Your Glorious Government
Posted by Jeff Condon on August 25, 2009
Tom Fuller has a follow up letter from Alan Carlin, the government employee who was disciplined for pointing out potential issues with the EPA document. Alan’s views are not my own on several technical details but we share his plight for impartial review of climate science for the purpose of policy making and are in agreement about the true nature of the EPA.
Rather than take excerpts out and post them I’ll simply provide a link.
Update on Alan Carlin’s refusal to bow to the EPA brass.
Please consider giving him some support in the way of comments on Tom’s blog, the man has basically risked any future career in the EPA for simply trying to tell the truth as he sees it. Your support holds those in power back due to fear of backlash and lets them know we’re still paying attention.
It will be interesting to see how they play this out.
Thanks to JAE for this link.
Jeff Id said
If you wonder why I wrote it that way, consider how you would react while looking at 100k per year pension for life after retirement. It was a real risk this guy took.
Phillip Bratby said
You are correct about whistle-blowers. It’s the same in the UK and in the EU. No matter how much corruption, bad-practice or mis-doing is revealed by whistle-blowers, instead of being recognised and rewarded as heroes for their brave deeds, they always get a really bad treatment.
Jeff Id said
#2 I agree completely. It seems to be the nature of all governments to suppress dissent. He’s basically gone against the current administration which is not used to hearing no. Alan Carlin is in trouble.
JAE said
No, I think Dr. Carlin is in the catbird’s seat. The lawyers are going to have a heyday with Lisa Jackson and her stupid liberal fool-friends. And that makes me rejoice. Gotta love justice. LOL.
Mark T said
Ultimately, whether right or wrong, whistleblowers are seen as traitors, even by those that agree with them. Everybody will always know that this guy told on his colleagues – it is hard to trust someone when you have that knowledge. It is unfortunate, and I certainly champion his cause, but an undeniable facet of human nature to distrust those that tattle even when they’re tattling on bad behavior.
Mark
JAE said
Mark T: Hmmm. I don’t see him as a traitor, in ANY respect. On the contrary, I admire him.
Mark T said
You’re not hiring him, either; but I will admit that this is a case in which the opinions on what he did will likely be heavily decided based on which side of the AGW camp one resides… for now. It is also one that definitely involves more than simple “company man” loyalty issues as there are much bigger issues at stake.
However, that won’t remove the trust issue long term. Companies tend to expect you to complain internally only, as they would prefer to deal with issues internally. Once someone goes outside the company, the simple fact is that such a person has demonstrated a willingness to violate that trust, regardless of the cause. An extreme example is the so-called code of silence among police officers.
Mark
timetochooseagain said
7-Rob Bradley endlessly frustrated Ken Lay at ENRON by complaining about their alarmism and “green energy” initiatives, and was a “whistle blower” so to speak. I think he’s been doing pretty well sense ENRON collapsed-not that Romm doesn’t still try to use it against him. Rob just turns the tables on him:
http://masterresource.org/?p=4274
JAE said
Mark T:
It ain’t that simple. You must be very young.
Mark T said
I’m 41. I don’t like your implication.
It is that simple, and historically, whether you like it or not, I am correct. Whistleblowers are almost always treated poorly, even when their actions were done for the greater good. Just because a handful of people don’t see it that way does not matter.
Mark
JAE said
OK, whatever. But thank God that some people are willing to expose injustices. Otherwise, we might already be the United Socialist STates of America, instead of just getting to that point.