It’s like reverse McCarthyism. If you don’t believe in the AGW party line espoused by other “enlightened” actors, you don’t get to work. From the article:
…
A deal was allegedly worked out to pay him $300,000 for the commercials and to appear at a company event. “The only points still under discussion–but not in dispute–were what kind of tea and other snacks Ben Stein would have on the set,” the complaint states. “There were no outstanding deal points.”
…
Stein alleges he informed the ad agency and Kyocera that he was deeply concerned about the environment but he was not certain that global warming is a man-made phenomenon. “He also told [his agent] to inform defendants that as a matter of religious belief, he believed that God, and not man, controlled the weather,” the complaint states.
Days later, Kyocera allegedly withdrew its offer and hired an economics professor at the University of Maryland to appear in the commercials and, “in an astonishingly brazen misappropriation of Ben Stein’s persona, dressed him up as Stein often appeared in commercials (bow tie, glasses, sports jacket).”
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Taken further, I can just imagine Ed Begley Jr. and Henry Waxman on the dais asking people like Ben Stein a rephrase of the famous McCarthy question: “Are you now or have you ever been a denier?”
I know this, I’ll never buy another Kyocera product ever again.
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Apparently, fantasy disaster movie director Al Gore is teaming up with the Governator to do a remake of Arnie’s famous Mars based sci fi thriller ‘Total Recall’.
I hear the new version is to be called ‘Total Bullsh1t’
I am known by my nickname Hollywood,and I assure you I have no actors on my blacklist!
I do have many of them on my Naive,un-informed,and just plain STUPID list,but NOT a Blackist.
Interesting in light of Kyocera’s own statement that “….emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) — a suspected contributor to climate change..”
http://global.kyocera.com/company/csr/environment/index.html
Seems to me Ben and Kyocera are in perfect agreement…. CO2 is “suspected”, and nothing more.
This is all part of the process of intimidation that results in an appearance of greater “consensus” by suppressing dissent through the fear of one losing their job. We have seen it time after time. It must stop.
I hope he wins the lawsuit. It should have been for much more.
I’m not in faver of the litigation environment that has evolved in the US but that is a very big part of what has gotten us in the shape we are in now. Play the cards the other way for a long while and then stop all the b*llsh*t.
Let the pendulem swing wide before it stops.
as Kyocera manufacture solar panels I’m sure his views would conflict with their government subsidies.
Reblogged this on 54°40′ Or Fight!.
Thanks for the link. A quick perusal finds that this company is way out there on it’s ‘green’ agenda. No wonder.
Ben has always been an advocate for free speech in science and I hope he wins. Despite the fact I believe in Darwinian evolution and didn’t agree with parts of his movie “Expelled – No Intelligence Allowed”, I recommend it to all. It was thought provoking and exposed yet another example of scientific intolerance toward those who would suggest that the consensus may not be completely correct:
I recall a econometrician posting an article here on wuwt that pretty well attributed increase CO2 and increase temperature as a coincidence rather that causal, analogy to a staggering drunk and a meandering puppy and trying to decide if the puppy was following the drunk or not,
cointegration in bivariate time series I believe was the name of the principal; could it be that Economists have become skeptical of over-tortured data and computer models in conflict with reality due to their professional training?
Why should ANY BODY be surprised by this?
Ask James Cagney his opinion.
“Causation always equals correlation, ‘cept when it don’t”…I think…
I am now a Kyocera DENIER
A Kyodenio?
May be this is why Michael Crichton’s “State of Fear” has not made it to the big screen: Begley – alias ‘Bradley’ – , of course, gets eaten…
Days later, Kyocera allegedly withdrew its offer and hired an economics professor at the University of Maryland to appear in the commercials and, “in an astonishingly brazen misappropriation of Ben Stein’s persona, dressed him up as Stein often appeared in commercials (bow tie, glasses, sports jacket).”
———————————————————
Didn’t Jerry Lewis pioneer this look in the original Mad Professor?
I won’t be buying any Kyocera products OR watching Ben Stein either. Not until he apologizes to Jerry and admits he’s not as funny. And why would you even mention God beliefs in advance to a potential client? Unless you were Tom Cruise or Donny Osmond.
It is the disease out there. George Lucas just noted that the studios won’t promote Red Tails, which I am dying to see, because it is not green and too black. It is George “Money rains on me” Lucas doing the Tuskeegee Airmen for Pete’s sake. And he funded it.
Louis Hooffstetter says:
January 12, 2012 at 2:47 pm
Ben has always been an advocate for free speech in science and I hope he wins.
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This isn’t about free speech. It is no more correct to compel Kyocera to hire someone they disagree with than it is to compel us to agree with the warmista. I’m certain if Ben thought about this for more than just a second, he’d understand what he’s doing is the antithesis to freedom. He doesn’t have a right to work for Kyocera or anyone else.
I’m a beer drinker, should I have a right to be a spokesperson for the Betty Ford clinic?
I wish Ben wins!
Somewhat off topic except in that this story seems to be on a “blacklist” with the “Lamestream Media” in spite of having EPIC SAGA written all over it .
The tanker “Renda” and the icebreaker “Healy” in a daring rescue mission , battling through the ice to deliver fuel to the city of Nome , Alaska . Apparently severe snow storms stopped the usual supplies of fuel from getting through before they became locked in for mid-winter and no heating at this time of the year means death in that part of the world .
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/renda-update-late-night-surge-forward
http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/shipposition.phtml?call=NEPP
Maybe it`s just Me but I`d rather watch updates on something like this on the news than more “Hippies bothering whalers” crap .
reuters
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/12/newly-discovered-molecule-criegee-biradical-may-have-cooling-effect-on-earth/
@ur momisugly James, except of course when you are denied work on the basis of your religious belief that god controls the weather (Which seems to me a little closer to the truth than man does). IE we are at the mercy of the weather rather than the weather is at the mercy of man – somehow I don’t see mother Nature calling “Uncle” anytime soon!
Here is Kyocera’s feedback page:
https://www3.kyocera.co.jp/form/app/input?region=gl&frmid=others
Is my feedback over the top enough? I figure its best to put a good scare into them. Feel free to cut and paste:
Bobl says:
January 12, 2012 at 3:40 pm
@ur momisugly James, except of course when you are denied work on the basis of your religious belief that god controls the weather (Which seems to me a little closer to the truth than man does).
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I agree with the posit that God controls the weather. But, again, I ask, as a drinker, should I be able to compel the Betty Ford clinic to hire me as a spokesperson? Or perhaps as another recent court case argued, should I be able to compel a church to hire me if I’m my religious beliefs are conflict with the church I wish to be hired by?
You don’t gain rights by taking rights from others. We all lose rights when this occurs.
Well, I assume he is suing based on a breach of contract or stealing his persona to sell a product.
He certainly doesn’t have a case if he wasn’t hire for his beliefs. Or rather, he shouldn’t have a case. Nobody should be forced to hire anyone if they decide they don’t want to and I’m not forced to buy their products either.
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
Napoleon Bonaparte