A Polite Discourse with Professional Climate Alarmist David Suzuki
Guest post by Jim Lakely of the Heartland Institute
Back in March, The Heartland Institute sent professional Canadian climate alarmist David Suzuki – formerly on the board of Canada’s notoriously left-wing David Suzuki Foundation – a copy of Rael Isaac’s excellent book, Roosters of the Apocalypse. Today, while rummaging through my over-filled inbox, I saw an envelope from this “esteemed scientist” that arrived two weeks ago. Even in the address he put down for Heartland’s world headquarters, Suzuki exposed his childish contempt for those who disagree with his faith-based climate views.
(See the envelope below)
Then there is the note Suzuki wrote on our cover letter for the book.
In case you couldn’t make that out, let me type it for you:
I am a scientist and I take great umbrage at being sent such a load of crap from a bullshit shill organization for the oil industry. You are the most anti-science group I can imagine.
David Suzuki.
Quite an imagination, considering. But Suzuki left off the Xs and Os. I’m crushed. At least I set him back $3.70 Canadian.
I guess David didn’t get the memo that we should tone down the rhetoric and try to get along. Of course he’s wrong about us, but defaming people who disagree is the only trick aging alarmists like him have left.
==============================================
WUWT Readers might recall this research effort by the same esteemed Canadian scientist:
More here.
“Socialist” clearly makes more sense than “scientist”, which is the way I first read it as well.
The concepts of: “throwing toys out of the cot” and “little minds stamping little feet” come to mind.
Anyhow, this from Canada’s Financial Post on April 19, 2012.
The largest project of the Suzuki Foundation, Tides Canada and their U.S. funders, has been the creation of the Great Bear Rainforest, a 21 million hectare “no trade zone” on the north coast of B.C. It’s the size of Switzerland. Now, in the name of protecting the kermode bear, the so-called Great Spirit Bear, environmentalists say that oil tanker traffic must be banned on the entire north coast of B.C. No tankers means no oil exports to Asia and that the U.S. gets to keep its virtual monopoly on Canadian oil.
I guess it all makes perfect sense if you are a ‘climate scientist’ and want to re-enact the War of 1812.
Perhaps, a little curious and far from me to suggest anything the slightest bit dodgy about this, Tides Canada does not list the Suzuki Foundation amongst its donors:
http://tidescanada.org/about/program/
…but Heartland is an oil-funded ideological organisation that denies science (not just climate science remember) when it threatens the profit-margins of their benefactors. Is there anything factually inaccurate in this statement.
They also paid the owner of this blog.
I guess in this alternative universe this can all be turned into a Friday funny. Hilarious.
Are the Met Office still “spinning” their data Antony?
I heard Suzuki on the radio a few weeks ago and he sounds old and crotchety. I’m surprised the CBC hasn’t found a suitable replacement for him, he needs to be retired. He is still Canada’s preeminent popular scientist. Though he is not a politician he is considered Canada’s version of Al Gore regarding environmental activism, and many Canadians still hang on his every word. As long as the CBC continues to give him a voice, Canadians will follow him like sheep. Its embarrassing really.
He also has 26 honorary doctorates. Not sure what that says about the guy, or about the institutions that bestowed them.
ScepticalTom: Are serious? Duke Energy “loaned” 2 million to the DNC and Duke made their money in oil and nuclear. So Obama is a puppet of the oil industry???? Oil companies build wind plants, so wind plants are part of the evil oil companies???? There really is no thought involved in what you write, is there? Check who gets oil money. Unless you are claiming that only the people who don’t like are not affected by oil money and everyone you like is not (a ludicrous, illogical claim at best) you are totally wrong.
I think some one needs to remind Dr. Suzuki that his science education and former profession may qualify him to be called scientist but he has been an activist journalist/entertainer for a very long time now. If you are taking a social/political stand you loose the scientist label. The philosophy and methodology of science in incomparable with journalist/entertainment.
RE:“Suzuki received his BA in Biology from Amherst College of Massachusetts in 1958, and his Ph.D in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961.. . ”
And;
RE: “WUWT Readers might recall this research effort by the same esteemed Canadian scientist:”
You’re unlikely to find a more anti-American up here in the Great White North than The Profit Suzuki (that’s not a typo, RE: The Profit). You’re also unlikely to find another ‘scientist’ (w/PhD or otherwise) who apparently believes in Santa Claus.
But when you’re a believer I guess, you’re a believer . . .
What a foul mouthed and arrogant individual he is. I’m sure most true scientists will find his demonstrated tenets abhorrent. He truly is “a legend in his own mind”, if only he was capable of seeing himself as others do he would realize what a sad, pathetic, irrelevant and embittered figure he has become. I genuinely feel sorry for him, what does he see when he looks in the mirror? What are his last thoughts as he drifts into sleep each night?
