Some have said in the past that Jim Hansen of NASA GISS is no longer a scientist, but an advocate. Today, by his own hand, I believe that description rings true.
Click for video
Here is what Greenpeace is using Dr. Hansen for:
It’s time to take a stand on global warming. Dr. James Hansen, an internationally-recognized climate scientist, calls for Americans to take part in the Capitol Climate Action on March 2 at the Capitol power plant in Washington DC — expected to be the largest display of civil disobedience against global warming in US history. Dr. Hansen warns that unless we stop burning coal, the country’s largest source of global warming pollution, young people will inherit a dramatically different world than the one we know. For more info visit capitolclimateaction.org.
Let us hope that nobody is injured or killed at this demonstration. Hansen may run afoul of the Hatch Act, see below.
For those of you that wish to write letters, here is the info:
Jim Hansen’s email: jhansen@giss.nasa.gov
His supervisor is Robert Strain at Goddard Space Flight Center: rstrain@gsfc.nasa.gov (which apparently does not wor)
So try: public-inquiries@gsfc.nasa.gov
Here is what the US Office of Special Counsel says about the Hatch Act as it applies to Federal Employees, of which I believe Dr. Hansen is one. You can file complaints online here with the office of Special Counsel
Federal employees should also be aware that certain political activities may also be criminal offenses under title 18 of the U.S. Code. See 18 U.S.C. §§ 210, 211, 594, 595, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 610.
Permitted/Prohibited Activities for Employees Who May Participate in Partisan Political Activity
These federal and D.C. employees may–
- be candidates for public office in nonpartisan elections
- register and vote as they choose
- assist in voter registration drives
- express opinions about candidates and issues
- contribute money to political organizations
- attend political fundraising functions
- attend and be active at political rallies and meetings
- join and be an active member of a political party or club
- sign nominating petitions
- campaign for or against referendum questions, constitutional amendments, municipal ordinances
- campaign for or against candidates in partisan elections
- make campaign speeches for candidates in partisan elections
- distribute campaign literature in partisan elections
- hold office in political clubs or parties
These federal and D.C. employees may not–
- use official authority or influence to interfere with an election
- solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business before their agency
- solicit or receive political contributions (may be done in certain limited situations by federal labor or other employee organizations)
- be candidates for public office in partisan elections
- engage in political activity while:
- on duty
- in a government office
- wearing an official uniform
- using a government vehicle
- wear partisan political buttons on duty
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Wow, you guys are getting really desperate here.
How exactly is Hansen violating the Hatch Act? Aren’t you really encouraging your readers to harass Hansen because you just don’t like the guy and his research? Pathetic.
REPLY: aren’t you giving him a free pass where if Roy Spencer was doing the same thing in reverse you’d be howling? Read the links to hatch act “Boris”.
Roy Spencer can do as he pleases. Which aspect of the Hatch Act do you think Hansen is violating? Are you claiming that blue shirt is a NASA uniform?
“Solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business before their agency” Greenpeace is political, the rally is political, and greens pushing for regulation of CO2 cite Hansen’s work, with NASA, even going so far as to call him an expert witness, thus making it “business before their agency”. – Anthony
How does Greenpeace have business before NASA? Hansen being an expert witness is not business with NASA.
In any case, the Hatch Act explicitly states that federal employees may “attend and be active at political rallies and meetings.” Fail.
March 2 is the date. There is definitely a possiblity for a real ‘noreaster to hit DC on that date. i somewhat remember 2 storms of the Century hitting CT in early March 1993, both deadly blizzards for the East Coast. Wouldn’t it be nice!
Secondly, I remember something last year about the students at William and Mary wanted or invited Hansen to debate Pat Michaels, Michaels accepted but Hansen didn’t.
It appears he won’t debate the Realists.Probably they would make Hansen look like a charlatan.
Probably, the best way to show our displeasure is to inform his bosses and our Congressmen and Senators. I, however, am out of luck having Dodd and Lieberman as US Senators.
Quick note – Hansen is evangelizing to people who can join his crusade and help him reach his goals. A debate with Michaels doesn’t help achieve that. Last year he was a speaker at an Earth Day event (IIRC near Washington), so that fits with next week’s event.
