SEE UPDATE BELOW FROM MONCKTON
I’m out of the political loop, and have no way of judging the merit of the claim, so I’m just going to link to this story. If it is true, it shows just how bad the treatment of different viewpoints has become in Washington. Perhaps Lord Monckton can give a comment or two here to either bolster or refute this story.
Report: Democrats Refuse to Allow Skeptic to Testify Alongside Gore At Congressional Hearing
Thursday, April 23, 2009 By Marc Morano
‘House Democrats don’t want Gore humiliated’
Climate Depot Exclusive
Washington DC — UK’s Lord Christopher Monckton, a former science advisor to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, claimed House Democrats have refused to allow him to appear alongside former Vice President Al Gore at high profile global warming hearing on Friday April 24, 2009 at 10am in Washington. Monckton told Climate Depot that the Democrats rescinded his scheduled joint appearance at the House Energy and Commerce hearing on Friday. Monckton said he was informed that he would not be allowed to testify alongside Gore when his plane landed from England Thursday afternoon.
“The House Democrats don’t want Gore humiliated, so they slammed the door of the Capitol in my face,” Monckton told Climate Depot in an exclusive interview. “They are cowards.”
UPDATE 8:30PM PST Lord Monckton weighed in on this story in comments. I thank hi for his candor and for telling his story firsthand here. He writes:
Once again I’m most grateful to Anthony Watts and his hard-working team for their kindness in exposing the less than democratic tactics of the Obama Democrats. The story circulated by the indefatigable Marc Morano is – as one would expect – accurate in every particular.
Early this week the Democrats told the Republicans they would have a “celebrity witness” for this morning’s hearing on the Waxman/Markey Bill, but they would not say who. The Republicans immediately contacted me and asked if they could tell the Dems they too were putting forward an undisclosed celebrity witness – me.
When the Dems eventually revealed that their “celebrity” was Al Gore, the Republicans told them I was to testify at the same time. The Dems immediately refused to allow the Republicans their first choice of witness. By the time they had refused, my jet was already in the air from London and I did not get the message till I landed in the US.
At first the Dems tried to refuse the Republicans the chance to replace me with a witness more congenial to them, but eventually – after quite a shouting-match – they agreed to let Newt Gingrich testify. The former Speaker of the House gave one of his best performances.
I attended the session anyway, as a member of the public, and tried to shake hands with Gore when he arrived, but his cloud of staffers surrounded him and he visibly flinched when I called out a friendly “Hello” to him.
His testimony was as inaccurate as ever. He repeated many of the errors identified by the High Court in the UK. He appeared ill at ease and very tired – perhaps reflecting on the Rasmussen poll that shows a massive 13.5% swing against the bedwetters’ point of view in just one year.
My draft testimony will be posted at http://www.scienceandpublicpolicy.org shortly, together with a brief refutation of Gore’s latest errors.
Finally, I have never said what one of your less polite correspondents has said I said about HIV. However, in 1987, at the request of the earliest researchers into the disease, I wrote articles in journals on both sides of the Atlantic recommending that AIDS should be treated as a notifiable disease, just like any other fatal, incurable infection. Had that standard public-health measure been taken – immediate, compulsory, permanent, but humane isolation of the then rather few carriers – many of the 25 million (UNAIDS figures) who have died and the 40 million who are currently infected and heading for death would have been spared. Sometimes, unfashionable points of view are right, and sometimes ignoring them can be a matter of life and death.
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Wildfire rages months later – a look into the future of the US
Firemen from several local engine companies were hit with a $16,235.86 carbon tax in lieu of last November’s wildfires that jumped containment lines and spread to an adjacent wooded area. The fire then proceeded to burn 1,500 acres emitting an estimated 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas that is blamed for the global warming phenomenon. 2015 recently tied 2008 as the 13th warmest year on record and the 20 warmest years on record have all occurred since 1995, scientists say.
