UPDATE: 12/21/11 4PM -BBC covers Tallbloke, finally, Richard Black still silent- Norfolk constabulary to share hand-off Climategate investigation, and Greg Laden caves – see below
Dec 14th -The first blogger to break the Climategate2 story has had a visit from the police and has had his computers seized. Tallbloke’s Talkshop first reported on CG2 due to the timing of the release being overnight in the USA. Today he was raided by six UK police (Norfolk Constabulary and Metropolitan police) and several of his computers were seized as evidence. He writes:
After surveying my ancient stack of Sun Sparcstations and PII 400 pc’s, they ended up settling for two laptops and an adsl broadband router. I’m blogging this post via my mobile.
That means his cellphone. In his blog report are all the details. including actions in the US involving WordPress and the US Department of Justice. Jeff Id at The Air Vent also has a report here.
Strange and troubling that they’d seize his computers for comments dropped onto a US service (wordpress.com) from the cloud. There wouldn’t be any record on his PC’s of the event from FOIA’s placing comments, that would be in the wordpress.com server logs.
Either there’s more than meets the eye or they have no idea how the blog system works.
UPDATE: I’ve been in contact with Roger (Tallbloke) and he tells me that he is not a suspect, and that they’ll clone his hard drives and return the computers to him. – Anthony
UPDATE2: 12/15/9AM It seems that the story has gone viral on blogs. Four skeptic blogs are in the top ten of all WordPress blogs today. While I’ve seen 2 at a time on CG1 and CG2, four has never happened before. This is from my wordpress.com dashboard:
From top to bottom, WUWT, The Air Vent, Tallbloke’s Talkshop, Climate Audit.
UPDATE3: Delingpole in the Telegraph thinks its going to escalate
UPDATE4: Horner in The Washington Examiner weighs in
UPDATE5: The Guardian picks up on the story here
UPDATE6: Jo Nova suggests it is a form of intimidation
UPDATE7: Josh weighs in with two cartoons
UPDATE8: Greg Laden on Scienceblogs accuses Tallbloke of being a “criminal” – a claim really over the line and over the top. Clearly this is outside of the Code of Conduct for Scienceblogs.com (contact page here) Of course, after reading the rant of hate this man has for anyone not like him, especially Americans in some states, I suppose it’s just another day for him. Update: I sent off a complaint to the editors of Sb about this, and it appears that Laden has been asked to remove the libelous language, though the post remains as does his hateful attitude in comments.
UPDATE9: Lord Monckton to pursue fraud charges against Climategate scientists: Will present to police the case for ‘numerous specific instances of scientific or economic fraud’
Monckton: ‘I have begun drafting a memorandum for prosecuting authorities…to establish…the existence of numerous specific instances of scientific or economic fraud in relation to the official ‘global warming’ storyline…they will act, for that is what the law requires them to do’
Story at ClimateDepot here
UPDATE10: More than a couple of people have asked me about computer security in the last couple of days, especially after the Tallbloke raid incident.
I’m offering a simple security solution for those that want to protect their files: a USB flash drive with built in hardware security. See it here
UPDATE11: A copy of the search warrant can be seen at Climate Audit
UPDATE 12: The BBC’s Richard Black is silent, probably because he can’t “… find an angle that will allow the BBC to maintain the usual warmists good, sceptics bad holding pattern”.
UPDATE13: Tallbloke apparently is going to take legal action against ScienceBlogs and blogger Greg Laden over his libelous article (now modified to not be libelous) accusing Tallbloke of being involved in criminal activity, and is soliciting barristers. Laden says on his blog in comments:
“I think he’s a criminal for being a climate denialist. Sue me. “
Looks like Greg Laden will get his wish.
UPDATE14: Rep Markey has an “off with their heads” moment, Jeff Id explains how the connections being made are preposterous.
UPDATE15: Tallbloke has decided to take the libel issue with Laden to tort. A letter from his attorney is posted.
UPDATE16: Planetsave makes another libel with the headline: “Criminal Who Manufactured Climategate Caught?” The clueless writer, Zachary Shahan, is about as far away from understanding journalism as anyone I’ve seen. He’s in for a nasty surprise as Tallbloke has added him to the tort list.
UPDATE18: UK cartoonist “Fenbeagle” has done up a Star Wars parody in the vein of The Empire Strikes Back. Mike Mann, Phil Jones, Jawas, and a Wookie are featured.
UPDATE19: Tom Nelson points out that Laden seems to have caved to impending legal action: Warmist Greg Laden: Did I say that tallbloke is a criminal? I meant he’s not a criminal. Details here
UPDATE20: Tallbloke reflects on the solstice and says that questions are starting to be asked in the UK.
UPDATE21: Tallbloke reports that:
In a sudden new development, your correspondent has learned that Norfolk Constabulary have decided that climategate is too big for them to handle. According to an un-named source, they intend to hand over the inquiry to another force.
This follows on the heels of a ‘request for a contact’ at Norfolk Constabulary by Lord Christopher Monckton in connection with his intention to have the police investigate revelations in the ‘climategate’ emails placed in the public domain.
UPDATE22: Donna LeFramboise writes in the Financial Post:
This is all rather chilling. It appears that being the proprietor of a blog in which strangers leave links pointing to material on third-party websites now exposes one to being raided by the police.
UPDATE23: The BBC finally gets around to covering the seizure episode almost a week later, unsurprisingly, the very biased Richard Black isn’t the reporter.
Smokey,
I think you meant: With (proper use of) the scientific method, the “carbon” scare is nothing but alarmist propaganda.
By the way, that’s a great explanation to Phil.
Regards,
Luther
Ps I completed freshman English composition classes 40+ years ago, so…
… my sense of sentences may be slipping if sentience is measured by other senses.
Or something.
overheard: “What, speak up, I can’t hear you'”. “what’s that say? I can’t read that small print”. “No, I don’t smell anything, it doesn’t taste funny to me, it doesn’t taste like anything”.
Looks like Planet Save removed his posting although I thought his apology was quite alright
In fact I think he may be getting a bit skeptical about his extreme position by now LOL
OT but the coldest summer in Australia story might be worth posting about The Telegraph *UK(
I doubt there to be any sincere apology for any AGW campers with regard to the severity of their coarse behavior. It is not possible for them to do so being their minds are not normal; they believe in themselves to the extent that no matter how high the tide becomes their blindness will prevail.
Witness their abortive Occupy North Pole efforts…sorta like a post turtle.
A troll called BJ at Dellingpole gleefully points to this story …
Tallbloke is mentioned by real name of course.
Forgot to post the link …
http://climatecrocks.com/2011/12/20/guest-post-bring-uea-email-criminals-to-justice/
Burgers as boogered science is a really feeb analogy. Unless all the burgers are deliberately infected with E. Coli.
Priceless:
“Concerned insiders, distressed in 2009 about lies being disseminated by “global warming” purveyors, hacked and released their incriminating emails. In 1969, concerned insider Daniel Ellsberg, distressed about lies being told by the U.S. government regarding Vietnam, stole and released the Pentagon Papers. ”
From the comments at
http://www.minnpost.com/donshelby/2011/12/20/33938/probe_into_climate_scientists_stolen_emails_gets_serious
stephan says:
December 20, 2011 at 8:33 am
OT but the coldest summer in Australia story might be worth posting about The Telegraph *UK
Yeah, we might be seeing the Southern Hemisphere equivalent of the Gore Effect. You could call it the Gillard/Combet Result (GCR). Since announcing the introduction of a carbon tax in Australia to take effect from 01 Jul 2012 we have an instant reaction from Mother Nature that would even impress King Canute.
