Photo courtesy of flickr, tarsandsaction.org stream Link
Excerpt from Bloomberg:
James Hansen, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, was arrested outside the White House as he joined protesters in urging President Barack Obama to reject TransCanada Corp. (TRP)’s $7 billion pipeline. Before he was taken into custody today, Hansen took a megaphone and implored Obama to act “for the sake of your children and grandchildren.”
In the following video, Dr. Hansen is plain spoken, coherent, and obviously quite convincing. His manner of delivery and calmness is actually something that Al Gore could learn from. Also, why isn’t Al Gore showing solidarity with these protestors?
“If Obama chooses the dirty needle it will confirm that the president was just green-washing all along,” Hansen, 70, who took a vacation day from his job at the New York based institute to participate in the protest, said in an e-mailed statement.
I wonder if NASA has a three strikes policy, this is arrest #3 from Dr. Hansen.
He should be fired.
Private industry has a code of conduct that people can be terminated for, it is about time we start applying that to our public servants as well. No public employee should be allowed to practice illeagal civil disobedience and still keep their public sector job, period.
This Hansen guy is a loon
Apart from anything else it is clear that the US needs to enforce some kind of standard on its employees. I really can’t imagine that someone as loopy as this guy is of any use in his job even on the odd occasion when he actually makes it into the office.
Photo courtesy of flickr, tarsandsaction.org stream Link
Also, “Hey Obama be our Tarzan”? what the hell !
Does he still draw his gub’mint paycheck while he’s in jail?
Just askin’.
That man is chuckoo for cocoa puffs.
Same copyright…
Large crowd. /sarc.
The lamestream media will say it was in the thousands.
Once again I ask:
If someone is willing to break the law in order to ‘save the planet’, why wouldn’t he also be willing to fudge the data?
Retirement beckons, surely………..
Well, here’s a video of the event and the reaction from the impressive crowd of protesters:
http://www.energynow.com/video/2011/08/29/nasa-scientist-james-hansen-arrested
And here’s a closer still:
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/29/top-nasa-climate-scientist-arrested-at-white-house/
CJrun
[? there’s like 15 people “protesting”. holy crap, this has to lead all 3-nightly news broadcasts]
Question-
Does Hansen get his paycheck from NASA docked when he demonstrates on a weekday during business hours? Who should the complaint be addressed to?
Any one notice the hypocrisy on display in that one single photo….I speak of all the plastic one time use water bottles that litter the ground. That plastic was created by oil and will be around for 100 years. All 5 do not seem to have a owner and will not be recycles but tossed out with normal trash when the park service has to clean up the mess this protest will leave.
Read the story! Hansen took a “vacation day” — which will likely turn into a week or so.
Somebody needs to tell those protesters that bottled water is bad for the environment.
What’s the retirement age in the USA?
It has just been raised to 67 here in the UK.
I would be fired for this kind of behaviour. I’m sick to death of those in government positions being shielded from the ethics requirements of the rest of society.
So right he was arrested, wearing brown shoes with a dark suit, the man has no sense of style or taste whatever. The Fashionista Police were only doing their duty.
And as for the hat? Words fail me.
UK civil servants have a choice: give up politics to do with your job or give up your job.
Likewise judges … they cannot have a public opinion about cases, they loose their right to free speech in order to protect the public right to justice.
It’s just part of the job, and likewise real Scientists have the same choice: throw away any pretence of being impartial and leave your job to be an activist, or give up activism and do your jobs as impartially as you can.
As such Hansen is utterly corrupt. He wants to be treated as an impartial judge of the facts, whilst simultaneously being an overt partial activist.
I presume the folks are applauding because he’s finally being hauled off . . .
You know……
I’ll give the man credit….he does walk the walk
But anyone that thinks he separates that from his science believes in…..
nevermind………
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/08/18/bizarre-craptastic-theory-from-the-guardian-penn-state-and-nasa-et-will-kill-us-because-global-warming-will-tip-them-off-that-we-are-a-bad-species/
The whole thing looked very strange to me. James hansen obviously volunteered to be arrested, meekly walked to the officer and put his hands behind his back ready to be cuffed. Blatant staging if you ask me.
Yeah, and then he goes back to work as a professional scientist only interested in where the evidence takes him………sure.
The thing I like about Hansen is that he believes in what he is doing. What is so awful about him is that he even understands that ‘renewable’ energy doesn’t work, knows that nuclear is being blocked by the green’s and still wants us to shut down our sources of energy. He is decidedly anti-progress, anti-capitalist and doesn’t consider the poverty and starvation which would result to be any problem at all.
He does believe in himself though. I just which taxpayers weren’t forced to fund his sorry butt.
Did Hansen take a sick day today, or did he use some of his vacation time to do this?
He really is making a laughing stock of NASA. A complete embarrassment me thinks…………
Ryan Maue says:
August 29, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Love the use of children with the childlike script on the sign. But where are the brown shirts and arm bands?
If Hansen is a public employee it shouldn’t be too hard for some moderately intrepid journalistic investigator to get his work performance standards, along with the general standards set forth by his employing agency.
Where Hansen isn’t a member of the Scientists Fudging Data Union, and there are likely standards prohibiting acts of “moral turpitude” or continued intentional acts of illegal activities….Hansen could find himself subject to termination.
If someone complained, that is.
He should at least be back at his desk fudging data. For the good of our grandchildren.
… The “dirty needle” reference? So now we’re drug abusers too?
Won’t be long before they’re trying to round us up and burn us as witches.
I hope someone remembered to cancel their early bird reservations at IHOP……………….
Ok, let me get this straight; Hansen is an activist about the thing he is supposed to be unbiasly studying? Am I reading the Onion here? This is sickening!
It seems to me that it’s well past time to get livid with our government allowing someone who behaves this way to retain a very high paid government position – and to profit mightily by trading on the very reputation of the taxpayer paid government position. IIRC, Bush was vilified in the press for trying to limit some of these sorts of unethical activities. Note, I could care less WHICH president it iis, I think that this should have been stopped long long ago. http://biggovernment.com/chorner/2011/06/23/lawsuit-seeks-ethics-filings-of-nasas-global-warming-activist-james-hansen/
Lawsuit Seeks Ethics Filings of NASA’s Global Warming Activist, James Hansen
by Christopher C. Horner
This week I filed a lawsuit against the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), in federal district court in the District of Columbia on behalf of The American Tradition Institute’s Environmental Law Center. On the heels of obtaining a court order last month compelling the University of Virginia to produce the long-sought ‘Hockey Stick’-related records, ATI’s transparency project now seeks to force NASA to release ethics records for taxpayer-funded global warming activist Dr. James Hansen, specifically those pertaining to his outside employment, revenue generation, and advocacy activities.
What we are trying to determine is whether NASA approved Hansen’s widespread, well-documented, high-profile and, it turns out, extremely lucrative “outside employment and other activities”, permission for which must be obtained in writing, in advance. Public financial disclosures and other documents reveal that he has received at least $1.2 million in the past four years, more than doubling his taxpayer-financed salary. [emphasis added] …..
…That is, although we removed from the final version a reminder of Hansen’s escalation to knee-jerk invocation of Nazi analogies, this remains a key point about this gusher of outside income. All of which comes on top of — and, more troubling, is all “related to” and is sometimes even according to his benefactors expressly for — his taxpayer-funded employment. (continued online)
What a pinhead!
Dr James Hansen has been passing himself off as a climatologist. He is no such thing, as he is an astrophysicist by training and knows next to nothing about the atmosphere or meteorology. His duties include maintaining the costly database of historical weather reports. He has no training in such undertakings, and the internal email documents reveal that the librarian function has been badly mishandled jeopardizing the faith in the accuracy of the historical records entrusted to his care. The evidence is thatthe records have been changed and “adjusted” repeatedly, but with no track of changes made.
Meanwhile he has paid NASA employees to do nothing but act as his publicity flacks, one such being Gavin Schmidt who is being indicted for taking government salaries and not working.
hanson probably earns 8 hours annual leave per pay period and 4 hours sick leave per pay period. (2 week pay period). he can save up and carry from one year to the next 160 hours of al and accumulate as much as 320 hours of annual leave, vacation time, but he has to use 160 of the 320 before the end of the last pay period of the year which is usually the first saturday night at midnight.
he can save up sick leave for his entire career in federal service.
if he applied for annual leave beforehand and has sufficient leave “on the books” to cover it he can sit out a jail term on vacation time.
however he cannot use sick leave for jail time.
however the security department at nasa can declare him a security risk and not allow him to come to work. if he cannot get to the work place then he cannot perform work and then he can be terminated for “abandoning the job”.
if he is a GS 15 or above they can simply tell him he is fired for moral turpitude as he is then not subject to mspb protections.
