(Note: I can back Mike up on this, I’ve been getting several letters like this from my TV Meteorologist friends from around the country, all nearly identically worded. – Anthony)
Guest post by Mike Alger
If you thought the dishonest tactics taken by Gleick et al were somewhat under the tableau of honesty, I am beginning to find that it is a pattern that is beings followed by much of the CAGW movement as a whole. Let me illustrate:
Just a few days after the smoke was just beginning to clear from Gleickgate (although I imagine there will be a stench to come from it from some time), I received what at first appeared to be a sincere letter from a well meaning viewer of my television weather reports. Here is the letter:
“I am John Lopez, and I am a viewer here in Reno and I’m interested in the issue of climate change and how it is affecting our weather. As someone who studies these things, I was hoping to get your opinion.
As I’m sure you’re aware, there’s been a lot of extreme weather recently, and last year set records for severe weather events. From what I have read, climate change is a factor in all of this. Because I’m interested in climate change and weather, I have joined a campaign called Forecast the Facts, which is focused on how broadcast meteorologists report on this important issue. They’ve helped to put me in touch with reporters like you to ask them their views.
I know that the American Meteorological Society says that human-induced climate change is occurring and is largely created by humans. I’m also aware of reports that climate change is likely to have an impact on weather events like heat waves, droughts, and shifting rainfall patterns. Do you agree with the AMS’ position? Do you think climate change is happening? And do you think it will have an impact on weather in Reno?”
Now, normally I’d be happy to have a discussion about what I think we know and what I think we don’t know about all this, as well as challenge some of his assumptions (last year set records for severe events, etx…), but as had already been brought up in his fine forum and others, “Forecast the Facts” is designed only to pressure the heretics in the broadcast meteorology community for their a apostatic refusal to toe the party line on CAGW. So they try to phish answers from broadcast mets to find out what side of the fence they lean, and then they go after the cretins…pitchforks raised in holy banner…all the way to their nearest newspaper and TV station general manager.
I still retain enough of a Pollyannish view about life that I was willing to see if this John Lopez really existed, and if so if he was a local who fell in with a bad lot. So I responded simply that the issues he brought up were complicated and multifaceted, and would be best explained in person. I then invited him down to the TV station where we could have a great talk about it. If he lived in our area and was sincere in trying to educate himself on at least some of the many factors involved in climate, then that should be easy. If not, and he was cooped up in “Forecast the Facts” strategic war room, then I wouldn’t hear from him again.
That was nearly a month ago. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what the response was (n’t).
I have always heard that in a court of law that truth is a good defense. It appears like there’s too little of that going around in the CAGW camp.
Mike Alger
Chief Meteorologist
KTVN TV
Reno, NV
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Gail Combs says:
March 23, 2012 at 12:26 pm
KnR says:
March 23, 2012 at 11:59 am
crosspatch Fenton Communications seem to have their sticky little fingers all over lots of things that linked to ‘the cause’, given their certainly no charity you have to ask whose picking up the bill?
___________________________
It was discussed here: http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/11/30/tying-wwf-uea-fenton-communications-and-commissioned-research-all-together/
Others on the web tie Fenton Communications back to Tides which is used to launder money so the actual people funding a questionable activity can not be traced.
============
Follow the money….
What, other than a handful of coins, does Fenton have to gain from deceiving the American people with this absurd attack on the AMS?
This is out of control. PR and Advertising are governed by a set of laws. Laws related to misstatements of fact. Its called false advertising and it carries a stiff penalty.
I think its about time to pass the hat and sue them out of existence with a case action suit both regional and International. A suit on behalf of the people of the world who seek reason in a climate of lies.
vukcevic,
The SST seems to be flat to cooling:
http://weather.unisys.com/surface/sst_anom.gif
As for the WMO, they are hopelessly biased, as anyone can see by their constant use of buzzwords like “sustainable”, so I suspect that they are no different than GISS in altering records. The WMO announced that 2011 was the “11th warmest” year. But farther down there is an article saying that 2011 was the “10th warmest”. Did the records change? And I recall Ryan Maue’s chart showing a significant drop in global temps from 2009 to now. Who is right, Dr Maue or the WMO?
FYI, Fenton Communications is the epitome of a “watermelon” activist front group, pursuing the “Revolution” via various environmental campaigns. I doubt that anyone gets to work for them who is not a carefully vetted activist for “The Cause”….
Mike Alger says:
March 23, 2012 at 1:32 pm
…intimidation to squelch dissent creates a scientific fascism in which science itself can only end up the loser.
=========
It will never be allowed to occur in Our Republic. Where is the statement from the White House supporting our freedoms in the face of this foreign and fascist ignorance?
Inquiring minds including over 14,000 AMS members want to know the truth. ; )
Oh, left out link to overview of Fenton Communications:
http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/printgroupProfile.asp?grpid=6958
Around ten of those astroturfing emails hit my e-mailbox in January and February. I responded that clearly the sender was not a viewer of mine or he/she would already know my position on human induced global warming because I had done numerous news reports and two hour long specials on the topic. Then I refered the sender to my global warming webpage at
http://www.kusi.com/category/195823/colemans-corner
I never had any follow up from any of them and as best I know my employers did not hear from any of them.
Big deal. I think not
A very smart response, mr. Alger
Has anyone asked them to explain how the process actually works? Record climate upheaval in 2011 while the global temperature was relatively tepid? If extreme events are actually caused by extra heat in the atmosphere, shouldn’t they occur in record numbers when temperatures are higher?
