Follow The Money - Make 'Em Show Whose Paying Them To Smear Climate Skeptics

While the Warmists try to discredit AGW skeptics by trying to tie them to the oil companies, saying funding by them any work they produce is tainted, and therefore cannot be taken seriously. But very few people look into who is funding the Warmist climate research, and more importantly, why.

One of the latest victims if the smear tactics has been Dr. Willie Soon, skewered for his supposed ailure to disclose that funding for some of his research came from oil companies. But the AGW faithful lied, with Soon proving that the source of all funding provided to Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics is available to the public. (A few minutes searching on their website would have located their list of donors and benefactors, so I'm not sure how much more disclosure is required.)

At least Dr. Soon hasn't taken the smear lying down, responding to the baseless and ignorance laden attacks with a statement he released through the Heartland Institute.

“In recent weeks I have been the target of attacks in the press by various radical environmental and politically motivated groups. This effort should be seen for what it is: a shameless attempt to silence my scientific research and writings, and to make an example out of me as a warning to any other researcher who may dare question in the slightest their fervently held orthodoxy of anthropogenic global warming.”

“I am saddened and appalled by this effort, not only because of the personal hurt it causes me and my family and friends, but also because of the damage it does to the integrity of the scientific process. I am willing to debate the substance of my research and competing views of climate change with anyone, anytime, anywhere. It is a shame that those who disagree with me resolutely decline all public debate and stoop instead to underhanded and unscientific ad hominem tactics.”

He goes on to challenge those attacking his integrity based upon their mistaken belief he's hidden the identities of those funding his work that “if the standards of disclosure are to change, then let them change evenly.” In other words those attacking him should disclose all of their funding as well.

Somehow I doubt that will happen any time soon. After all, it's easier for the AGW faithful to keep up the attacks on those who disagree with them than to openly debate their opponents. Heaven forbid they find out they've been lied to all these years by people who have a financial incentive to do so.