C
Can someone help the guy pick hats?! For gods sake already!
;^)
So whats with all the plastic water bottles. Don’t these idiots know that the plastic comes from oil? And that for every litre of water in the bottle about 2 more are used during manufacture of said bottle?
Seems like ignorance and hypocrisy rule the day in protest-land.
He is getting way out there, even for NASA (the final frontier).
How bad can it be? 2001 came and went, and he wasn’t selected by the obelisk.
I actually don’t give a damm what he does in protests etc What really worries me that is the USA goverment allows/employs someone with such an obvious bias to be in control of global temperature data. He should be fired immediately.
I live in DC metro.
I don’t think there is one single federal employee who has been allowed to flaunt three misdemeanor arrests.
He should be fired post haste.
Throw away the key!
That’s a good one for the true believers to chew on! Wonder why none have answered.
pk says at 4:24 pm: “if [hansen] is a GS 15 or above they can simply tell him he is fired for moral turpitude as he is then not subject to mspb protections.”
Hansen is ES 00 and made $158,832 in FY 2010. Gavin Schmidt is GS 15 and made $136,791 in FY 2010.
http://php.app.com/fed_employees10/results.php?pageNum_Recordset1=0&totalRows_Recordset1=29&fullname=&agency_name=GODDARD+SPACE+FLIGHT+CENTER&statename=New+York&countyname=%25&Submit=Search
At least he believes in his own forecasts.
Noone else should, however, given they are off by 100% to date.
James Hansen, Jim Henson; both = Muppets
“Canadian tar sand is seen as a horribly inefficient form of hydrocarbon energy due to the separation process, which requires more energy than the finished product puts out.”
Big, juicy Red Herring there. Since when do Greenies care about efficiency? Besides, if it took more energy to get and process the oil than the oil delivers, why would they even bother? They’d lose money instead of making it.
Three strikes and you’re out, Hansen. Go home to your children and grandchildren you claim to be so “concerned” about. You are a disgrace to your profession.
How can anyone who works for the government keep their job after being arrested?
I thought that The Hatch act prohibited political activities by Government employees.
People who wear dark suits and brown shoes should be avoided.
Charcoal suit, blue shirt, brown belt, brown shoes, brown tie, the science, the hat.
It says it all.
Nasa JPL confict of interest policy:
http://ethics.jpl.nasa.gov/handbook/conflict.html
Now let’s say you were in a position that you could make warming look “unprecedented” and “accelerating”, wouldn’t this be advantageous to your future book sales (you know the one you’ve been thinking about writing for years)? Seems like a clear conflict of interest to me.
Now let’s assume you truly believe in something other than book sales, that maybe getting the word out is more important than profit, wouldn’t give the book away?
Now let’s assume you truly want to maximize profits, wouldn’t a nice publicity stunt like getting arrested boost sales?
2% difference between tar sands oil and Venezuelan Oil currently used in US refineries.
And Canada executes way fewer political prisoners.
I’d tell my standard (repeatedly censored) joke here, but Anthony very busy these days and is not around to protect me from myself . . .
(Half of the punchline is “Jim Hansen”.)
How would Hansen feel if we entered another ice age? Blame Pinatubo? Blame Chinese coal? Blame…… Take your pick. Yet, if he is wrong on AGW, then he needs to come over to the sceptics on bended knee and apologize for his over confidence.
Oopsie! I shoulda posted here and not on Scientists Behaving Badly…
The motion is proposed:
Hansen looked sportier in the skirt.
Let the debate begin ;o)
Bruce, Canada takes no prisoners 🙂
How did Hansen make it from NYC to Washington DC?
Hopefully no petroleum was used in that.
Andrew Harding says:
August 29, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Reminds me of this.
Garry says:
August 29, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Garry – I’ve seen that data before. What infuriating is if you check their salary increases from 2008 to present, you will see that both Hansen, Schmidt and the rest of the GISS gang were given nice salary increases even as the economy was tanking (and thousands of engineers and scientists in the public sector were being laid off or having their salaries frozen). Moreover, their projects were provided “stimulus” funds in 2009, further increasing their consumption of public money.
I will listen to what these people have to say, including Dr. Hansen, when they relinquish all of their petroleum (i.e. crude oil) derived possessions. To start, any of the 250+ items listed here: http://whgbetc.com/petro-products.pdf
I am surprised he still has a clearance (seems reasonable to expect his position to require one.)
Mark
Bravo James Hansen !
And bravo to all the 400 other protesters that have been arrested so far in this demonstration. History will view your actions favourably.
There is, as I understand, around 400 gigatonnes of carbon locked up in the Canadian oil sands, which if burned would raise global atmospheric CO2 levels by a further 200 ppm.
Lots of folks here at WUWT understand that CO2 is a greenhouse gas and that 600ppm would almost certainly bring about catastrophic climate change. I see they’re not here posting comments of praise for the protesters, perhaps they’re busy being arrested in Washington ?
Vic please answer me this, where was the catastrophic climate change when CO2 levels were much higher in the past. Did you forget the sarc on.
Jeff Id says: “The thing I like about Hansen is that he believes in what he is doing.”
Yes, and so did…er…what’s-is-name. That other guy with a messiah komplex.
See Vic above brilliantly demonstrating the(by now familiar) warmist ‘technique’ of making up the data as he goes along! Bravo.
Vic says:
“Lots of folks here at WUWT understand that CO2 is a greenhouse gas and that 600ppm would almost certainly bring about catastrophic climate change.”
It is a greenhouse gas but the there is no rational basis for assuming CATASTROPHIC anything. That is just political propaganda and alarmism or paranoia. Did you forget your /sarc flag or something.
lol@Vic.Better stop using that oil.
Sadly there are hundreds of millions of dollars in the NASA budget going to climate change research. The ‘earth science’ portion of NASA’s budget in FY 08 was $428M, though only some portion of that is directly credited against ‘climate change’ research.
And Vic, I’d be delighted to see the proof of your theory that 600ppm would ‘certainly bring about catastrophic climate change’. I think that the reasonable people on this board would certainly not be ‘sceptics’ if such proof actually existed.
Vic says:
August 29, 2011 at 7:43 pm
————————————————————————————————————————-
There is, as I understand, around 400 gigatonnes of carbon locked up in the Canadian oil sands, which if burned would raise global atmospheric CO2 levels by a further 200 ppm.
————————————————————————————————————————-
Then you understand wrong, indeed not at all. Even if burned over a short time, decades not years, such a quantity of carbon would barely raise atmospheric CO2 levels by more than a few ppm and that rise would dissipate within a couple of decades or so of cessation of combustion. .
It is the oceans that control the level of CO2 in the atmosphere, the effect of burning fossil fuels is imperceptible on the global scale: and consequently cannot be quantified given the limits of precision and location of our measuring apparatus at the moment.
Kindest Regards
hum says:
August 29, 2011 at 2:26 pm
He should be fired.
____
A man should be fired for standing up for what he believes in…right or wrong? Nice country Amerika has become…
Hansen should be Carbonised, and Vic needs to get his thinking cap on.
CO2 (Plant Food) at 600 ppmv would be good for all living things, Humans, Animals and Plants would love it. Earth’s present atmosphere is CO2 impoverished, its minor warming ability happens mostly in the first 20 ppmv, and at our current level of about 380 ppmv we are not that much above the level that plant growth shuts down.
Vic-Shouldnt Hansen and the other 399 be protesting China? They are the worlds largest CO2 “polluter” and shouldnt we damage their economy rather than ours? Why focus on US and let them off the hook???
The pathetic thing is if any low-level employee engaged in this behavior, they would be canned instantly. Hansen is not only one of the highest paid employees, ( and overpaid, I might add) but he makes large decisions that affect many programs and policies, many which receive millions of taxpayer funds. He must be impartial.
He has proved he is biased, prejudiced, and just plain wrong.
Where is the outcry from the MSM to fire him?
Not a very big protest by the looks of it.
And with an initial $90 million endowment the ecototalitarians are at work in British Columbia, targeting KIDS!!!
