Category Archives: Media Criticism

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society

For Everyone Who Wishfully Thinks That Michael Mann Was Exonerated

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In light of all that’s happened, including continued UVA stonewalling, I say that he is the Jerry Sandusky of science.

[Update Saturday morning]

For those wondering, here are the parallels, that John O’Sullivan pointed out in November after the Sandusky case came to light:

Mann was never exonerated because the charges against him were never investigated. In both the Mann and Sandusky controversies the following points about Spanier’s stewardship are equally valid:

1. Both the Sandusky and Mann cover-ups involved a poorly executed investigation.

2. Both investigations saw the president making untrue statements.

3. Both involve an ethos that successful men can do no wrong; and the more famous and powerful they are, the more immune they are from scrutiny.

4. Both demonstrate a strong inclination to circle the wagons and seemingly show no interest in truth or justice.

5. Both involve extensive evidence going back years from a number of different sources and involving a variety of issues which should have raised red flags.

6. Spanier’s ‘investigations’ never interviewed witnesses against Mann or Sandusky.

But other than that, there is absolutely nothing in common.

[Bumped]

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society, Space, Technology and Society

“Progressive” Bioconservatives

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Thoughts on the strange political bedfellows of bioethics, from Ron Bailey:

These progressive bioconservatives fear that the rich and powerful will use technology, especially biotech, to outcompete and oppress the poor and weak. In their view, human dignity depends on human equality. It turns out that “the party of science” really is just the old-fashioned “party of equality,” science be damned (unless its findings conform to egalitarian ideology). Left-wing biocons seem to believe that protecting human dignity requires the rich and poor to remain equally diseased, disabled, and dead.

It’s always amazing to me to see the people who claim to be the “party of science” so fundamentally in denial of human nature. But of course, if they recognized it, their entire ideology falls apart. But this conflict is one more reason we need to expand off planet.

Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Science And Society

That Fake Heartland Memo

4 Comments

…is looking faker by the minute.

I think that Megan is being a little too optimistic here:

Unfortunately, I’d imagine that this is still a sizeable set of people, and it will be hard to identify the author. I suspect that it will be easier to do if the climate-bloggers–who may well know this person as a commenter or correspondent–get involved in trying to find out who muddied the story by perpetrating a fraud on their sites.

Certainly, if I were in their shoes, I’d want to expose this person, so that they could refocus on the legitimate documents, and put to rest doubts about their integrity in this matter. But I’m not going to hold my breath.