You poor dear!
Don’t you see, they have to enact anti-global warming legislation urgently so that when the earth continues to cool they can take credit for it.
Perhaps all coal fired plants should shut down for maintenance on the same day. This might send the needed message of power.
I have mentioned similar counteraction while engaged in debates. One must ask:
What would happen if all of the coal mines quit shipping coal to steel plants and power plants. Or what would happen if all of the power plants shut down on the same day. Just shut it down. Refuse to restart until….
Hansen is fired.
Obama removes his science team and replaces them with objective scientists.
Obama calls for equal funding on both sides of the CO2 issue.
Obama calls for Open and unrestricted debate on the CO2 / AGW issue.
Obama agrees that he will NOT sign a global carbon treaty.
Shutting down Coal fired power plants might be a good idea, but you don’t get to do it for a day.
When you stop one of these suckers it takes five days or so to get them started again. A point that the anti-coal types might want to bear in mind, since if their action does result in closing down the DC power station it ain’t gonna bonce straight back up again, and if the day’s as cold as predicted and a storm does come in, the grid could be streched to breaking point.
“Preserve climate”? Should we jar it and stash it the basement, that way when the climate changes we can always have our favorite flavor near at hand?
Anthony: The following is a link to the NASA Office of the General Counsel, in which they describe Permissible and Prohibited activities. Based on that, it does not appear that Hansen is violating the Hansen Act, as viewed by the Nasa Office of the General Counsel.
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ogc/general_law/hatch%20act.html
The only Prohibited Activities listed are, assuming Hansen fits into the “Everyone Else” Category:
Prohibited Activities for most employees
• Use official authority or influence to interfere with an election
• Solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business before their agency
• Solicit or receive political contributions
• Be candidates for public office in partisan elections
• Engage in political activity while —
• On duty
• In a government office
• Wearing an official uniform
• Using a government vehicle
• Includes
• Wearing political buttons on duty
• Displaying campaign materials
• Government e-mail
REPLY: This one I beg to differ on “Solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business before their agency” Greenpeace is political, the rally is political, and greens pushing for regulation of CO2 cite Hansen’s work, with NASA, even going so far as to call him an expert witness, thus making it “business before their agency”. – Anthony
Excuse the typo. That should read “it does not appear that Hansen is violating the Hatch Act.”
I just had a flashback to my college days. Back then, there was an antiwar biology professor ( he marched during Earth Day 1970, too) who would rile up certain students and instructors to go down the recriuters office or courthouse, demonstrate and chain themselves to the building. These were the people that got arrested while our so concerned antiwar prof was back at home far away enjoying his dinner. I wonder if Hansen would put himself in a position to be arrested. Quite frankly, I doubt it. Incidentally, being arrested and convicted just might get him fired.
Hansen promoting a demonstration against a coal plant will not be fired, or even reprimanded. More likely, he will be lauded for ‘taking action’.
Remember, Obama wants to bankrupt the coal industry:
/Mr Lynn
Anthony,
Probably someone has already suggested this (no time to read through so many commnents) but a counter rally should somehow be organized. I’m sure freedom-loving Americans will be there anyway.
Hansen’s has overplayed his hand-also I’d be prepared to see a BIG storm on March 2nd. Maybe Gore will show up…
Has anybody ever researched Hansen’s (including any non-arm’s lenght connexions and relationships) his vested interests in nuclear power or in any other type of energy like wind, solar, bio-whatnot?
Also, his personal pet convictions and beliefs, such as the Gaia cult, a belief that America should be returned to Nature, etc, should be investigated.
This guy is intent on destroying industrial society, and to hell with the immense suffering and misery that would ensue. Many acclaimed and elected politicians are too, just as were Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Fidel, Chavez, and many others.
Article title:
Translation:
Isn’t that about it? Hansen condones lawbreaking because he, in his superior wisdom, believes it is OK.
Stalin, Mao, Hitler and Robespierre [“Justification of the Use of Terror”] killed millions of people using the same ‘justification’ that Hansen uses both here, and in the defense, at taxpayer expense, of eco-vandals in another country.