PICS-SFU Initiatives
Outreach Program for Kids. Science in Action energy workshop
Exploring Energy: Conversion, Consumption and Conservation
Brought to you by SFU-Science in Action and PICS
Starting this Fall, 2011
Children from grades 4 to 7 will have a hands-on opportunity to explore different ways to generate “green” energy using wind, sun and water as a power source.
The program will look at topics such as generating electricity from renewable sources, finding out how much energy is required to light different kinds of bulbs while pedaling a bike, and learning about the effects of green house gases on the climate.
SFU students are invited to participate in this workshop as volunteers. You will help to run one of the 5 stations that are part of the program. This is a fun and unique opportunity to contribute to your community woriking directly with children!
Click here for a link to the poster. For more info contact Nastenka Calle at n_calle@sfu.ca or by phone at 788-782-8834
Climate Change Research @ SFU Call for Poster Presentation
SFU graduate and undergraduate students are invited to share their climate change-related research at the SFU Sustainability Festival which will be held at SFU – Burnaby Campus on September 20, 2011. The poster session will provide an excellent opportunity to students to share their research to the SFU Community.
Aplication deadline: September 6th, 2011. Spaces are limited.
Prize for best poster: $300 (for Graduate Students) and $200 (for Under Graduate students)
Festival Sponsors: SFU Sustainability, Faculty of Environment (FENV), Sustainable SFU, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS).
More details are available on the sustainability-poster guidelinesGrad.pdf and sustainability-poster guidelinesUndergrad. For further information contact Nastenka Calle, PICS-SFU Coordinator at n_calle@sfu.ca
Elect me President and I’ll be on the phone to the NASA administrator the second the oath of office is done.
It might be worth a federal pension to have the guy spending the next decade counting polar bears by hammering nails into a plank, without any sort of recourse to electronic communication.
“Thank you, Dr Hansen, here’s another box of nails and another plank. Your dogsled leaves in five minutes. Remember not to get too close to the bears…”
R. Gates,
If he is a public employee, and he stands up for his beliefs attempting to use his position as political leverage then yes, he should be canned. If a public employee wishes to influence policy, he should either quit his job then advocate, or run for public office.
R Gates:
No, a man should not be fired for what he believes in. But: if what he believes in necessitates distortions and hyperbole, with its dissemination being funded by the employer in question, you bet your tush he should be sent packing. That, sir, is perhaps one of the best out-of-context trolls you have produced lately.
I don’t necessarily agree with some of the childish AdHom directed at Hansen, but insinuating that his rights have been violated is just plain silly.
R. Gates says:
August 29, 2011 at 8:37 pm
A man should be fired for standing up for what he believes in…right or wrong? Nice country Amerika has become…
Well Hansen’s obviously breaking the law, and his, er, scientific product is worthless. But, hey, this means he is subserving NASA’s new prime directive to ~”help raise the esteem of the Muslim nations in regard to their historic achievements in the areas of science, mathematics, and engineering”!
So given Obama’s new status quo, I guess you do have a good point, and Hansen should indeed not suffer the consequences other people do and should maybe even get a raise! But then at the same time he’s not really doing much in the way “standing up” against Obama’s new status quo by merely participating in another “show arrest” while he protests fossil fuel and tries to make prices “skyrocket”, just like Obama wants, is he? Especially given the “lead” concerning this very nuanced new Social Justice thingy as shown by Eric “Hit Man” Holder in arming Mexican and Dominican Republic drug gangs, while most recently putting the “protection money” hit on the evil Republican contributor, Gibson Guitar Co., in order to spread the good news.
Therefore, until Obama makes him pay, I’d say that by now Hansen is more of a very helpful enabler of the “transformation of America” than anything really resembling a ‘radical’ outlier speaking against the System and such.
And I suppose the same ‘transformational’ reasoning applies to yet another status quo situation now successfully effected by the Demokkkrats and fully supported by Obama, their establishment and nurturing of the Inner City Ghetto critical habitat for ‘Africans’.
Hence, Gates, I fully understand and support your right to cry out, “Long live Obama!”, whenever and wherever. No doubt his “fundamentally transformed” Amerika is nearly at hand! snif…If it weren’t for the Teaparty and pro-scientific method raaaacists…and the Tsunami.
tom s says:
August 29, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Ok, let me get this straight; Hansen is an activist about the thing he is supposed to be unbiasly studying? Am I reading the Onion here? This is sickening!
You’d be surprised at who some of those people are that try to tell us we are supposed to believe he is unbiased. And beyond that, some of them will jump on you if you suggest James Hansen is biased.
James Allison says:
August 29, 2011 at 5:49 pm
People who wear dark suits and brown shoes should be avoided.
LOL
mark t says:
August 29, 2011 at 7:30 pm
I am surprised he still has a clearance (seems reasonable to expect his position to require one.)
Mark
I’m not. I’m pretty sure there are people of political power that want him right where he is. They want the clout of “Top NASA Scientist” attached to a gloom and doom global warmer. And they want him having access to that important data.
But hey, that’s just me.
I like the shot. Hansen’s friends, even — applauding the cops as he gets arrested. How ya know when you’ve lost credibility…
Vic says:
August 29, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Lots of folks here at WUWT understand…… that 600ppm would almost certainly bring about catastrophic climate change.
You certainly have been presumptuous to put words into many strangers mouths. I don’t think I want to hear the line of reasoning that went into your concluding this. I think I’d rather like to stay clear of a mind that thinks like yours.
BTW, are you with Lisa Jackson, head of the EPA, who has said, “Greenhouse gases are pollution”?
So we should get rid of those greenhouse gases. After all, who needs a dumb ole atmosphere?
I love the drive by trolling. Nothing new there. Apperantly its ok to have a conflict of interest in the workplace if its 1) A Government job 2) its for the correct policies.
I bet the same people saying that would scream bloody murder if someone from the FDA also wrote a book called “smoking does not cause cancer.”
Conflict of interest? Yes, but its only a true conflict of interest if your politics are incorrect.
Just another example of how everyone is equal, but some are more equal then others.
Does anyone why he was arrested? What offence has the man committed by attending a rally and expressing his personal views on a matter of public policy?
Even though I disagree with Hansen, can someone explain on what lame-ass basis he was handcuffed and arrested?
John B (UK) says:
August 29, 2011 at 2:42 pm
Retirement beckons, surely………..
But if he retired, he would have much more time on his hands for this sort of thing.
TBear (Warm Cave in Cold-as-Snow-Sydney) says:
August 30, 2011 at 12:10 am
Does anyone why he was arrested? What offence has the man committed by attending a rally and expressing his personal views on a matter of public policy.
Even though I disagree with Hansen, can someone explain on what lame-ass basis he was handcuffed and arrested?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sure can….the “Rally” is being held on property where such activities are prohibited by LAW!! Because of it’s proximity to the white house it wouldn’t make any difference if he recited the “Gettysburg Address”. The National Park Service informed the organizers of this BEFORE the event…….which is PRECISELY why they chose it, because they WANTED to be arrested.
Brown shoes don’t make it
Brown Shoes don’t make it
Quit school, why fake it
Brown shoes don’t make it
TV dinner by the pool
Watch your brother grow a beard
Got another year of school
You’re okay, he’s too weird
Be a plumber he’s a bummer
He’s a bummer every summer
Be a loyal plastic robot
For a world that doesn’t care
Frank Zappa 1967
Just a fragment – the whole thing is very long and … ahem … not suitable for a family magazine. There’s an FZ quote for almost every situation if you look for it.
I was under the impression that political activity was not a permitted passtime for US Government employees. How come he gets away with it?????
Whenever I read about this man I always think he was the one that sat round a camp fire and told Mr Gore about ‘ManBearPig’ and the rest is scary history.
I wonder how much CO2 is used to feed that obese man standing next to J.Hansen…
I’m as sceptical as any commenter on here but I fail to see what’s wrong with speaking out for what you believe in, or what’s criminal about having the courage to stand up in public and declare it. . . . . and, particularly, I wonder why, in the land of the free that such action should get you handcuffed and dragged off to jail . . ?
Bravo Mr hansen!
Keep fighting the fight, keep doing what you are doing.
The more you di it, the more evident it becomes that you are a man who will do ANYTHING to save our children.
Which of course includes delivering biased data to ensure that the world sees how bad it really is….
tom T says: August 29, 2011 at 5:48 pm
I thought that The Hatch act prohibited political activities by Government employees.
I just assumed that you didn’t have a law because all I see is people complaining and no one doing anything about it. Really, what is the point in laws if people don’t use them?
