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.”
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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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Lucy,
Having done both significant college research related to thimerosal (the mercury component in vaccines) and autism, I can tell you that there is no link, biologically, that any has suggested as an accurate pathway for it to cause any damage. As an organically bound mercury compound it’s easily metabolised and excreted by the body (as opposed to inorganic salt mercury) and it’s actually one of the easiest to metabolise as it turns into ethylmercury instead of methylmercury in the body. That being said, studies being done now looking back at current adults are finding that an approximate 1% of the population has had autism as far back as we have living members of society to study, it was just never diagnosed anywhere near as readily, or for such a large spectrum of people as before. The landmark study proving vaccinations cause autism was retracted by the journal that had printed it when it was found that the lead author (Wakefield) had produced a fundamentally flawed study. Realistic studies have found no link between vaccines and autism or thimerosal and autism. I know people like to find reasons to explain things like this, but science is proving over and over, in much better controlled studies without the kind of sampling errors that Dr. Wakefield had, that this is not a cause for autism. Just a correlation between increasing vaccine use and increasingly effective and comprehensive diagnosing of autism in the community.
While it is easy to laugh at msm censorship,academia is worst. A hint of climate disloyalty will destroy one’s career faster than mentioning reverse discrimination.Sadly,so many young conservatives suffer damaged careers without realizing why.
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.”
You really want to waste money on that terrible looking film? Almost anything that comes out at the first of the year stinks.
Give me more of Terrence Malick, The Coens and Paul Thomas Anderson. I want more Days of Heaven, Deliverance, No Country for Old Men, Fargo, Bonnie and Clyde, The Hustler etc….
Sick of crap like Top Gun and Red Tails myself.
There are no laws preventing a firm from dismissing you if your religious observation damages their business or makes you unable to complete primary duties of your position.
In media, sometimes positively and sometimes negatively your image is important – if your image is negative, that would also be a breech of contract. Sometimes this may not be appropriate, such as if your actions don’t actually damage the business and are completely legal; I’d support laws which made sure that people could color their hair blue and not get fired, or volunteered for political campaigns or whatnot.
But if you’re selling your name and voice and you’re actively campaigning against the facts your employer wants to project? It’s going to be tough to say that’s discrimination.
McCarthy was very wrong in one thing: the number of Stalin’s agents in America were much greater than he thought. We should read the book of Stanton Evans, Blacklisted by History: The Untold Story of Senator Joe McCarthy, and understand better how the Left have been very successful in mold our visions of the world in neurotics ways by, for instance, using terms like McCarthyism that more hides than reveals the reality. And who is against the good and in favor of the bad?
Even this warming skeptic wouldn’t hire someone like Stein with his dishonest attack on evolutionary science. He’s a religious kook and I wouldn’t want to work with him.
novareason, thanks for your considered reply. I appreciate the work you’ve done.
I don’t think this is the place to take matters further – but your statements are at odds with the research I’ve done, both regarding thiomersal (UK spelling) and Dr Andrew Wakefield.
As I do in cases like this, I shall try to make time to dig deep again – but no further comments unless the topic arises naturally in another thread.
Why would an advanced technology company want to be associated with a controversial misinformer on scientific issues, such as creationism and climate change denial? They have the right to hire whomever they choose, just as Anthony Watts has the right to choose not to buy their products. His attention-seeking lawsuit will almost certainly fail.