But the coldest December day in Brisbane in 123 years is even beyond Greg Combet’s wildest dreams:
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16133817?f=rss
And even better news for Greg – the price of carbon in the EU has “soared” to €8.81 per tonne just when it looked going subterranean. Wait until the carbon tax really takes hold. The BOM, who have forecast a warmer than average summer in SE Australia (because of the warm Indian Ocean?) might even have to consider the GCR in their future modelling. You never know, next year we might even have a white Christmas in Alice Springs.
Also OT, but Merry Christmas to all and keep smiling.
King Canute Correction service again:
Canute staged the tidal farce to silence court sycophants. I think he had a few of them drowned in the incoming tide to emphasize the point.
[SNIP: When you are willing to attach your name and academic affiliation to innuendo and assertion like this then we will approve the comment. -REP]
Greg Laden latest:
There’s lots more following that, like grovel and don’t sue me.
Greg Laden latest:
“I want to make it clear that I do not think that the blogger “TallBloke” a.k.a. Roger Tattersall has broken British law.”
Nice set of changes there.
However he is wrong to say that we agreed not to sue. We just agreed to a damage limitation exercise.
I’ll be clarifying that with Greg tomorrow in the course of refining a few points.
A full settlement may well be possible with a bit more common sense applied.
“Looks like Planet Save removed his posting although I thought his apology was quite alright”
Zach tried to save face a bit with a few residual comments that I didn’t like so in the end we agreed it was tidier to remove it altogether.
Zachary Shahan did not appologise.
Greg Laden did not appologise.
Apologies are emotional constructs personal to each individual and largely worthless.
I deal in corrections, retractions and proper compensation for loss and suffering.
Good work Mr Wilde
The climbdown is an admission that they got it very wrong. We should also welcome some respectful dialogue with these people. Particularly Greg Laden as his blog is a hateful thing of shame. I hope that some polite discourse with Tallbloke will help him learn him the error of his ways.
Dead on. All the best with the mopping up operation.
Brian H says:
December 20, 2011 at 11:06 am
King Canute Correction service again…
Sincere and unreserved apologies to the followers and descendents of the great King Canute if there was any impression given that he was a denier (of Nature). Whether he was a believer or denier I am sure that he would still be impressed with the astounding feat of Gillard and Combet to turn back the tide of the normal Australian Summer with just the threat of an impending carbon tax.
But I have no doubt that King Canute was an outstanding and wise ruler who was truly respected and loved by his subjects and the world would be a better place if he was alive today.
Seems like the Antarctic is also shivering at the thought of a Southern Hemisphere carbon tax or is it more global warming?
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/health-science/douglas-mawson-centenary-trip-to-antarctica-frozen-as-cold-reality-sets-in/story-e6frg8y6-1226227156367
Akademik Shokalskiy, a veteran of 50 trips to Antarctica said: “I’ve never seen it like this.”
Just in case, you’d better see to it that Al Gore doesn’t come to visit the Southern Hemisphere and invoke the Gore Effect.
Stephen Wilde:
Well done! Thankyou, and please keep up the good work.
Richard
Brian H:
At December 20, 2011 at 10:06 am you quote my having concluded my post at December 19, 2011 at 8:24 am by saying :
“The fact that the Team fulfils their employment by working together to usurp the scientific process does not show a conspiracy. If you think it does then you must also think people employed by Burger King are in a conspiracy to make burgers.”
And you reply saying;
“Burgers as boogered science is a really feeb analogy. Unless all the burgers are deliberately infected with E. Coli.”
Sorry, but you really do not ‘get it’.
The Team were commissioned by their employers (i.e. politicians) to provide justifications for political actions. They were NOT employed to conduct real science. Indeed, their responses and actions to negate scientists and scientific information which negated those justifications were normal for political actions. The behaviour of the Team is NOT science (be that science “boogered” or of any other kind). It is political machination.
If the politicians had wanted science then they would have commissioned science, and they would not have exonerated the Team from wrong doing.
The Team fulfilled the duties of their employment and provided the product they were required to provide (as employees of Burger King provide the product they are employed to provide.
Richard