On October 6, 2008, federal investigators announced that they were investigating Sheriff Mike Scott of Lee County, Florida for possible violations of the Hatch Act. The previous day, Sheriff Scott spoke, in uniform, on stage, at a rally for presidential candidate John McCain.
In June 2007, Lurita Alexis Doan, then Administrator of the General Services Administration, was found by the United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC) of violating the Hatch Act when she took part in a video conference with Karl Rove and other White House officials, and sent letters asking how to help Republican politicians get elected,
On about July 29, 2004, the United States Office of Special Counsel (OSC) cited the Hatch Act while ordering NASA to remove photos of Senator John Kerry taken during his visit to the Kennedy Space Center.
federal and D.C. employees may not:
use official authority or influence to interfere with an election
solicit or discourage political activity of anyone with business before their agency
solicit or receive political contributions (may be done in certain limited situations by federal labor or other employee organizations)
be candidates for public office in partisan elections
engage in political activity while:
on duty
in a government office
wearing an official uniform
using a government vehicle
wear partisan political buttons on duty
Kibby Wind Power Project – On November 1, 2010 TransCanada Corporation announced the completion of the Kibby Wind project – New England’s largest wind power project .
The projects’ total annual production will represent 2.3 terawatt hours (TWh), the energy required to meet the electricity needs of about 150,000 households in the province of Québec. Cartier Wind Energy is owned by TransCanada Corporation
Now, for the fun bit: 6.4% of electricity from renewable sources.
In other words, there is a very high probability that TransCanada are a supplier to NASA of wind energy and as such Hansen is clearly soliciting political activity of anyone with business before their agency
R. Gates says:
August 29, 2011 at 8:37 pm
Wrong. Both your example and your conclusion. Nobody should have the right to break the law just because the believe what others are doing lawfully is wrong. If you suggest they should be able to break the law with impunity (from the law or their employers), you start down a dangerous road that leads to people killing those who disagree with them. Is that ‘right’ do you think?
Dennis Dunton at August 30, 2011 at 1:29 am `explains’ that it is, apparently, illegal to hold a peaceful rally promoting a view on public policy, outside the residence/office of the `leader of the free world.’
Huh?
So Hansen was arrested becaue of a lame-ass `law’. Even though the Bear disagrees with Hansen, that is a ridiculous proposition my dear friends in the USA. Who came up with that focking stupid idea?
What is it with all the postings on this article looking for ways to stop Hansen from expressing his views?
Who cares if he a NASA employee?
Yes, he is wrong and over the top, but that is no reason to stop him from speaking.
Hansen is one of the creators of the CAGW religion, so he has to be seen to be keeping faith with his disciples.
He supports direct action, including criminal behaviour. Don’t forget, Hansen travelled to UK to help persuade a jury to let off protesters who did deliberate criminal damage to a power station. He has described coal wagons as ‘death trains’ (reminiscent of the Nazi deportations) and used disgraceful hyperbole and rabble rousing in the UK press.
Some commenters have defended Hansen on the free speech principle. That’s not the issue – the issue is whether someone in Hansen’s position should be allowed to do as he does. When he gets arrested like this, or appears in defence of vandals, he is bringing his public persona with him. Vandals wouldn’t want him to appear in their defence if he was a nobody – they are wheeling him into court as the great James Hansen of Nasa. Stephen Schneider did exactly the same thing, claiming to be speaking as a private citizen, but getting all his access to the media and ‘authority’ on the back of his academic position. It was a deliberate tactic that he was very proud to use.
The freedom of speech issue is a red herring. What does one think would happen if a bishop came out defending pornography or encouraging criminal damage on his ‘day off’? Wouldn’t his employer would have grounds to sack him? The man could have free speech, but he couldn’t remain a bishop. Likewise, Hansen is perfectly entitled to do what he does in a democratic free country, but he should have been booted out of public office years ago.
Hansen is just a poor, senile, old man and should not be held up to ridicule like this. He’s only trying to set things right, if only in his own twisted mind, before he moves on to the mystery beyond the veil. The ones who should be tarred and feathered and blasted off the planet with a rail gun, are the profiteers, the Wall Street manipulateers like Gore and Soros. They use people like Hansen to make a bundle from idiots, children, and little old ladies. Hansen is just an idiot, leave him alone. Keel haul and hang Gore and Soros from the yardarm. Let’s be fair. If you want to do something to Hansen, give him a nice gold Timex watch for his many years of faithhealing service to whoever it was he thought he was working for and lock him in a rubber room somewhere for his own protection. Be kind to him, he’s beyond help and doesn’t make too many pennys from passerby off his outbursts. Go for the gold! Go for the Real Fat Cats!
R. Gates says:
August 29, 2011 at 8:37 pm
___
_
A man should be fired for standing up for what he believes in…right or wrong? Nice country Amerika has become…
———-
R. Gates,
Fired due to professional incompetence.
The scientific integrity question notwithstanding scrutiny either.
History may only mention him in a footnote for being Al Gore’s scientific mentor. That WILL BE justice.
John
Isn’t there any U.S. Law agains demagoguery?
The President, waking up to reallity at last, but Hansen still talking b#####ks.
What excellent questions! And by three different Toms. Bravo! And to Tom_R, sorry I missed it the first time you asked it but you really have boiled the issue right down to the core:
I truly believe the answer is yes.
TBear (Warm Cave in Cold-as-Snow-Sydney) says:
August 30, 2011 at 3:15 am
What is it with all the postings on this article looking for ways to stop Hansen from expressing his views?
Who cares if he a NASA employee?
Yes, he is wrong and over the top, but that is no reason to stop him from speaking.
—
I don’t think anyone here cares if he speaks out or not (he does this all the time anyhow), or that he makes a six figure government salary with yearly increases/bonuses and generous benefits (even though we’re in economic hard times). They DO care that he is (1) abusing his position as a NASA director/employee, (2) wasting millions of taxpayer’s dollars on useless and unnecessary “climate products”. Actually, I am more concerned about (2)…
He briefly touched upon the issue while talking with Bill McKibben – Founder, 350.org. I believe he was trying to set the low bar for CO2 level activism, why they shouldn’t demand too much …
You are likely sitting in a room with those CO2 levels right now, and you most likely see levels twice that in enclosed spaces like a car or bus.
You really should buy yourself a good quality air monitor, one that shows CO2 in ppm. You’ll get a kick out of walking around testing the air quality and scaring yourself to death. Meanwhile, all the green plants around you will be laughing at you when you’re not looking.
🙂
What are you complaining about Gates? In Amerika (your word) this man is NOT fired. You must be complaining about something else entirely. I got it, you are complaining that a commenter used his free speech to wish this public employee was fired for cause. This causes you grief? You are okay with this public servant flaunting his taxpayer financed employment but upset by a commenter using free speech. Got it.
Hansen should be fired for a variety of reasons of cause, none that you will understand apparently. So to make it simple, how would you like active military to show up at protests *against* AGW or DADT repeal or Obama? You would be among the first to cry about it. If that scenario doesn’t suit you, we can construct many others to highlight your leftist hypocrisy.
Jer0me says:
August 30, 2011 at 3:07 am
R. Gates says:
August 29, 2011 at 8:37 pm
A man should be fired for standing up for what he believes in…right or wrong? Nice country Amerika has become…
Wrong. Both your example and your conclusion. Nobody should have the right to break the law just because the believe what others are doing lawfully is wrong. If you suggest they should be able to break the law with impunity (from the law or their employers), you start down a dangerous road that leads to people killing those who disagree with them. Is that ‘right’ do you think?
————-
An absurd example. We’re talking about free speech here, and the right to speak freely without fear of losing your job. How you go from there to killing people is a matter of the fiction in your own mind.
Mr Green Genes says: August 30, 2011 at 1:52 am
Zappa’s’ Brown Shoes’ came to mind very quickly, thanks for mentioning it.
If a right wing org had posted a sign like the Tarzan Tar sands, the media would have construed it as racist saying what was really meant was Tar baby or something. Oh wait, Al Gore is already on the racist thing. Typical number one fallback from the left’s playbook when the main message doesn’t work start accusing the other side of racism.
According to the NASA Code of Ethics book, he should be avoiding these types of ‘situations’ and be impartial. ‘Shall’ in government speak is equivalent to ‘will’.
When he goes and writes a joint letter for the protest he just got arrested for,
he is not supposed to be using his official title to wrongly convey NASA endorses his activities, and he most certainly is not impartial. He used ‘NASA Climate Scientist’ as his title, not just ‘Climate Scientist’.