That said his behaviuor does more to help expose the lies and spin behind alarmist propaganda than a lot of other things I can think of.
It’s long been a saw that Psychologists eventually succumb to their specialty, i.e. Psychologists who specialize in bipolar disorders become bipolar, etc. This is the first observation that this rule applies to other fields … 🙂 🙂 🙂
As soon as you hear one of these guys screeching about sustainability he means your wallet, your lifestyle, your comfort, not his.
Vintage clip of Guru Suzuki calling humans maggots. What else would a fruit fly beget?
Suzuki displays no curiosity on how his own perception of reality might be wrong. Therefore, he is not a scientist despite any claim to the contrary.
This may sound silly, but how do we know that is David Suzuki’s handwriting?
Does anybody have a sample?
Could be one of his DSF minions that scribbled out the reply to Jim Lakely.
Just playing the devil’s advocate… Although I have heard that David Suzuki can be a hothead.
Also, Donna Framboise and Vivian Krause have several articles about Suzuki worth checking out.
David Suzuki Says
“I am a scientist …”
Forget the rest of it. That’s your Friday Funny right there.
ScepticalTom says:
November 9, 2012 at 7:10 am
Adding an insult to the host of the blog in a no-content no-purpose and not-even-humorous rant serves only to waste time of which most of us need more of. It has also flagged the name of the writer, such that future posts under the same name will not be read. So, ScatologicalTom, may you ever after be cursed to face into the wind.
Vivian Krause
This is exactly what we need. Smart, articulate, attractive (yes, it is important for TV) young woman to argue the facts. At the moment, sorry chaps, but the current batch of skeptics on telly just aren’t as telegenic.
klem says:
November 9, 2012 at 7:45 am
“He also has 26 honorary doctorates. Not sure what that says about the guy, or about the institutions that bestowed them.”
About the institutions — it says the graduation ceremony planners were hoping for a commencement speaker who would generate buzz, attract attention of students and parents (aka donors), and promote the school. Politicians, comics, and fools fill this need. The honorary doctorate cost the institutions pennies – a small investment from which a massive positive multiplier effect is assumed.
Concerning the Santa Claus thing. That’s just silly, everyone knows (at least all the democrats) that Santa lives at the White House.
This is hysterical.
Jim “Climate Scientists Are Just Like the Unabomber” Lakely thinks someone else’s rhetoric–in private correspndence, no less–is over the top?
Heartland just gets funnier and funnier.
He has a multimillion dollar house in exclusive Kitsilano, a compound on Quadra Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands and a house in northern BC.
http://www.smalldeadanimals.com/archives/011990.html
He supposedly resigned to avoid Revenue Canada audits against lobbying in a charity:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/14/david-suzuki-resigns-to-save-foundation-from-bully-charitable-status-threats/
He did a national tour a couple of years ago – in a diesel bus. A couple of weeks ago in his propaganda hour on CBC he explained how the earth was gonna flip on its access because of the loss of “magnetic particles”.
His foundation – which may not do lobbying is significantly funded by US “foundations” http://fairquestions.typepad.com/rethink_campaigns/28-usa-grants-to-dsf-for-more-than-100-thousand.html
And when John Oakley interviewed him on CFRB a few years ago he stated that he received no funds from oil companies. Oakley started reading out a list and Suzuki yelled at him and walked out.
Last but not least – who is the Suzuki Foundations PR firm? Hoggan Communications who produces Desmog Blog. Think any of the Foundation $ goes to produce this?
Bernd Felsche says:
November 9, 2012 at 4:17 am
BTW: Was that message penned in ink or bile?
Neither, crayon
Jeremy says:
November 9, 2012 at 8:13 am
“Suzuki displays no curiosity on how his own perception of reality might be wrong. Therefore, he is not a scientist despite any claim to the contrary.”
That Suzuki didn’t merely discard the book but took the time to write a snarky, childish reply and pay return postage “out of his own pocket” without public fanfare shows that he is no mere rent-seeker. This is personal. I detect a clear case of “Battered Worldview Syndrome”. He and climate/envirozombies like him are truly madly deeply emotionally codependent with their worldview. Even when it beats them mercilessly they keep crawling back.
Watts isn’t paid for his blogging. A Heartland document describes a request he made last year for funding for a different, value-neutral project:
Watts later reported on the progress of this project:
See http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/04/07/an-update-on-my-climate-reference-network-visualization-project/
rikstarling says:
November 9, 2012 at 3:46 am
The address is that of the DS foundation…not far from…Arbutus and W. 4th, Vancouver.
David Suzuki is still a scientist? I thought he’d abandoned fruit flies long ago for the arts. In any case, he is surely an accomplished BS artist.