting, where he soundly shot down a proposal rooted in climate change denial that would have had Apple putting its bottom line above its interests in sustainability. Cook said that those who would prefer Apple do everything purely for profit simply...

Climate change deniers are headless chickens, Prince Charles has claimed. In an inflammatory speech, the heir to the throne spoke out against “the barrage of sheer intimidation” from what he described as powerful interest groups. Addressing young environmental entrepreneurs at Buckingham Palace, he said skeptics were turning accepted scientific wisdom on its head. […] Charles has long led the public charge against global warming—despite repeated warnings about his “meddling” in contentious global issues. His “headless chickens” jibe ranks among his strongest comments yet. Benny Peiser, of the climate-skeptic Global Warming Policy Foundation, described the attack as aggressive and contentious. …

“The only way to get our society to truly change is to frighten people with the possibility of a catastrophe.”—Emeritus Professor Daniel Botkin “Coal makes us sick. Oil makes us sick. It’s global warming. It’s ruining our country. It’s ruining our world.—Harry Reid, U.S. Senate majority leader Although I’ve had a best-selling book at Amazon since October 2012, “U.N. Agenda 21: Environmental Piracy liberals and conservatives alike have called people like me tin-foil hat conspiracy theorists and “agenders” simply because I have done my research and have found ample evidence of the existence of U.N. Agenda 21 Sustainable Development documents...