A clause in a congressional bill passed last year on carbon taxation makes firefighters liable for any emissions from wildfires that jump containment lines. Despite a bitter debate the bill passed by a narrow margin, pushed through by democratic lawmakers and signed into law by President Obama.
“We have to take the threat of global warming seriously by reducing the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses being released into the atmosphere, this includes emissions from natural sources, such as fires and animals”, said an anonymous White House source.
This bill was praised as a victory for environmentalists that lobbied heavily for its passage. Members of the Sierra Club and WWF International were on hand when President Obama signed the bill into law.
“No cost is too expensive to protect the Earth from the dangers of greenhouse gasses”, said one Sierra Club member.
Unfortunately, for local firefighters, this leaves them with a hefty bill.
“Most of our men and women are volunteer firefighters. They can’t afford this”, said Ron Estak, Assistant Chief. He continued, “We’re risking our lives out there and this is the thanks we get from our government.”
Ron Estak is not alone in his opinion. Local residents have also voiced displeasure with the recently enacted tax.
One resident griped, “I can’t believe they’re going after the firemen!”
Another citizen on foot, asking to remain anonymous, disliked all aspects of the recently passed act.
“I’m walking to work because I can’t afford to drive my car anymore. I’ve been cited for having a charcoal grill without a permit and last week I had to buy a $25 carbon credit to have a campfire for the kids to roast marshmallows. Now this with the firemen.”
Despite being started by arsonists, the wildfire was the states’ biggest in 55 years when a blaze torched 37,000 acres. Scientists expect an increase in large wildfires as greenhouse gasses heat the planet, making weather, such as droughts and floods, more extreme.
An official inquiry into the blaze is due out later this week to determine whether or not global warming had a hand in making the wildfire more extreme. Residents that lost their homes to the blaze are eagerly awaiting the release of the investigation. Under a 2009 law citizens adversely affected by global warming can sue the government for up to $75,000/year and many residents are hoping to cash in.
In 2013 a major hurricane along the East Coast cost the government $210 billion in lawsuits after a landmark study concluded that the increase in Atlantic hurricane frequency since 1995 is linked to global warming.
Heavens, I think I’ll go partyless from now on.
I just spoke with the young lady at the other end of the phone at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. She does not know why Monckton was cancelled, she is getting a lot of calls on this, and does not know why her superiors will not give her information that she can pass to callers. I’m offended that he was cancelled, but I am more offended that the committee can’t be honest about it!
[snip]
John Egan (04:16:38) :
Monckton is a ~snip~ – and not even an American one. The Dems have no intention of creating a political theater. There are plenty of other persons that Barton could have chosen – Americans, scientists. Stupid political move.
Al Gore is political theater!
Gore is ‘peddling a false prospectus’. [snip – not for us to judge]
======================================
Let’s not let the Republican members of the committee off the hook. They should voir dire Al Gore. Let him state, for the record, his qualifications as an expert witness. He should state all his papers, publications and research findings that have been peer reviewed (which of course he can’t).
Meanwhile, back at home (Nashville), the Gore Effect is in full swing. Uncle Al leaves town and we immediately go into a heatwave 😉 (mid 80’s all weekend) … Great Golf Weather!!!
Well, I just had a little bit of gratifying fun. Marc Morano lists a phone number to call Congress about this matter, 202-225-2927, so I did. I got a woman who responded that she was connected with the hearing, she put me on hold for less than a minute, then listened to me briefly tell her that Al Gore is not allowed to promote his businesses in England because a judge has called it ‘peddling a false prospectus’. She then thanked me for letting ‘us’ know.
I’m simply amazed.
===================================
I have dutifully posted and passed on this outrage.
http://cbullitt.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/agw-assclowns-of-the-week-us-congress-deny-lord-monkton-chane-to-expose-gore-cult/
The Skeptic side doesn’t need Moncton to destroy Gore…heck my 17 year old daughter could demolish that pompus coward. (He said proudly, having deprogrammed and retaught her well. Undoing that crap the kids are being spoonfed in school is tough! But it was worth it.)
Their avoidance of debate is just further proof of the weakness of their position.
I forgot to add the committee’s phone number if anyone else wants to call. It’s 202-225-2927.
Don’t have time to cover all the responses to this post unforunately. Congress’ refusal to allow Lord Monckton to testify is maddening but expected. As pointed out so well by other responders, it is not the slightest surprise. In fact, it only confirms the intentional or unintentional bias that is so blatently obvious in AGW supporters.
My request: Could/would Lord Monckton provide WUWT with a post of the presentation he was going to give before congress, complete with any illustrations? IEven better, a link to a You Tube interview, if there is one. I bet it would be solid, and perhaps useful to many of us who not scientifically grounded in climate science.
Thanks!
Al Gore will never debate a real scientist. He has a high enough profile he doesn’t have to. He has never seen a science course he couldn’t run away from. In college, he majored in his native language (never finished) before he finally got a fluff degree in Government. After the Army, he went to divinity school (never finished) and law school (never finished), before claiming his birthright to become a lawmaker.
He got fired up about global warming during a class in college where he and some classmates did a project involving pollution and greenhouse gasses. After he ascended to the AGW prophet-hood, he learned the professor from that class actually doubts the greenhouse gas hypothesis of global warming. So, naturally, Mr. Gore started asking (thereby suggesting it was true) whether the old man had gone senile.
No, Mr. Gore, the one with the calcified brain is you.
Some posters imply that in the interest fairness and of open scientific debate, that congressional democrats allow Monckton to testify. Please realize folks, the issue is not about science; it has never been. It’s about leftist political action which advances the socialist agenda and ever-advancing control over our economic lives.
Climate change legislation is just one front of a war being waged (successfully) against our political and economic liberties. Creating univeral healthcare, affordable housing (we know where that led us), re-regulating the financial system by seizing control over banks, creating class warfare / envy, are others. Silencing and marginalizing the opposition is nothing new. It is right out of the statist-democrat playbook.
Since when has a Congressional hearing been anything but the equivalent of a show trial, regardless of who’s running it? Politicians work back from their agendas to determine the facts that fit the agenda, not the other way around.
a left complicit media will NEVER report this
The PROPHETis not allowed to debate with anyone from outside the nether world..
He won’ t debate as far as he is profoundly and deeply involved in the business of carbon credits and carbon shares, and because his most sacred gospels back those silly, low frequency generators, landscape destroyers windmill’s industries.
this is political oppression—the Founding Fathers of the United States hated this sort of thing!
John Addams would verbally crush this publicly!!
Why not just subject Monckton to the rack or iron maiden-then that would be example to all who doubt the profit,er Prophet…
This is getting very like the days of the Borgia Popes….
I’ve heard Al Gore called “Dung Chow Zhing” (sp?), translated to me as “Pompous Windbag.” I prefer “Dai Zaw,” which I translate as “Great ‘Ziploc-after-walkies’.” There are many Zaws of many capacities out there with open mouths.
Treason
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/24/science/earth/24deny.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
of course if James Hansen had flown in to town they’d sit him center stage and turn the heat up to make everyone in the room feel global warming
Watching Gore live @ur momisugly C-Span…
He is going down his laundry list of dangers. Arctic ice could disappear in as little as five years…2009 saw the 8th 10-year flood in Fargo, ND, since the 80’s….1/3 of bird species are endangered….Australia experiencing a 1,000-year drought…..U.S. twice as many wildfires so far in 2009 compared with same period last year…Dr. Greg Holland says we have had 400-500% increase in Cat 5 hurricanes over last ten years…Now.Is.The.Time.To.Act!
Geez, no wonder they have former Senator John Warner sitting beside him instead of Lord Monckton.
I called the young lady, she said they already heard from Lord Monckton on March 25… it is listed… I told her I’d like to hear from him again and she said she would let someone know…
Mike