As many WUWT readers know, my dog, Kenji Watts, is an actual member of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He’s got papers to prove it.
This of course is proof that all you need is a valid credit card to join this “front group” (as they describe others) in this science free money quest. Below is the email Kenji received today. – Anthony
Dear friend,
A generous supporter has pledged to match all donations dollar-for-dollar—up to $250,000—but only if you act by the end of the week!
Your support of UCS makes a vital difference in building a healthier environment and a safer world. If you’re still looking for a reason to support UCS, how about this one:
Picture a four-lane highway packed bumper to bumper with idling cars stretching all the way around the earth at the equator. Now picture the tailpipe emissions from all those cars and think about how much that would speed up global warming.
UCS supporters like you helped push through tough emissions standards for new cars and trucks that will require automakers to produce vehicles that emit roughly half of the global warming emissions of a new automobile today. By the year 2030, this effort alone will keep more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into our atmosphere. That’s like taking 41 million cars off the road.
Time is running out to take advantage of this special opportunity. Please act now. Join more than 85,000 other members of UCS—become a member of UCS today.
With your help, we will:
- expose corporations, front groups, and policy makers who mislead the public and undermine understanding of climate science;
- fight to shut down old and dirty coal plants and increase investment in wind, solar, and other clean, renewable sources of energy; and
- actively protect scientists in the government and academia from politically motivated personal attacks.
You are a key partner in all this work. Please act now and take advantage of this special, short-term opportunity.
With your help, I’m confident we can win more important victories in the year ahead and the years to come.
Sincerely,
Kevin Knobloch
President
P.S. Remember: this special opportunity only lasts through the end of the week. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar—but only if you act now!
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world.
Union of Concerned Scientists, 2 Brattle Square Cambridge, MA 02138-3780
phone: 800-666-8276 | Fax: 617-864-9405 | ucsaction@ucsusa.org | www.ucsusa.org
UCS is a 501(c)(3) organization. All gifts are tax deductible. You can be confident your donations to UCS are spent wisely.
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Union of Confused Scientists
From the same paragraph: “UCS supporters like you helped push through tough emissions standards … become a member of UCS today.”
So members are getting letters asking for money while being urged to become members? A bit confusing.
Of course, the real problem is that their “generous supporter” is anonymous, and as Gleik has made quite clear, anonymous funders are evil and untrustworthy. Fortunately, I have an authentic document right here showing the true identity of this supporter, and will be happy to send it to all concerned as soon as the ink dries.
This email reads like one of those “As seen on TV commercials”. Possibly originating in Nigeria?
Anthony, thank you for the laugh. Here’s a little something I did while bored, might give you a laugh back 🙂
http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/v2/play.php?id=155737
regards,
Heggs.
“With your help, we will … expose … front groups … who mislead the public and undermine understanding of climate science”
Would that not be shooting themselves in the foot?
“The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world.”
“Science-based”! Heh! This is like saying the American cheese slices in the supermarket are “cheese-based”…
Here’s a new motto for them:
Union of Concerned Scientists – the cheese-food of science organizations…
By the way, just because an organization is supposedly “nonprofit” does not mean that their principal members and staffs don’t get paid well – VERY well…
That’s like taking 41 million cats off the road. Who can refuse to support that? Oh – he said cars. Nevermind.
“UCS supporters like you helped push through tough emissions standards for new cars and trucks that will require automakers to produce vehicles that emit roughly half of the global warming emissions of a new automobile today.”
We will call this new vehicle “the bicycle”.
Kenji looks a lot like this famous scientist
Perhaps Kenji should run for office at the UCS? He’ll probably be popular with the other credit card holders and when Kenji assumes the mantle of power he can get them to focus on something important. (like science education).
Time to start collecting for Kenji’s legal defense fund!
Someone is bound to cry foul, claiming that Kenji can’t be a bona-fide scientist since she hasn’t been vetted through proper peer review, despite her being a member of UCS. Now there would be a dire dilemma for the UCS! Better get her name on an IPCC-referenced document as a co-author.
By the way, Knobloch is a derivation of Knoblauch (German for Garlic).
I’d be willing to bet that Kenji would be put off.
Kurt in Switzerland
At what point could this be fraud and they would loose there “non-profit” status?
I’m sure I’m as shocked as anybody to find that Kevin Knobloch isn’t actually a scientist but instead has training in English, Journalism, and Public Administration.
I got sick of these continuous solicitations for money with the grade school scare tactics, and decided to save my money for a tank of gas to go driving around doing nothing.
I am no longer a proud member of the UCS. Perhaps again someday….. if I still have a valid credit card.
(I do still get emails from them begging me to join in the “fight”.)
It’s about time for Kenji to give his first lecture to the UCS. When’s it gonna happen Anthony?
There are about 1 billion cars in the world today (only a guesstimate from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/23/car-population_n_934291.html).
So 41 millon is 0.041% fewer cars. So that 41 million can change the whole climate. Seriously?
A standard tactic. Use big numbers which are too big for the ordinary person to comprehend and then make it sound scary.
RE: Ken Moore said: “Hmm…I see I misspelled “photosynthesize”.”
Yes you did. Its actually spelt photosynthesise.
Kenji! Don’t Do IT!!! That is 164,000,000 less tires to pee on!
“By the year 2030, this effort alone will keep more than 300 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into our atmosphere. That’s like taking 41 million cars off the road.
Time is running out to take advantage of this special opportunity.”
The Financial Times reported a couple of days ago that the U.S. power generation industry’s shift to natural gas has reduced carbon emissions 450 mega tons in the last 5 years. This makes 300 tons by 2030 look like peanuts, but I don’t recommed we hold our breath (another carbon reducing action) awaiting the UCS to get behind expansion of natural gas production in the US.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3aa19200-a4eb-11e1-b421-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1volNGFKm
Jonathan Grove says:
May 25, 2012 at 1:17 am
So it’s bad for scientists to use tax dollars, and bad for them to raise funds too? I assume we’re to think that the only good science is done for private companies, in order to raise profits? …
___________________________
Hey John what do you think Kenji has a Phd in? Woofology or may be he is like Briffa, a tree guy who specializes in Bark.
@Patrick Guinness Franck, 2:54 am:
This just misses the point. He’s concerned. Very, very concerned.
steveta_uk says:
May 25, 2012 at 3:55 am
It seems pretty hard to believe that no UCS member ever reads WUWT (I’m assuming that Kenji can’t read) so why do they continue to accept this ridicule? Are the membership rules such that they cannot do anything about canine members?
_______________________________
There are only two reasons I can think of
1. They can not read.
2. They let others do their thinking for them and only read environmentalist propaganda never bothering to look at both sides before making up their minds.
Either way it does not say much for their claim to be “Scientists”
Kurt in Switzerland: I am sure that Kenji has been “vetted” many times. Anthony would let her go around without her shots in Northern California – got to protect her from all those “Rabid” environmentalists.
Ryan says:
May 25, 2012 at 1:54 am
Wow, it seems everybody in UCS lives in a kind of bubble as they still haven’t realised that Kenji is a dog!
My mailbox still gets stuffed with DNC flyers addressed to Boots Tuttle, and she never voted for a Democrat in her life.
Gail, there’s a rather obvious 3rd reason – they are in it for the money and could care less about the science.