Josh from CartoonsbyJosh.com writes:
Another ‘Gate’ – but this one turned round and bit the owner.
Leo Hickman and co at the Guardian thought they had a bona fide leak of incriminating
information on the funding of climate skeptics by the Heartland Institute.
Two problems, the funding turns out to be rather small beer, especially in comparison to the vast sums of money paid to promote Climate Change Alarmism. Secondly it looked like the funds were going to fund scientists and with another trenche for a website to explain climate science research.
Hardly a surprise, and not exactly incriminating. It is what the Heartland does after all.
Third problem. The most incriminating document was a fake.
So now it has become know as Fakegate. Ouch.
Great comment by Lucia here, summary and comment by Judith here and lots at
BishopHill, here, here and here, and WUWT, here and here, and even one at Roy Spencers.
And here is the cartoon:
Discover more from Watts Up With That?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Apologies if this has been mentioned before, or covered. (too much material to read, and not enough hours in the day)
This whole story seems to be about nefarious shadowy puppetmasters trying to manipulate the blogosphere.
Even the usual suspects in the MSM (Black) are talking about mr Watts Blog.
maybe we should take note of a seismic shift here, away from the ‘old’ MSM and towards the ‘new’
the blogosphere
It’s easy to check that the “HeartlandGate” stories on SkS and RealClimate never did contain any personal criticism of Anthony, and moreover, the whole story “HeartlandGate” is falling off their front pages.
Right now, the lead RealClimate story speaks out *against* harassment and *against* death threats, and the lead SkS story focuses on concrete energy balance issues in the deep-versus-shallow ocean.
These seem like appropriate stories to me. So it’s hard to understand why WUWT is doing more than most web sites to keep the “HeartlandGate” story alive.
Thank you Anthony. Make a donation to Anthony, I know it will not make up for the funding imbalance but it will help.
A physicist says:
February 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
It’s easy to check that the “HeartlandGate” stories on SkS and RealClimate never did contain any personal criticism of Anthony, and moreover, the whole story “HeartlandGate” is falling off their front pages.
_________________________________
Why was an unverified story there in the first place?
The local red times chimes in. Notes that the smoking gun doc may be faked but goes on to say could have been real. Ah tabloid “truth”.
“Climate change doubter Heartland Institute documents leaked”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/environment/la-me-gs-climate-deniers-heartland-institute-documents-leaked-20120216,0,3932985.story
JamesD – you suggest that a ‘hoaxster’ sent documents to DeSmugBlag. There are other opinions on the web suggesting that the documents originated at DSB.
What would be wrong with Heartland funding skeptic sites? I don’t get it. Apparently it’s a big deal by the way Watt and others are acting.
Where are Skeptic sites supposed to get funding? The Agw people get millions from supporters. Nobel prize!
A physicist says:
February 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
It’s easy to check that the “HeartlandGate” stories on SkS and RealClimate never did contain any personal criticism of Anthony, and moreover, the whole story “HeartlandGate” is falling off their front pages.
————————————-
They would still be drooling on themselves – if they weren’t shown-up as incompetents that jump on anything they think promotes their “cause”. THEY’VE BEEN OUTED – They did it to themselves.
SURE…they now want to move on…just like you wish us to do.
A physicist says:
February 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
“It’s easy to check that the “HeartlandGate” stories on SkS and RealClimate never did contain any personal criticism of Anthony, and moreover, the whole story “HeartlandGate” is falling off their front pages.”
Of course it is falling off their front pages, the daft are totally embarrassed and want it to go away as fast as possible. It is totally disadvantages for the likes of SKS, RC and others of their ilk to leave it up.
A physicist says:
February 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
It’s easy to check that the “HeartlandGate”
—————————–
BTW I don’t believe you are being quite honest calling these “HeartlandGate” …If I remember correctly, John Cook titled it “Dinialgate:” in the first page – though knowing how he changes peoples comments etc….????
Anthony must feel a bit like Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters: “He slimed me.”
Fakegate reminds me of this:
A BBC TV journalist is interviewing a elderly former Polish fighter pilot.
Interviewer: So Mr Stanczewski, I understand that in 1943 you shot down five German aircraft in a single engagement. Could you tell us what happened?