Western societies have legitimate means to change the law — if James Hansen can convince enough people it’s necessary. But of course, Hansen can’t convince the general public to shut down coal plants, so he rabble-rouses lawbreakers to violate the law in order to get his way.
Why is this individual still employed by a democratic government??
[Hansen’s supervisor is Robert Strain at Goddard Space Flight Center: rstrain@gsfc.nasa.gov ]
Maybe we can get all the coal plants to voluntarily shut down for a day, just to show people what would happen?
You mean turn off the electric nationwide? Our government continually fails to learn from the law of unintended consequences…
Of course I’m not seriously advocating this.
Somebody would die because their medical equipment would fail, or the air traffic control system would go down. But if we could get people to imagine the consequences, maybe they’ll think twice about this issue.
In Kansas, the public schools helped students participate in public protests over new coal plants proposed for the western part of the state. Nobody volunteered to give up their MP3 players, DVD players, cell phones, computers, TVs, etc., so the new plants wouldn’t be needed. Nope. They want electricity but they don’t have any clue about where it will come from.
Your handle is almost uncannily appropriate.
I’ve been plowing through Atlas Shrugged for a couple of months (at bedtime), and now when I hear the latest proclamations from the Obama Administration, I find myself thinking, “They want electricity but they don’t have any clue about where it will come from.” Reason and reality seem to have disappeared from public discourse.
Which way to Galt’s Gulch?
/Mr Lynn
Wow,
So people are concerned about the climate!?!?!
I have never heard of this.
No wonder politicians are not paying attention. No one is talking about it.
And this Hansen guy- why, he must be some sort of really briliant scientist, and really focused on Academia, because I have never heard of him, or his concerns, before.
We in England are rapidly running short of generating capacity. When a new power station is proposed we get this sort of thing :
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7906383.stm
Of course, no one protesting against the coal-fired plant would accept anything as ‘nasty’ as a nuclear powered generating plant. So just how do they think we are going to generate a dependable electricity supply?
Stephen Brown
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind…
TonyB
I think you overlooked the word ‘dependable’, which means wind does not make a good substitute for coal. Did you mean to say ‘nuclear’ instead?
The answer, my friend, is DEPENDABLE!!
Greenies do about face on nuclear
“Britain must embrace nuclear power if it is to meet its commitments on climate change, four of the country’s leading environmentalists – who spent much of their lives opposing atomic energy – warn today.
The one-time opponents of nuclear power, who include the former head of Greenpeace, have told The Independent that they have now changed their minds over atomic energy because of the urgent need to curb emissions of carbon dioxide.” “Nuclear power? Yes please.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/nuclear-power-yes-please-1629327.html
From people who know something about power generation: the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
http://www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/PositionStatements/Need_Additional_US_CoalFired.cfm
The Need for Additional U.S. Coal-Fired Power Plants
“XII. Conclusions
The Energy Committee of the ASME’s Council on Engineering and ASME’s Power Division strongly support the construction of new coal-fired power plants in the U.S. to meet the need for growing base-load demand, to ensure a diversity of base-load power supplies, to ease increasing reliance on natural gas to fuel power plants, and to decrease overall pollutant emissions per unit of GDP growth.
Coal is the most abundant and inexpensive fossil fuel energy resource in the U.S. for the next century and it is the only competitor for nuclear power for base-load (24/7) power generation, if oil and natural gas prices remain at or above current levels. The technology and infrastructure is proven and available.
The economic competitiveness of the nation requires low cost, reliable electric power. Fuel supply security and a desire to reduce our reliance on imported fuels suggest that it would be prudent to utilize our domestic resources of coal and uranium for the foreseeable future. Hydropower and other renewable energy sources will continue to provide niche energy applications.
New base-load electric power generating plants are needed to meet the demand for capacity growth and GDP growth – and to replace aging, inefficient plants. Clean coal technologies and more efficient energy conversion cycles are now available for use in economical and reliable coal-fired plants. This will significantly reduce overall emissions of SO2, NOx, and particulate pollution, and the emissions of CO2 per unit of GDP. In the event that global warming requires total CO2 emissions elimination, all fossil fuel combustion would be phased out for power generation and for vehicle transportation. However, persuasive evidence for this drastic step is lacking.
