skeptical of the skeptics

Just because the Bush Adminstration has left the building doesn't mean that science isn't still being obfuscated and politicized by ideologues. Case in point, the 2nd International Conference on Climate Change. The conference is being sponsored by the Heartland Institute, a group whose mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. One would have thought that the last 8 years would have dampened unfettered market love for most things, including science, but my guess is that most of those in attendance have taken huge hits in the stock market and are plenty pissed about it.

The groups real beef appears not to be with the science, but with the money. So in an effort to discredit the science, they label proponents to global climate change as "radical environmentalists" and "anti-business".

If global warming is indeed a crisis, billions of dollars taken from taxpayers will flow into the coffers of radical environmental groups, giving them the resources and stature to implement other parts of their anti-technology, anti-business agenda. None of that money will go to actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This explains the paradox that even though the scientific community is deeply divided over the causes and consequences of global warming, every single environmental advocacy group in the U.S. (and probably the world) believes it is a crisis.

The conference suggests that elite scientists, economists and others specializing in climate issues will be in attendance - no doubt giving props to white folk who just can't get jiggy wid the notion that it's getting hot in here. Those other specialists will no doubt be quoted widely by the likes of Hannity, Limbaugh, and other fat cat mouthpieces in the coming weeks.
attack of the skeptics