http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/12/18/prnw.20061218.DCM029.html
British Lord Stings Senators Rockefeller and Snowe: 'Uphold Free Speech or Resign'
Dec 18 4:58 AM US/Eastern
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Lord Monckton, Viscount of Brenchley, has sent an open letter to Senators Rockefeller (D-WV) and Snowe (R-Maine) in response to their recent open letter telling the CEO of ExxonMobil to cease funding climate-skeptic scientists.
Lord Monckton, former policy adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, writes: "You defy every tenet of democracy when you invite ExxonMobil to deny itself the right to provide information to 'senior elected and appointed government officials' who disagree with your opinion."
In what The Charleston (WV) Daily Mail has called "an intemperate attempt to squelch debate with a hint of political consequences," Senators Rockefeller and Snowe released an open letter dated October 30 to ExxonMobil CEO, Rex Tillerson, insisting he end Exxon's funding of a "climate change denial campaign." The Senators labeled scientists with whom they disagree as "deniers," a term usually directed at "Holocaust deniers." Some voices on the political left have called for the arrest and prosecution of skeptical scientists. The British Foreign Secretary has said skeptics should be treated like advocates of Islamic terror and must be denied access to the media.
Responds Lord Monckton, "Sceptics and those who have the courage to support them are actually helpful in getting the science right. They do not, as you improperly suggest, 'obfuscate' the issue: they assist in clarifying it by challenging weaknesses in the 'consensus' argument and they compel necessary corrections ... "
SNIP
Concludes Lord Monckton, "I challenge you to withdraw or resign because your letter is the latest in what appears to be an internationally-coordinated series of maladroit and malevolent attempts to silence the voices of scientists and others who have sound grounds, rooted firmly in the peer- reviewed scientific literature, to question what you would have us believe is the unanimous agreement of scientists worldwide that global warming will lead to what you excitedly but unjustifiably call 'disastrous' and 'calamitous' consequences."
British Lord Stings Senators Rockefeller and Snowe
Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by carpro, Dec 19, 2006.
-
-
Bro. Curtis <img src =/curtis.gif>Site Supporter
Like most liberal issues, honest debate cannot be allowed.
-
Calling for someone to be honest is hardly "squelching" the debate.
It sort of reminds me of the tobacco companies insisting that smoking doesn't cause cancer. They had doctors and studies, too. -
[FONT=courier,monospace]"To the Senators' comparison of ExxonMobil's funding of climate sceptics with tobacco-industry funding of research denying the link between smoking and lung cancer, Lord Monckton counters, "Your comparison of Exxon's funding of sceptical scientists and groups with the former antics of the tobacco industry is unjustifiable and unworthy of any credible elected representatives. Either withdraw that monstrous comparison forthwith, or resign so as not to pollute the office you hold."[/FONT]
-
How would he know what is "unworthy of any credible elected representatives?"
The Lords currently has around 730 Members, and there are four different types: life peers, Law Lords, bishops and elected hereditary peers. Unlike MPs, the public do not elect the Lords. The majority are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister or of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/members/lords_types.cfm -
Who is this foreigner to be calling for the resignation of American duly elected senators? What business, literally, is it of his? -
If you agreed with his opinion, there is little doubt you would not object so strenuously.:smilewinkgrin: -
Matt Black Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Chris Monckton hasn't a clue what he's talking about; I might as well say the gaseous quantities coming from his backside masquerading as pseudo-science are enough to cause global warming on a hitherto unparalleled scale
-
They were out of line. Even a foreigner recognizes it. -
They made threats, and used their power to try to silence opinions that are opposed to their own. -
-
We all know that greenhouse gases are formed by cow poop. Therefore, the debate between the Lords and the Senators is a delaying tactic on the part of dairy farmers.
-
It's the belching, not the poop.:smilewinkgrin: -
I agree with the WSJ. They imply consiquences without saying what they will be. They act more like mobsters then congress men.
Also very ironic that Rockefeller signed this letter beings that every penny of his wealth comes from oil. Beings his grandpa owned Standard Oil. Maybe the senitor should donate all of his oil gained wealth to help clean up the enviroment. -
Oooh, are the big bad Senators bullying the little, helpless giant oil companies? Their corportate lawyers are just quaking at the "implied threat" of the request - I doubt that.
The letter was PR and so is this phoney baloney response. -
It is unethical (at the least) to imply that you will use your position of power to harm someone unless they agree with your views.
What if I told my employees something like.
"I dont like the way you all go out to the bars after work. I am going to have to request that you stop doing that. You all remember Joe Blow that was fired last month. He use to go to the bar also."
How about that in a memo. There is no threat, just wanted to know if they remember Joe :thumbs: