Readers may recall this story a few weeks back:
Be a “concerned scientist” – valid credit card required
Reader DJ writes in Tips & Notes:
Since becoming a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists when I found out all you needed was a valid credit card, my curiosity about who and what they really are has spiked.
I decided to put that theory to the test. I am very proud to announce that a member of my family has been accepted into this prestigious organization. With pride, I present new UCS member, Kenji Watts:
Yes, Kenji is our dog. Apparently, the claim is true, all that is required to be a member of the illustrious group of “concerned scientists” is a valid credit card. No discerning questions were asked of me when I prepared Kenji’s application and no follow up check after the application was done. I simply put in his name, address, and provided a valid credit card that matched the address.
Here is his letter of acceptance:
And the envelope it came in:
Kenji surveys his welcome kit:
Kenji is a Japanese Chin, hence the name. I found it ironic that the issue of the UCS Catalyst Magazine (seen above) was all about Japan.
So the real question is: How many real “concerned scientists” are there in UCS? Membership is apparently not any more discerning than the ability to send money.
I’m disappointed the Guardian hasn’t called for a quote on this story citing “leading U.S. Scientists”:
Gary Hladik says:
October 7, 2011 at 4:54 pm
LOL
This might be one of the all-time best articles I have ever seen on WUWT.
All you need now is a picture showing your dog “using” those papers…
OK, I’ll bite. Who is Kevin Knoblock (the guy who signed the letter). The name sounds sort of made up.
Kenji could make a donation to the US Treasury, PETA, the American Cancer Society, etc. Since Union of Concerned Scientists is an advocacy group that accepts donations, it’s not a stretch of the imagination to see the acceptance process automated and accepting donations from dogs with credit cards. Not sure why the composition of what they call members is important. Was it cited somewhere as significant for some reason?
Kevin Knoblock [or anyone else] can be searched here:
http://cvgadget.com
It’s a webcrawler that returns all search results. It’s up to you to narrow it down.
“Smokey says:
October 7, 2011 at 7:24 pm
Kevin Knoblock [or anyone else] can be searched here:”
I looked him up. He is a lobbyist.
“Kevin holds a master’s degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University,……”
Congrats.. Kenji
I hope that this finds you well and we await your words of wisdom concerning climate change.
so how should we respond to the good Dogtor?.
Perhaps they accept all applicants because they don’t want to be called deniers.
And this would make a swell gift for the new member.
http://www.ruffwear.com/Climate-Changer-Fleece
Oh this is kiling me,,,, Too funny
L really OL
Wow, a free mouse pad for $35! That’s a pretty sweet deal for your hairy rat.
Another of my favorite dogs: click
In an exclusive interview, Kenji raised eyebrows when he said: “Bow wow, ruff woof grrrr, snarl, yip yip yahoo.” The response of a team of UCS to Kenji’s statement was: “As long as he keeps sending in $35 contributions, it may be a little over the top–but you have to exaggerate to get your point across.”
Thank you Anthony and DJ. I seldom laugh out loud while at the computer, but this story caused that reaction.
To u.k.(us) [October 7, 2011 at 4:29 pm] who said: “It almost makes me feel sorry for the regulars at RC and Tamino, among others.”
“Almost“
I’m sure that Kenji knows more about tree rings than most climate scientists do.
He’s been sampling trees all his life…
Scientists like this?
Who on earth uses mousepads anyway? Shows how up-do-date these people are. They probably get their “scientific” data on floppy disks.
@old construction worker. I would guess that Knoblock is just a variant of the surname Knoblauch, which in German means “garlic”. The Australian white pages (http://www.whitepages.com.au/) list 23 entries under Knoblauch, 10 with Knobloch, and 5 with Knoblock. It’s more popular than Zwiebel (onion), which only has 4 entries. You can look for yourself in the US white pages, I don’t know what the website is.
Kenji, I’m an apostate of the UCS and some other noteables, but they haven’t got me yet! And now they’ll all probably be looking for a dog, so many thanks for throwing them off the scent!
So, how many peer reviewed turds did Kenji produced till date? It is quality, not quantity which counts in climate science Litchuchur. Kenji is one hot dog.
Press Release
Union of Concerned Scientists
10-07-2011
With the significant addition of Kenji Watts to the illustrious ranks of the Union of Concerned Scientists the number of credentialed scientists has increased by 100%. His credentials are impeccable, AKC, American Society of Quadruped Domicile Protection, and the National Association of Guttural Vocalization. His addition to the Union brings strength to the nonverbal response to questions that the Union faces almost on a daily basis. many of these questions are complex in nature and can cause cognitive dissonance. Kenji however will be able cut through this cleanly and effectively with little effort on our part which is what makes this addition so great.
Please join us in welcoming Kenji to our Union, may his concerns be heard far and wide, even if they are only for another treat.
The bad part about this is that Kenji may be better at understanding what is going than the staffers at UCS. This is great!
Well done, Anthony.
Now we need to find someone willing to enroll a Plymouth Rock. That way a REAL Chicken Little can be a member of the UCS.
Ironically, Anthony Watt’s pet is a commie treehugger.
Dave H
Simmer down now. Their web site says they aren’t all scientists:
“UCS members are people from all walks of life: parents and businesspeople, biologists and physicists, teachers and students.”
They just call themselves scientists. I wonder how many dogs, cats, horses, goldfish, birds, and other pets can be scientists? Heck, we could even throw in a few bodily functions and give them names (yeah, I mean that which you are thinking, hehe). What can be a scientists at the UCS? The possibilities are endless!!
;^)
Speaking of fevers and ‘more cow bell’ prescriptions:
http://www.buzzhumor.com/videos/28180/More_Cowbell
I love the way it first the Union of Concerned Scientists- then its Citizens and Scientists so can’t make their mind up there. Citizens and scientists condemns scientists as stateless illegal aliens. Could they hate scientists more!
is that a typo in Kevin’s acceptance letter
the loch should be head surely
It seems that Kenji did not waste time and established himself as an international authority on biofuels mitigation policy and the global warming effect of corn meal usage at the Guardian.
Well what do you expect from a union whose president is named after a male chastity belt?