It’s good to see that ATI is looking into the ‘gifts’ he has received amounting to over a million dollars. Hansen needs to be removed from his position at NASA. He has clearly become more of an advocate than a scientist.
Hansen and Mann were quite adequately described many years ago:
He’s a real Nowhere Man
Sitting in his Nowhere Land
Making all his nowhere plans for nobody – Beatles
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvLj72apGLI&w=420&h=345%5D
Hansen supports dictatorships, countries where women are oppressed, cannot drive, are stoned to death, are mutilated at a young age so as not to enjoy you know what, where oil revenues flow to ruling families and bloated Swiss bank accounts, where workers are paid a pittance and where safety standards are non- existent.
Thanks to people like Hansen (if he has his way), there will be less available Canadian oil, less jobs for Americans and more expensive oil from places that regularly commit atrocities and actively fund terrorism.
People like Hansen and the trolls who support him are sick and vile. Anyone with an ounce of morality and ethics should support the idea of more oil from Canada and other democracies where everyone (including women) have rights and less dependence on blood oil from dictatorships.
Although I am disgusted by these traitors to Western values, I respect their right to protest and to free speech. I do not think we should arrest any of these protestors even if by their own actions they are advocates for cruel dictatorships with no freedom of speech and few rights. Ironically, Hansen campaigns against the very things that he values: the right to free speech and to protest!
JPeden said and attn, Gates:
“But then at the same time he’s not really doing much in the way “standing up” against Obama’s new status quo by merely participating in another “show arrest” while he protests fossil fuel and tries to make prices “skyrocket”, just like Obama wants, is he?”
I should mention another one of the Obama Adm.’s transformational suggestions regarding the question of some speech being more “protected” than other speech: along with Gore’s and Kerry’s recent attempts to get the MSM to promote “correct speech” per se, and to censor “incorrect speech” per se, but not what they just got through saying – and Obama’s warnings against getting too much info from the Internet, Fox, Rush Limbaugh, etc. – a high placed Gov’t [FCC?] official has recently advocated the establishment of a Central Gov’t entity for determining ‘fact’ or correct info, modeled, of course, after ~”the Post Office”. I heard him do it as transmitted via…shudder…talk radio. What could possibly go wrong?
Likewise, Gates, I support your right to be paid to support Totalitarianism via the presentation here of the results of your provenly disordered thought capacity, which Obama and company also support and “protect”, even materially…so far. So there’s no need to get nervous about that right itself. On the other hand, you should perhaps fear becoming one of the “homeless”, which would seem to be the natural progression, especially for all those now “succeeding” by being solely parasitic upon the Producers of wealth to the point of destroyingt it. Communism, a.k.a. “wealth redistribution” never works, Gates! How long do you think you personally will be able to survive by merely supporting Communism?
Gates, I don’t think you are one of the “managers” yet, a member of the Party, right?
His shoes don’t match his suit, either.
BTW: I think he should start wearing leather jackets with tweed elbow patches, or vice-versa, to show his academic credentials. The suit makes him look like a corporate stooge, doesn’t it? Are those Birkenstocks he’s wearing?
Oh, to live in a world where freedom of speech means no responsibility for one’s actions!
Gates, please try and follow what’s happening. Hansen is not being sacked. He has been arrested because he participated in a rally in an area where such rallys are prohibited by law. He could quite lawfully have moved his rally a few hundred metres and have expressed himself without fear of arrest. But of course, getting arrested was all part of the plan.
jim hogg says:
I didn’t see anyone answer this direct question.
These “protesters” are “protesting” in a location that they were specifically prohibited from “protesting” in. It is unlawful to do what they are doing, where they are doing it. They were all informed of this fact prior to any arrests. There are other areas nearby where their “protest” would be lawful, they chose to remain where their activities subject them to arrest.
The point of the arrests is not punative, they are not being arrested as part of some sort of campaign to criminalize or silence them. No, each and every one of those being arrested CHOSE to be arrested, the act of being arrested was their goal. The publicity factor of a public figure being arrested for their “cause” has significant value, especially for the people who make their living from publicising “causes”.
Therefore, this is not even remotely a “free speech” issue, nobody is being “silenced”, and no rights are being trampled on.
Which makes Hansen’s action reprehensible, irresponsible, and actionable. At the very least, this man should be answerable to SOME level of authority, even if it’s the NASA employment agreement or the President himself. What we are seeing is that he is not answerable or accountable in any way.
JPeden says:
August 30, 2011 at 8:01 am
JPeden said and attn, Gates:
“Likewise, Gates, I support your right to be paid to support Totalitarianism via the presentation here of the results of your provenly disordered thought capacity, which Obama and company also support and “protect”, even materially…so far. So there’s no need to get nervous about that right itself. On the other hand, you should perhaps fear becoming one of the “homeless”, which would seem to be the natural progression, especially for all those now “succeeding” by being solely parasitic upon the Producers of wealth to the point of destroyingt it. Communism, a.k.a. “wealth redistribution” never works, Gates! How long do you think you personally will be able to survive by merely supporting Communism?
Gates, I don’t think you are one of the “managers” yet, a member of the Party, right?”
____
Wow, quite the political diatribe. I am not a member of any party, and consider myself truly Independent. I pretty much have accepted the fact that our democracy has become the rule of the Corporations. Who rules Washington is simply which companies got their man or woman into office. Only 3 things to save our democracy (at least if we really want rule by the People):
1) Campaign finance reform, so that it is not only the rich and well financed people who can become leaders.
2) Term limitations to prevent career politicians
3) A balanced budget amendment
So, you see, whether is is the Koch Bros. or Oprah backing a politician, it matters not, as ultimately we have what is truly the rule of corporations and not the people. With so many (if not the majority) of our laws now being drafted by lobbyists working for corporate interests, what is truly good for the People isn’t at the top of anyone’s agenda…as corporate profits are of paramount concern. Each election cycle, it’s just a matter of which corporate interests get to control the nest for a while.
Ad hominum’s don’t work for me . . . but, I know the nature of publicity . . . even bad news is better than no news . . . Time for this choir to sing a different song other than Ad hominum’s! It did get me to look around . . . for one if it not TransCanada it will be someone . . .
http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?t=2y&s=ENB&l=off&z=l&q=b&c=TRP
China Vs. United States: War Of The Oil Sands
http://seekingalpha.com/article/290642-china-vs-united-states-war-of-the-oil-sands?source=yahoo
And . . . . . I like many, that suffered the consequences of the Peter Principal and Murphey’s law in the BP lesson . . . . I would have no problem with taking time for “fail safe” planning and engineering . . . as projects like these are surely group efforts . . . .by one group or another.
Let’s fix Mr Gates’ own diatribe. Because he doesn’t seem to be aware that we have a President who has never created a job, or a business, or worked in the private sector:
There. Fixed it for him.
In reality, corporations and other special interests are all part of the equation, and to try and exclusively lay the blame on the only sector that actually provides jobs for people – while ignoring the special interests that are parasites on productive people and companies – Gates shows that he is a captive of leftist group-think. If he thought for himself, he would understand that no poor person, community organizer or insolvent company ever creates jobs. Only financially successful people and solvent, healthy companies create jobs. The country should encourage wealth-building, instead of demonizing those who provide the jobs. This isn’t rocket science.
And by preaching “Campaign finance reform, so that it is not only the rich and well financed people who can become leaders,” Gates misses the plain fact that if voluntary groups are not allowed to finance campaigns, then only the very rich will have the necessary resources, resulting in government exclusively by plutocrats [and overlooking the 1st Amendment issue that citizens have a right to spend their money on any legal activity, and to support the candidate who best represents their interests].
Leftists always have these fine-sounding ideas of why we should jettison the Constitution and Bill of Rights. But history shows their great new ideas always end in disaster, in loss of personal freedom, and in ever bigger government. No, thanks. America would be much better off without the do-gooders and community organizers.
Smokey,
Funny how your translate the notion of rule by the People and campaign finance reform and term limits into me being a “leftist”. In your twisted world view, Thomas Jefferson would be a leftist as well…very sad worldview Smokey.
He sure likes his protest hats. Is he afraid of the Sun? Or, is his hat lined with foil? NASA’s mad hatter?