Additional technologies, currently in the development stage, should reduce CO2 emissions even more and the development of these technologies should be supported as a matter of public policy.
In summary, the low cost of coal, its abundance in the United States, proven technologies, and existing infrastructure, make the use of coal for power generation a strategic imperative.”
I do not think you can make the argument that what Hansen advocates puts him in the same group as Hitler, Stalin etc. I also do not think you can make the argument that increases in CO2 will have absolutely not effect on temperature and as a further consequence world climate. What is arguable is how strong the effect might be, how much it will affect temperature and over what time period.
If you don’t like what he’s saying, write the white house or your congressman or stage your own counter-protest but I would not expect much out of a political system that is being led by the nose by liberal environmentalists.
No, but similar to Ernst Moritz Arndt :”While best known in Germany for his fanatical nationalism, Arndt was also dedicated to the cause of the peasantry, which lead him to a concern for the welfare of the land itself. Historians of German environmentalism mention him as the earliest example of ‘ecological’ thinking in the modern sense. 4 His remarkable 1815 article On the Care and Conservation of Forests, written at the dawn of industrialization in Central Europe, rails against shortsighted exploitation of woodlands and soil, condemning deforestation and its economic causes. ”
See: http://www.spunk.org/texts/places/germany/sp001630/peter.html
Edward,
Hansen’s argument is that the seas are going to boil!!! Do you believe that? Can you make his argument for him?
Hansen’s argument is that mass civil disobedience is necessary to avert the End of Creation. Would you like to make that argument for him? Please do…
My argument is that Warmer is Better. Can you refute it?
If you don’t like what I’m saying, write a letter to your Congressman. See if he can do anything about it.
If I were a psychriatrist, which I am not, I could be persuaded to believe that Mr Hansen is borderline psychotic and maybe Al Gore as well. Everything to do with AGW is based upon theory, there is no proven factual evidence that Co2 at its present or supposed future level has had or will have any effect on our climate.
Typically psychosis is evident when a susceptible individual accumulates sufficient individual detail from which he or she concludes in a “Oh my God” moment of absolute dispair and jaw breaking perception that if all of this happens at the same time, we are all going to die.
Personally my feeling is that Hansen is already in denial, having espoused a theory for such a long time without any of his predictions coming to fruition his rhetoric becomes more obsessive more emotive, remember Hitler!
Ironically for a scientist who should know that computers, programs, scenarios and plain wishful thinking are the plague of our – so called – technological society and should not be trusted under any circumstances.
Our current financial crisis was driven by supposedly clever people using algorythms and then writing pages of code to cover up the fact that they didnt work so that other people could not check up on their manic behaviour which drove them to trust the computer code because the reality of what they had done was far too threatening to comprehend especially the ramifications of it, their personal standing and status being just a minor consequence, insignificant really.
In the UK we cant even get a simple database system working to manage our hospitals yet we sanction the use of computers to tell us about what will happen to our climate and we listen accutely to the muppets who still believe that computers do not lie. Microsoft have abandoned Visa because its a nonsense but Co2 will destroy the World we know its true because a computer said so, barking mad!!
David Wells
I think you are totally right. It would be interesting to invite a psychiatrist to post on the subject in WUWT.
I will preface this by saying that I’m sure Al Gore has said a lot of intelligent things in his life and probably is a straight shooter, NRO is not exactly neutral, and politicians just say a lot of things but:
The Gore Liesis disturbing and his views on global warming fit right in.
“I’m sure Al Gore has said a lot of intelligent things in his life and probably is a straight shooter…”
Well, that was certainly good for a laugh.
Albert Gore has never had a firmly held position or conviction in his entire adult life that wasnt planted by or rooted in either a polling or focus group, or didnt mirror what ever group he was speaking to at the moment.
I risk attributing Hansen with undeserved powers of insight and intelligence – but has anybody noticed his resemblance to Homer Simpson?
A reply from NASA. If all of us from this forum, register our total disapproval of Hansen’s outbursts, mayhap someone will take him aside for a little chat.
February 23, 2009
Office of Public Affairs
Dear Mr. Debell:
Thank you for your inquiry to NASA.