Polish Fighter Pilot: Well we were flying at 20,000 feet when we spotted five Fokkers flying along below us. So we dived down and I aimed at one of the Fokkers and fired a burst from my machine guns right into him and he exploded. Then I saw that one of the Fokkers was on my tail, so I pulled round in a loop and got behind him, and fired and he went down on fire. I looked around and saw two Fokkers attacking my squadron leader, so slipped in behind them, and fired, and that was another Fokker going down in flames. The other Fokker tried to get away from me, but I got right up behind him, and blasted him with my machine guns and turned over and exploded. There was only one of the Fokkers left now, and he was trying to get away, but I flew up behind him, shot – bang, bang, bang – and he blew up too!
Interviewer: I should point out for the benefit of the viewers at home, that the Fokker was a type of German aircraft used in the war.
Polish Fighter Pilot: No, no, no – these fokkers were Messerschmitts!
A physicist says:
February 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
“It’s easy to check that the “HeartlandGate” stories on SkS and RealClimate never did contain any personal criticism of Anthony, and moreover, the whole story “HeartlandGate” is falling off their front pages ….. it’s hard to understand why WUWT is doing more than most web sites to keep the “HeartlandGate” story alive.”
Let’s see now. I make up a bunch of shit about somebody. I get found out and now the whole world knows what a devious, underhanded jerk I am. Hmmmm…. do I continue to repeat what everybody now knows to be untrue or do I try to change the subject? Got to think about that one.
Thanks Josh!
http://www.populartechnology.net/2011/04/truth-about-desmogblog.html
… says it all.
@Kaboom
I wish. That’s the kind of slime you can wash off. The kind of slime perpetrated by De Smog hippie Brendan DeMelle and his boss James Hoggan stays on the Internet forever.
AnonyMoose says (February 16, 2012 at 3:00 pm): “Remember ‘Fake but Accurate’?”
I thought Dan Rather was retired. He’s working at The Guardian now? 🙂
Just a reminder for some posters here concerning the shock revelation of how much funding the Heartland Institute receives… This information could also have been obtained by going to the Heartland Institute website and clicking on the “About [Us]” link at the top of the page.
Lucy Skywalker says (February 16, 2012 at 3:30 pm): “MannBlackSmith.
Explains a lot.”
The funny part is, they’re totally serial. 🙂
A physicist says:
February 16, 2012 at 3:45 pm
“So it’s hard to understand why WUWT is doing more than most web sites to keep the “HeartlandGate” story alive.”
Let me take a WAG: Because someone started a smear campaign designed, apparently, to paint Mr. Watts as an evil-doer associating with evil-doers who get funds from evil-doers. I might have missed a fine point or two there, but you can reword your question and maybe I can be more direct.
> Evidently someone (the Hoaxster) called Heartland claiming to be a boardmember and got a secretary to email copies of board meeting documents. It appears 8 documents were sent.
I think you will find 7 documents were sent – this is partially speculation, but as regards the form 990, while apparently a genuine doc, seems to have been acquired separately:-
1. It predates the board meeting,
2. It was IMHO unlikely to have been a topic of discussion at the board meeting
3. It was IMHO unlikely to have been part of the board pack of documents, so would not have been forwarded as part of the board package to the imposter asking for it to be resent.
4. Could easily have been added (along with the fake strategy memo) to a package of genuine documents.
Oh, and BTW, was already in the hands of at least one warmist (he made a public post saying so) on or about 12th of January – i.e. prior to the board meeting.
John, with respect, citation please? To the best of my knowledge, not even one science-minded weblog has “started a smear campaign designed, apparently, to paint Mr. Watts as an evil-doer”. Indeed the scientific community traditionally is circumspect and sober-minded, and scrupulously avoids the kind of allegations whose existence your post alleges.
And rightly so.
If you’re going to fake stuff; why stop at the data? 🙂
JamesD, Thank-you for the summary. I didn’t think the perp got fingered.
Nice detective work guys!!
That will teach the liars not to make little lies… stick to big ones like AGW.
The 990 was just something else the imposter/leaker/hacker had, and I was unlikely to be part of the board documents.
He probably downloaded it from heartland’s website, since they published it at
http://heartland.org/media-library/pdfs/2010-IRS-Form-990.pdf
And then added to the board documents, along side the fake, when he sent out his little package to 15 bloggers.
Because a 2010 tax return document – the 990 form in question – has absolutely nothing to do with the 2012 budget.