See Dr. Jim in his hats:
http://www.wolfenotes.com/2009/11/jim-hansen-takes-on-nrdc-and-bank-of-america/
http://www.wayoutwestnews.com/2010/12/16/top-climate-scientist-says-business-interests-winning-in-climate-change-debate/
http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.html?programID=09-P13-00010&segmentID=6
http://www.ohvec.org/newsletters/woc_2009_08/article_20.html
http://jcwinnie.biz/wordpress/?p=2672
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/5031880/Kiwi-climate-change-policy-close
http://blog.cleantechies.com/tag/james-hansen/
Photos show no hats on him indoors. Take his hats away, and maybe he’ll just stay inside GSFC and keep working.
Not allowed free speech outside the White House? Not allowed to protest/demonstrate outside the Houses of Parliament in the UK either without permission in advance.
Steve
Dr. Hansen NEVER got arrested for protesting. That is a big fat lie being told to everyone. There is no way you can get arrested for protesting, we have rights in this country and by golly if he had just protested he would never have gotten arrested. In fact, in Washington DC the police are rather used to protests and tend to be very leniant. They will tell someone that they are trespessing or otherwise breaking a law.
So no, Dr. Hansen has never been arrested for protesting. He has been arrested everytime for some other crime he commited while protesting. The media of course plays this out along with trolls like RGates who like to make a political point. The truth is that these people simply were arrested for breaking a different law. So relax, in AmeriKA you have rights and of course you do have the right to be stupid, but you will probably be arrested if you do not listen to the nice police officer just doing his/her job and trying to enforce LEGAL laws.
And conflict of interest…thy name is Dr. Hansen. I take it from no response from the peanut gallery (Rgates) that he agrees that this is a conflict of interest to have a man writing a book on one interpretation of the science and being in charge of the data at the same time. One can say he is rewarded by fiddling with said data since it would promote sales of his book.
Kind of like my example with the FDA. Someone talking about how smoking is really good for you and being in charge of the FDA would probably be yelled about by certain people who claim to be “90% certain AGW is happening.” But its not conflict of interest when Dr. Hansen is there. OF course not, we are 90% sure that Dr. Hansen is conflicted and since this is not 100%, we must allow him to have privacy in his dealings with data. Shh, don’t stress the poor man who breaks laws on purpose to get arrested for 15 minutes of fame every few monthes.
JPeden/Smokey,
As you see, intellectually scratch an AGW by CO2 centered acolyte of the IPCC and, voila, there appears to be some significant correlation with him/her showing the intellectual bloodlines of an anti-capitalist/anti-corporationist.
We have more than correlation, read their WUWT comments . . . .
John
R Gates, Jefferson would not condone federal income tax, abortion, trampling of states rights, etc. Also Jefferson would believe that “Natural Born Citizen” would mean someone born in the U.S. of which at the time of birth, both parents would be citizens.
So I guess you must have those same views as Jefferson?
Canada has “oil sands” not “tar sands” there is a difference, and it matters. If the “top NASA scientist” does not know the difference, he should.
Gates says:
“In your twisted world view…” &etc.
Not really, Gates. Since I have a world view based on common sense [along with minoring in Econ], I don’t try to blame only one particular group for the country’s problems like you do. You give all the left-leaning gangs a free pass in your attack on evil corporations. [Of course, you’re probably not entirely Leftist… just 75%. ~ : ^)
FYI, the corporations you love to hate tend to be oligopolies, which are tremendously competitive with each other. Think Toyota vs Honda. That intense competition results in very low prices and high quality for buyers. Corporations also tend to employ lots of people at good wages and benefits, and America’s corporations pay some of the world’s highest tax rates. Yet your hatred of these wealth producing, job creating entities is made clear, and your attempts to blame “the rule of corporations” gives a free pass to the societal parasites that feed off these actual wealth producers. I note that the president, you, and James Hansen all blame companies in the private sector – when it is government that is at the root of the current economic problems.
So, who actually has the twisted world view?
As much as I disagree with the guy, you can’t fault him to standing up for his beliefs. If anything it makes him better than the others.
Hmmmmn.
Will Hansen declare the near-3/4 million dollars that the Japanese (Pro-CAGW) government-funded “society” gave him this year on his income tax?
Has he declared the 1.2 million dollars he has been previously awarded in earlier years SPECIFICALLY FOR his CAGW promotions by various CAGW-government-funded agencies and eco-groups on his income taxes? So, of course, Hansen is “not benefiting personally” from his unbiased scientific propaganda, is he?
/sarcasm – that gaping hole between a liberal and the truth in any political statement
The reason I ask is that numerous (I believe the latest count is 15) senior members of the Obama administration – all democrats/socialists/bureaucrats now in power in Washington due to their pro-CAGW beliefs – have been found to be charged with income tax fraud and missed payments.
RACookPE1978,
That list includes Timothy Geithner, who was caught cheating on his income taxes. But like Hansen, he’s OK; Timmy gets a free pass because he’s now head of the I.R.S.
Donate $25 for two DVDs of the Cryptome collection of files from June 1996 to the present
8 March 2011
White House Security Zone Expands
[Federal Register: March 8, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 45)]
[Notices]
[Page 12753-12755]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08mr11-97]
———————————————————————–
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[Account No. 3950-SZM]
President’s Park–Environmental Assessment for Proposed Permanent
Roadway Closures, Re-Design of Security Elements, and Preservation of
Historic Landscape
AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment by the
National Park Service and the United States Secret Service, and notice
of scoping for re-designing the security elements and preserving the
landscape within President’s Park South, which includes a portion of E
Street, NW., in Washington, DC.
———————————————————————–
SUMMARY: The proposed actions are as follows: The United States Secret
Service deciding whether to permanently close (1) the section of E
Street, NW. between 15th and 17th Streets, NW., South Executive Avenue,
and the Ellipse roadways to unauthorized vehicular traffic, and (2)
State Place and West South Executive Avenue and adjacent sidewalks
(contiguous to First Division Monument) and Hamilton Place and
[[Page 12754]]
East South Executive Avenue and adjacent sidewalks (contiguous to
Sherman Park) to unauthorized vehicular and unauthorized pedestrian
traffic, and to install durable, more aesthetic security elements in
the area to replace the temporary, unsightly security elements
currently in place; and the National Park Service deciding on landscape
and infrastructure changes to the area that respond to the street
closures and re-design of security elements to ensure the iconic
historic nature of the landscape that is the White House and its
environs and an important destination for visitors.
DATES: Comments should be received within 45 days of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically through the NPS’
Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) Web site at http://
parkplanning.nps.gov/PRPA (The NPS preferred method of receiving
comments), or by mail to: Office of the National Park Service Liaison
to the White House, 1100 Ohio Drive, SW., Room 344, Washington, DC
20242.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The NPS may be contacted at the Office
of the National Park Service Liaison to the White House, 1100 Ohio
Drive, SW., Washington, DC 20242, (202) 619-6344. To be added to a
mailing list about the proposed actions, contact the NPS at (202) 619-
6344.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321, (NEPA), and applicable
regulations and policies, the National Park Service (NPS) and the
United States Secret Service (USSS), as joint lead agencies, are
preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA). The EA will aid the USSS in
deciding whether to permanently close E Street, South Executive Avenue,
and the Ellipse roadways within President’s Park South to unauthorized
vehicular traffic, and State Place and West South Executive Avenue and
adjacent sidewalks (contiguous to First Division Monument) and Hamilton
Place and East South Executive Avenue and adjacent sidewalks
(contiguous to Sherman Park) to unauthorized vehicular and unauthorized
pedestrian traffic. The EA will further inform the USSS as it considers
replacing existing security elements in the area, such as jersey
barriers, provisional guard booths, canopy tents, bike rack, concrete
planters and standing canine vehicles. These security elements, while
effective, are visually unattractive and may detract from the iconic
and historic nature of the area. The USSS would seek to install
security elements that are both durable and more aesthetic at the
vehicle checkpoints and along the street closures. The NPS will utilize
the EA to assist in its consideration of landscape and infrastructure
changes to President’s Park South that respond to USSS security
requirements and conform to the area’s historic features, its iconic
status and popularity as a visitor destination. The National Capital
Planning Commission (NCPC) is a cooperating agency in this EA and is
assisting in the development of potential alternatives by holding a
limited competition for design concepts that integrate USSS security
requirements and NPS cultural landscape preservation policies and
guidelines.
Other government agencies are invited to serve as cooperating
agencies. Interested agencies are asked to contact the Office of the
National Park Service Liaison to the White House at (202) 619-6344 at
the NPS as early as possible in this process. Compliance with the
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), including NHPA Section 106,
and other laws and requirements, will be coordinated with this EA
process, and government agencies that are affected by the proposed
actions or have special expertise will be consulted, whether or not
they are cooperating agencies.
This notice also serves as an announcement of scoping on both
proposed actions, and comments are sought from the public, government
agencies and other interested persons and organizations. Scoping is
used to gain insight into the issues to be addressed and to identify
other significant issues related to the proposed actions. For comments
to be most helpful to the scoping process, they must be received within
45 days of this notice.
During scoping, a public meeting will be held on Thursday, March
31, 2011, to present information and obtain input from attendees. The
meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the White House
Visitor Center located at 1450 Pennsylvania Avenue South, NW.,
Washington, DC. At the meeting, the NPS and USSS will describe the
proposed actions and how the planning will be conducted, and NCPC will
describe the design concepts competition it is conducting. All comments
submitted during scoping, including at the meeting, will be considered
by both the NPS and USSS. If you require additional information or
special assistance to attend and participate in this meeting, please
contact the Office of the National Park Service Liaison to the White
House at (202) 619-6344.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that
your entire comment –including your personal identifying information
–may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask in your
comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying
information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
There is always the possibility that the NPS and USSS might proceed
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed
actions instead of an EA. If this occurs, comments submitted now will
be considered for any EIS that is developed.
NEPA regulations and policies encourage agencies to collaborate or
otherwise use the same NEPA analysis to avoid duplications of effort,
to reduce paperwork, and to prevent delays in decision-making. The
proposed actions grow out of needs identified by USSS concerning the
level and type of security required for the White House. The NPS and
USSS seek to re-design the security elements in this space and preserve
the landscape to create a visitor and pedestrian-friendly, elegant and
beautiful environment that is respectful of its historic context and
iconic status, while continuing to meet USSS security needs.
President’s Park South is part of the National Park System unit and
includes Sherman Park, First Division Monument, the Ellipse and its
side panels, as well as the associated roadways in the area. These
places, along with other site features, are listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The NPS manages President’s Park South
pursuant to its statutory authorities, regulations and policies, the
Comprehensive Design Plan for the White House and President’s Park
(2000) (Plan), the Design Guidelines for the White House and
President’s Park (1997), and in light of the area’s National Register
status. The section of E Street, NW. within this park area is also
administered by NPS.
Following the events of September 11, 2001, USSS temporarily closed
the section of E Street, NW. within President’s Park South to
unauthorized vehicular traffic. To secure this general area, USSS
placed a line of jersey barriers along the southern edge of E Street
and installed provisional guard booths, canopy tents, bike rack,
concrete planters and standing canine vehicles at vehicle checkpoints
at the east and west ends of E Street. A vehicle check point
[[Page 12755]]
was also placed at the 16th Street and Constitution Avenue entrance to
the Ellipse. Since that time there has been a continued, temporary
closure of the roadways to unauthorized vehicular traffic. The USSS
will determine whether to change the status of the closure from
temporary to permanent and to integrate durable, more aesthetic
security elements in place of the temporary security elements
identified above.
The intent is to integrate durable, more aesthetic security
elements that not only help satisfy the requirement to maintain the
historic and iconic character of President’s Park South, but also
improve the experience of visitors moving through the area to enter or
view the White House and its grounds.
The EA will assess a range of alternatives establishing a permanent
closure of E Street and associated roadways and the installation of re-
designed security elements resulting in changes to the area, along with
a no-action alternative for continuing the current closure using the
existing, temporary security elements. The Plan was developed as an EIS
and it will serve as a foundation for this EA, and the EA will also
review the Plan’s treatment of President’s Park South.
In 2008, the NCPC Security Task Force recommended, and the NPS and
USSS agreed, that NCPC, through its Task Force, would manage a limited
competition to generate creative and thoughtful design concepts that
incorporate necessary USSS security elements while improving the
experience of visitors moving through the area to enter or view the
White House and its grounds. The NCPC is a Federal agency whose mission
includes serving as the central planning agency for the Federal
activities in the greater Washington, DC area. The design concepts
generated through this process may become alternatives in the EA.
Dated: December 22, 2010.
Peggy O’Dell,
Regional Director, National Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-5253 Filed 3-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-54-P
Of course Hansen could be fired for his civil disobedience. He would certainly know this. The fact that he’s doing it anyway is a measure of his confidence in the science and the strength of his convictions. This is a solid guy.
Bob says:
“Of course Hansen could be fired for his civil disobedience… The fact that he’s doing it anyway is a measure of his confidence in the science and the strength of his convictions.”
You have it exactly wrong, Bob. Hansen has protection and knows he won’t be fired. If his boss told him, “Jim, one more arrest and you’re fired,” Hansen would suddenly be a good boy.
Smokey @ 1:40
“Hansen has protection…”. That sounds so…mysterious. Consider this scenario: Rick Perry is president in 2012, appoints a new NASA administrator sharing his views on climate change, Hansen gets arrested at another protest, and is then fired. You’re saying this is not a distinct possibility?
Bob,
Speculation is fun, can I play? Thanx:
Perry gets elected. Hansen then:
1. Retires, to go on lucrative speaking & book signing tours, or
2. Decides that his days of getting arrested are over
Hansen is tolerated and protected the same as others like tax cheat Tim Geithner, who now runs the IRS. Tell us, would you get a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card if you were caught cheating on your taxes? See how it works? There’s nothing mysterious about it, it’s just corrupt cronyism.
—————-
Bob,
Thanks, your comment tees up some things to consider:
First, the fact that he hasn’t been fired is evidence that he is not considered as a credible supporter of alarmism by many key critical independent thinkers who are countering that alarmism. Therefore not actively contesting his continued role at GISS is a very good strategic move by some opponents of alarmism. Leaving him in place exposes a weakness of the strategy of the alarmist leaders; the pro-alarmist strategists have not provided good leadership to Hansen thus allowing his non-credible statements and actions. He is ineffective in place and if removed would become a martyr so anti-alarmists support his continuing. Meanwhile I think we encourage the alarmist strategists to continue their bad counseling for Hansen. Sounds like a perfect strategy to me; it parallels the very good anti-IPCC strategy of leaving Rajendra K Pachauri in place as an ineffective head of the IPCC.
Second, of course he (Hansen) seems solid to those uncritical of the IPCC’s so-called consensus and so-called settled science. We all understand that. The real point in this regard is how the natural human mind could not be critical of the IPCC’s so-called consensus and so-called settled science? The answer to that question is immensely interesting; it is the key to unlocking the cause of our age of irrational fear.
John
Bob says:
August 30, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Of course Hansen could be fired for his civil disobedience. He would certainly know this. The fact that he’s doing it anyway is a measure of his confidence in the science and the strength of his convictions. This is a solid guy.
I doubt he gives it any thought whatsoever. If they were going to fire him, they would have done so before now. He probably thinks “hey, I’m Jim Hansen, they wouldn’t dare fire me”, and he’s probably right. In another administration, though, especially a Rick Perry admin. he would have his hat(s) handed to him, and they’d tell him “there’s the door, don’t let it hit ya”.
“Confidence in the science”? Yeah, that’s a laugh. He likes being leader of a giant pseudoscientific cult, and the fame and attention he’s getting. Jim Jones had the “strength of his convictions”, too.
Smokey says:
August 30, 2011 at 2:04 pm
I really don’t understand why Hansen (who is 70 after all) just doesn’t retire and become a “Greenpeace Scholar” or something, earning $500,000 in speaking fees. It would be better than his current job. That way he could protest all the time, along with his extremist left-wing buddies!
R. Gates says:
August 29, 2011 at 8:37 pm
hum says:
August 29, 2011 at 2:26 pm
He should be fired.
____
A man should be fired for standing up for what he believes in…right or wrong? Nice country Amerika has become…
================================
As usual, nothing is more “Amerikan” than your newspeak, R.
Hansen can stand up or believe in whatever the hell he chooses, just not with a guaranteed pension and retirement from the taxpayer.
Chris
Norfolk, VA, USA
Guess Darryl Hannah liked the hat….
http://wonderwall.msn.com/movies/daryl-hannah-arrested-in-white-house-oil-protest-1638840.story?GT1=28135
Are there ANY scientists in positions of authority that are not Progressive EcoFascists?
although i have not been watching that carefully i would say that the man is very careful not to hold or carry a sign that has the letters NASA on it or convey the sense that he is speaking as an official of nasa.
the federal activities have a rule that the only two people that can officially address the public/press shall (there’s that word) be the Director/Commander or his/hers/its designated representative. those that do without designation are skating on extremely thin ice and even the designated ones consider their utterance very very carefully.
