Global Warming Denyers: Take Responsibility!

Something the right-wing parroted over and over since I can remember is taking responsibility for your actions. It was used to great effect when St. Ronnie Reagan bashed on people receiving welfare in the 1980’s, claiming too many of them were driving Cadillacs, among other ridiculous claims. “Take responsibility for your actions,” the right would scream at anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby. George Bush has provided thousands of examples of how the same advice just doesn’t apply to Republicans, the Iraq occupation and Hurricane Katrina being just two examples.

I wrote about one recent example just over a week ago after I read that Dennis Avery, a “Senior Fellow” at the Heartland Institute, wrote and widely published an article, “500 Scientists with Documented Doubts of Man-Made Global Warming Scares”. The biggest problem with that article? Many of the scientists listed never gave their consent to be listed. So the scientists did what they should have done: asked to have their names removed from Avery’s propaganda. Then what happened?

Via frankbi, a few things have happened. First, the title was changed:

The title of the 14 Sep press release has been changed from

500 Scientists with Documented Doubts of Man-Made Global Warming Scares: Alphabetical List

to

500 Scientists Whose Research Contradicts Man-Made Global Warming Scares

This happened between 2 May and 4 May. Were any of the scientists’ names removed? Of course not! That wouldn’t jive with the propaganda, now would it. I mean, Exxon and other corporations have paid millions of dollars to have their crap spewed by “reputable institutions”. Admitting they were lying wouldn’t achieve that goal.

Now, the debacle has reached a wider audience: the New Zealand media. You know, New Zealand, where science is actually respected. The U.S. corporate media? They likely think this is how things should happen. Now, H.I.’s President Joe Bast says there will be no further changes either to the title of the paper or those cited as supporting its flawed conclusions.

This constitutes a complete disregard for accepted methodologies within responsible, professional organizations. This constitutes a complete lack of “taking responsibility” for one’s actions. This serves as just the latest example of why the right-wing is slowly losing influence: their actions and intentions just aren’t credible. I haven’t heard one way or the other, but I wonder if legal pressure is being considered. I know if my name were on that list, I’d do everything (legal and ethical) I could to remove it.

The problem really manifests itself when “analysts” (propagandists) from the Heartland Institute or the Independence Institute get attention in the corporate media. They’re brought on as guests to right-wing radio shows and invited to write columns in major newspapers, as though they’re serious, neutral professionals. And what’s the first thing they always parrot? That peer-reviewed science journal articles constitute junk science, and their “science” is without bias.

This case demonstrates something very important: if the denialist propagandists lie and act unethically so easily, why are they taken seriously by the corporate media? Because they’re connected and they have an agenda.

Thankfully, more citizens and businesses are taking the threat of climate change seriously. They’re acting of their own volition. They’re actually following the right-wing’s advice and taking responsibility for their actions. Those millions of propaganda dollars spent by Big Energy? It’s turning into a wasted investment.

h/t DeSmogBlog