They’ve been engaging in this for years. One of the most telling quotes was from Hansen himself, when he was asked about Gore’s failed predictions of stronger/more frequent hurricanes:
>>“We need to be more careful in describing the hurricane story than he is,” Dr. Hansen said of Mr. Gore. “On the other hand,” Dr. Hansen said, “he has the bottom line right: most storms, at least those driven by the latent heat of vaporization, will tend to be stronger, or have the potential to be stronger, in a warmer climate.”<<
OK, so they'll either be stronger or, if not, they will have some unrealized potential to be stronger. Someone needs to ask Dr. Hansen exactly how that statement would be falsified. This isn't science, it's snake oil. As long as there are anomolous weather events somewhere in the world, there will be a gang of Texas Sharpshooters drawing post hoc circles around them.
Fenton Communications… they have taken the techniques developed by the totalitarian govts of the 20th century to a new level…
Fenton Communications – taking techniques developed by 20th century totalitarian governments to a new level…
100+ comments and nobody is willing to stand up for this tactic and its organizers? NUFF SAID. COWARDS SELLING LIES. The radical left is well-organized, don’t let them intimidate you from your beliefs.
Hooray for you, Mike Alger!! I live in Reno and have enjoyed your supurb coverage of our difficult to forecast weather. Like Anthony, you are an honor to your profession.
Tom Bakewell
Cut to the “Nobody expects the inquisition” video clip 3 2 1
Larry
Smokey says:
March 23, 2012 at 1:58 pm
As for the WMO, they are hopelessly biased …
From what I have just read skimming their report, the tool of choice seems to be playing fast and loose with the date ‘when records began’.
This gem on the world map on page 4 stood out:
United Kingdom
Warmest spring and second warmest year (behind 2006) since national records began in 1910
It’s worth noting that 2011 was only 0.3°C warmer than 1779 in the HadCET data.
Isn’t the League of Conservation Voters a Political Action Committee and as such required to file it’s accounts with the Federal Election Commission? For the LCV these records include full details of all donors and the amount they individually contribute, as well as the politicians being funded.
http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?C00252940
If FTF is partnered with a PAC then does not Forecast the Facts itself become part of a
non-connected Political Action Committee and as such be subject to the Federal Election Campaign Act? Only asking.
A non-connected PAC is described by Wikipaedia as follows:
“Groups with an ideological mission, single-issue groups, and members of Congress and other political leaders may form “non-connected PACs”. These organizations may accept funds from any individual, business PAC or organization. As of January 2009, there were 1,594 non-connected PACs, the fastest-growing category. ”
OpenSecrets.org gives a clear breakdown of LCV’s financial activities here:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=2012&strID=C00252940
I did a phrase search for
and got
I got a letter exactly like Mike’s sent via email. Apparently, the concerned viewer wasn’t aware that I made the original list of 47 “Weathermen Climate Deniers.”
You should understand that WWW 9:49 am and JFD 10:05 am are probably not actual people, but sound to me like AI generated posts built to follow a template with an assigned name by the DNC or neo-Trotskyites. Let me make this clear. These AI generated posts advance the fake post neo-liberal agenda of showing global warming skeptics to be such ridiculous and paranoid ideologues that any thoughtful person would immediately reject anything that they claim.
sarc off WWW and JFD- Get a life!
The Forcast the Facts web site shares its IP address with various political web-sites:
Citizen Engagement Lab http://www.engagementlab.org
Presente – Strengthening the political voice of Latino communities http://www.presente.org
Video the Vote – Keeping watch on democracy http://videothevote.org
Basta Dobbs – campaign to remove Lou Dobbs from CNN http://www.bastadobbs.com
No harm in such associations of course, but it does colour Forcast the Facts as a political operation rather than any kind of organisation interested in ‘the facts’.
zootcadillac says:
March 23, 2012 at 9:50 am
For all but the simplest replies, I use a Firefox addon called It’s All Text. It adds an “edit” button to the text region, and clicking on it opens your favorite editor (emacs for me). I have emacs configured so an existing window picks up the text, I edit it there, save it, and then click “Post Comment” in the WUWT window. If something messes up, I still have the emacs buffer & file.
It also lets me scroll back through the post in Firefox while keeping the editor window handy so I can cut & paste pieces from other messages.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/its-all-text/
Three of the meteorologists at our stations have had these letters, including me. I tried to get the station to do a story on it (identity theft – looks like they just picked a local name out). The emails were traced to Forecast the Facts. There have also been emails and letters to the station asking for me in particular to be fired (I’m the chief meteorologist). I have a rather successful blog, http://blogs.woodtv.com/category/bills-blog/ (4 million hits last year) and it’s constantly bombarded with alarmist comments. Anyone with free time that wants to help me respond to them, feel free. This is a kind of war and our jobs may be at stake.
“Can we all agree that human induced climate change is caused by humans?”
Boy, I missed that on the first pass. LOL.
I think we can build a consensus around that one.
It’s 100% caused by humans, no error bars. The debate is over for real.
Report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Send a copy of unwanted or deceptive messages to spam@uce.gov. The FTC uses the unsolicited emails stored in this database to pursue law enforcement actions against people who send deceptive spam email.
Mark and two Cats said @ur momisugly March 23, 2012 at 10:02 am
Not quite; they omitted the giant mutant scapegoats that also cause “human-induced climate change”. 😉
Hey Mike, I watch you on KTVN every morning. Thanks for being analytical and honest…but sorry, there are still carhart coveralls behind the seat of my pickup no matter what the forecast!
I am thinking Mother Nature is sitting on a log hugely amused by the arrogance of humans lately.