C
R. Gates says:
August 30, 2011 at 10:08 am
“Only 3 things to save our democracy (at least if we really want rule by the People):
1) Campaign finance reform, so that it is not only the rich and well financed people who can become leaders.”
Ah, Gates, now you tread into my realm! I usually leave all of your science points (with their scant evidence and generally faulty logic) to the scientists to answer. But let me try to deal with your first point, because your second and third principles have their own merit, but this first one, well –
For years now, the country has tried to “reform” campaign finance. And for years, we have steadily made things worse. Why? Because: (1) the fellows who write the laws are the ones who benefit from them, and know all of the loopholes they write in for themselves; (2) money has been, is, and will always be a part of politics, and it is best we all admit that and move on to something more useful to discuss (by the way, as corporations are comprised of human beings, I have no qualms about the idea that they are “persons” with legal rights such as the right of free speech – see the Supreme Court’s Citizens United case); (3) do-gooders who try to interject their own ideas into the campaign finance system (McCain/Feingold) usually write something that violates the U.S. Constitution (first amendment, free speech, you familiar with that?) and really screw up the system.
Remember Watergate? Remember the campaign finance laws passed in the wake of that little scandal? They so “reformed” the system so much that the dunderheads McCain and Feingold decided that the system was broken and needed even more “reforming.”
As to your second and third points, I find them interesting, but these days I am not as keen on either term limits and balanced budget amendments as I used to be. The latter because the politicians will (again) write in so many loopholes and conditions that what will inevitably happen in the budget crisis is that tax increases will be forced against all good sense and political will. The former because I still hold the ultimate trump card over my representatives – I can turn out my congressman every two years; my senator every six. If enough people stopped being passive in the face of the nonsense that goes on in Washington, D.C., we wouldn’t really need term limits.
One reform that I think MUST be adopted is this: what must be limited is the time Congress spends in session. Here in Texas, our Legislature can constitutionally only meet once every two years, for five months at most, unless the Governor calls a special session. This requirement is based on the idea that the less time they spend in session, the less mischief they can cause. Congress should by Constitutional amendment only be allowed to meet every year from the first Monday in January to June 30, period. A narrow exception for national emergencies (e.g. foreign enemy attack, national depression). Nothing else. The longer they meet, the more they try to justify their presence in D.C. Enough of that. Before air conditioning, they all went home for the summer. We can’t get rid of their air conditioning (I’ve thought of that, believe me), so we can limit the time they spend there.
Garry says:
August 29, 2011 at 5:09 pm
“I don’t think there is one single federal employee who has been allowed to flaunt three misdemeanor arrests.”
An arrest doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong. That’s for a court to determine.
You should probably amend that to say three misdemeanor convictions.
I think most arrests of these kinds aren’t prosecuted. Rather it’s just a way to remove them from the scene, let them cool their heels in jail awhile, then release without filing any charges.
However it would be no end of amusing if the DA decided to prosecute and a judge subsequently threw the book at him.
Fire Hansen and keep the current bunch of criminals in Congress?
Bassackwards, my friends.
Thanks for posting applicable ethical requirements. The appearance of bias would be enough to bring action not counting the compromise of public arrests. Then there’s the profit. Of course, nobody’s willing to make a martyr out of a guy who likes being arrested for show, won’t be hurt by being fired, and might win a jury award to embarass the government and make it look like he was mistreated – or worse yet – cause publicitiy to veer to vindication of his highly biased views supported with inaccurate and misleading information.
This is a remnant of the childish, self-righteously myopic 1960s protestor that we are pretty much forced to deal with from time to time. Tragic that he is in a government position. Then again, we all need to make skepticism a routine part of dealing with government hacks – excuse please – experts regardless of how superficially persuasive they seem to be.
I thought it was very humorous to see the few supporters of Dr.Hansen at the White House clapping and cheering the Keystone Cops for taking away this ridiculous ‘scientist’ to be locked up out of harms way so that he cannot embarass the AGW cult any more. Dr. Hansen should realise that in a democratic society, causes are won or lost through debate and general dialogue, not through breaking the law on a bogus premiss and expecting everyone to support you for doing so.
President Obama and the White House staff must have been very amused to see the few dozen ‘crowd’ supporting Dr. Hansen acting out their comedy outside the White House gates. he will realise that there will be nothing to worry about in giving the go ahead for the pipeline which will gain him far more support from voters who want the economy to move on, rather than loose the support of a few silly Greens which in any case would have no where to go if they didn’t support President Obama.
The problem with campaign finance reform is it’s addressing a symptom and not the root cause. With limited government, politicians could not vote so many favors to supporters and narrow special interest groups. Laws (and regulations) are supposed to be for the common good, not for a narrow interest. Campaign finance reform will not fix this.
A balance budget amendment is a good idea, but the devil is in the details. If the budget doesn’t get balanced, will the courts rule on how money is to be spent or how the budget is to be balanced? I don’t want federal judges controlling spending now and I don’t want a BBA that expands that role.
Term limits? Right on!
I would start with
1) Get rid of tax-payer funded pensions for elected officials.
2) Forbid any bridges, buildings, anything funded with tax dollars, from being named for any elected official until after their death.
3) Make Congress, their staffs, and the entire federal work force participate in Social Security.
4) Forbid Congress from exempting themselves from laws they pass and end current exemptions
R.Gates just compared herself to Thomas Jefferson! Classic Jumping the Shark moment. Or a classic cry for help. Or perhaps she has I say the opposite of what I mean disease. I can’t let that one pass though, because as it stands it is a smear on that great man by reducing him to a leftist troll.
There was one over-riding defining characteristic of Thomas Jefferson and the Democratic-Republican party (Jeffersonian Republicans, or Republicans or Jeffersonians). That characteristic was small decentralized (Federal) government, period. Small decentralized government is the very enemy to green liberal left-wing socialism, as much as a cross or holy water would be to a vampire. Claiming affiliation with such a philosophical giant (you would have been a Loyalist or Adams Federalist) would be like you claiming affinity to Feynman rather than the more correct choice, Paul Ehrlich.
Gates, I served with Thomas Jefferson. I knew Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson was a friend of mine. Gates, you’re no Thomas Jefferson!
Friends:
You Americans are entited to your political heroes such as Thomas Jefferson, but I could not care less about him.
I do care about James Hansen. He is doing harm to your country and, importantly, did much harm to my own when he gave testimony on behalf of eco-terrorists in a UK court case. His “expert” but ridiculous testimony got the eco-terrorists acquited.
Thomas Jefferson is dead. I want to know when Americans are going to put a stop to the activities of James Hansen who is alive, well and doing a lot of harm.
Richard
He looks good in cuffs… handcuffs!
WRT
John Marshall says:
August 30, 2011 at 2:10 am
I was under the impression that political activity was not a permitted passtime for US Government employees. How come he gets away with it?????
Reply: I was recently reminded by a certain Agency that as an employee of a company working on a Federal government contract that the Hatch Act proscribes me from certain public political activities, even on my personal time. I believe the same prohibited activities must apply to Hansen’s case. Do we have a lawyer in this thread who could verify whether or not this activity is a violation of his employment as a senior government official ?
Has anyone posting here read Hansen’s work? It is not light reading let me tell you. He is among the most credible scientists in the world, and is willing to stand up for what he knows and take the consequences. If you ignorant turtles want to burn fossil fuels, move to the moon where there is no atmosphere to ruin.
Er, uhm, yes. I have read Hansen’s “scientific” works.
My own criticism of his “work” is perhaps debatable, but it was his own (governmental) supervisor who – when comparing models back in the 80’s from many different research groups – was the one who identified Hansen’s “works” as “the least accurate” of 12 different methods that could be used to predict the actual radiation received on a horizontal surface over a period of time.
Significantly, it was Hansen’s method who most over-estimated the radiation received of the different analysis methods. Even thirty years ago, he was not getting the right answer, and was erring on the side of increased radiation (er, propaganda).
Adam Dole,
This “ignorant turtle” will remain on planet earth, emitting huge billowing clouds of CO2 directly into the atmosphere. In fact, I will emit more extra CO2 than you can possibly reduce. Your carbon footprint cannot get small enough, I’ll make up for both of us, and then some.☺
Why? Because CO2 is harmless and beneficial. I guess you didn’t get the memo. Read WUWT for a while, and you’ll begin to understand that you’ve been sold a bill of goods.