Mr. Hansen is entitled to his personal opinion. However, it should not be misconstrued as an official NASA position. Mr. Hanson’s views do not necessarily reflect agency policy.
Your interest in NASA and America’s space program is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Public Communications
Public Services and Protocol Division
Office of Public Affairs
——————————————————————————–
From: PERRY DEBELL
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 9:29 AM
To: public-inquiries@gsfc.nasa.gov
Subject: Hansen
FAO Robert Strain.
Dear Mr Strain,
I am a British subject and I resent you giving carte blanche to your inferior worker, to travel to my country and appear as an defence witness for people who are trespassing on private property. Your employee is also contravening the Hatch Act.
Federal and D.C. employees may not-
use official authority or influence to interfere with an election
solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business before their agency
solicit or receive political contributions (may be done in certain limited situations by federal labor or other employee organizations)
be candidates for public office in partisan elections
engage in political activity while:
on duty
in a government office
wearing an official uniform
using a government vehicle
wear partisan political buttons on duty
Tell him to stop it please.
Yours truly,
Perry Debell
I have sent the following email to NASA
FAO Robert Strain.
Dear sir.
Your Dr. James Hansen appeared as a witness for the defence for a group of vandals who damaged a coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in the UK.
He used his NASA GISS position to advocate vandalism on the grounds of “saving the planet”.
You may or may not be aware that because of abdication of a positive energy policy in the UK, this power station is essential for our energy needs as we are already over-extended on base-load. Perhaps you, your agency or Dr. Hansen will be willing to compensate members of the public for any damages incurred due to the delays caused by these vandals so effectively defended by an agency employee.
Regards.
To which I got the exact same form letter reply as Perry.
“Dear Mr. E****:
Thank you for your inquiry to NASA.
Mr. Hansen is entitled to his personal opinion. However, it should not be misconstrued as an official NASA position. Mr. Hanson’s views do not necessarily reflect agency policy.
Your interest in NASA and America’s space program is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Public Communications
Public Services and Protocol Division
Office of Public Affairs”
To which I have replied.
FAO Robert Strain
Whilst I appreciate the following,
Mr. Hansen is entitled to his personal opinion. However, it should not be misconstrued as an official NASA position.
Mr. Hanson’s views do not necessarily reflect agency policy.
this does not address the problem.
Without the position held at your agency, Dr. Hansen would probably not have been listened to.
With this in mind, I suggest that he has misused his position and your agency to his own ends.
Form letters are all well and good but they do not address problems and whilst his opinions may not reflect either agency policy or even viewpoint, his actions reflect on your agency.
Your apparent unwillingness to act against an employee advocating vandalism reflects badly upon your agency and implies agreement with said acts.
Regards.
[Hansen’s supervisor is Robert Strain at Goddard Space Flight Center: rstrain@gsfc.nasa.gov ]
—– The following addresses had permanent fatal errors —–
(reason: 550 5.1.1 … User unknown)
John H.,
Mac users can click on a Mail button called “bounce to sender,” which returns the email to the sender with the phrase: “the following addresses had permanent fatal errors…”.
It enables a user to send spam back to the sender in the [forlorn] hope that the spammer will take them off the email list as undeliverable. It can also be used to avoid other unwanted emails.
Maybe Mr. Strain has a Mac, eh?
Hey, thanks for the tip! I never noticed the ‘Bounce’ command (in the Message menu of Mail.app).
/Mr Lynn
Mr. Hansen is entitled to his personal opinion. However, it should not be misconstrued as an official NASA position. Mr. Hanson’s views do not necessarily reflect agency policy.
case closed. wouldn t we all want our civil employees to take a stand on important subjects?
Voltaire said: “Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.”
please take note hansen and obama and all the agw crowd. and the intelligent people.
This clown is definitely a wasted of extorted tax dollars…
If you want to see an over the top ad by a green group, look at the ridiculous full page ad by Conservation International on the inside cover page of the March issue of Discover magazine. It shows a set of lungs polluted by carbon as a result of deforestation of forests. The ad proceeds to have people join Team Earth and help stop climate change. Absolutely ridiculous!