Well the media isn’t going to get this done, emails need to be sent to every congressman in the US, other countries need to follow their own procedures. People need to contact their own “representatives”. Blog commenter rephelan has the right idea- he left this comment earlier. There are significant issues that need to be understood to properly react to whatever the magnitude of the global warming threat really is.
Let’s keep this thread for people who left comments with their congressmen. Whatever these emails mean, it’s necessary to go through due diligence and find the breadth of the problem. Links to help people make contact more easily in any country can be left here as well.
I’m going to do my part in Illinois.
Submitted on 2009/11/22 at 3:58pmTime to contact your congressional delegation. You can locate their contact information here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Sent this e-mail to mine:
By now you must be aware of the release of thousands of e-mails and documents from the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University by what is probably a conscience-stricken insider. The e-mails to and from some of the leading researchers in the field and key players in the IPCC, document attempts to manipulate scientific data, control the scientific review process, subvert FOI officers, destroy materials that should have been preserved under FOI regulations to avoid release, and the use misleading and deceptive information to influence both the public at large and policy makers.
It is imperative that you get out in front of this issue and take the lead in calling for a congressional inquiry. So far, there has been muted reaction from the press, but you can find interesting articles here:
Andrew Revkin, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/21/science/earth/21climate.html?_r=1&hpwKeith Johnson, Wall Street Journal
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/11/20/hacked-sensitive-documents-lifted-from-hadley-climate-center/The British Blogger Bishop Hill has an easy-to-read summary of major issues here:
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2009/11/20/climate-cuttings-33.htmlThe Blogger Anthony Watts describes the on-going events here:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/19/breaking-news-story-hadley-cru-has-apparently-been-hacked-hundreds-of-files-released/Jeff Id, whose The Air Vent blog was the site where the whistle-blower first announced the release of the files on a server in Russia, has a number of posts.
https://noconsensus.wordpress.com/It is worth noting that Jeff was away on a hunting trip at the time and got back to find a bomb shell sitting on his blog. He removed it, but it had already been discovered by a number of readers.
The actual e-mails and documents can be found here, among other places:
http://www.anelegantchaos.org/cru/search.phpThis issue needs to be thoroughly aired in a Congressional Investigation before our nation damages its economy, security and liberty any further.
Sincerely,
rephelan
the Air Vent 
At least they need to be aware of the issue. If people don’t tell them, they won’t react at all.
In Australia our government is voting on the ETS in coming days. The labor Government is pushing it, part of the opposition is as well but also there are a growing band of skeptical politicians who are saying NO. In the links on the LHS of my site – http://www.twawki.wordpress.com you will find the following;
Letters to our leaders – a collection of letters people can cut and paste to send to leaders. Alternatively they can write their own.
No to ETS petition – link to a petition by Barnaby Joyce from the Nationals to say NO to the ETS – already in last 2 weeks over 13,000 people have signed
Politicians email list – link to Steven Fieldings site where you can cut and paste email addresses from all Australian Politicians
Prod the press. Links to Press Council where you can complain to the press over the biased coverage of global warming and also about how our government is silencing dissent.
Skeptics handbooks 1 & 2 linked.
Also Andrew Bolts blog is linked under politics – people can comment there as well.
As the ETS vote is only days away get everyone you can to write, ring, fax politicians to express your opposition to it and to the Copenhagen treaty. Together we CAN make a difference.
This is probably not precisely the legal description, but the US Supreme Court, convinced by the best available climate science, directed the EPA to regulate CO2 if the EPA found that CO2 was harmful to our health.
Doesn’t these disclosures open the opportunity to revisit the Supreme Court’s decision, as well as the EPA’s finding, since both were based on possibly fraudulent facts?
Well, from some of the statements I have seen from legislators very recently (as in over the past two or three days), they don’t seem to care what their constituents think. I have been reading comments like “I am voting for this even if it costs me my job” which I translate to “I don’t care what my constituents think, I am a representative of my party, not the people of my district”. For example this 21 second YouTube clip of an interview on CNN. While it is on a different subject, the message is clear. “I really don’t care if I lose my job or not. I am going to vote my party line, not the wishes of my constituents”.
So while I wish you all the best of luck in your effort, I can’t help but wonder if it will change anything at this point. We seem to have elected people who aren’t really interested in what we think.
We need a major flushing of representation in government at all levels, all the way down to the office of dogcatcher.
4.crosspatch said
November 22, 2009 at 6:44 pm
You may be right, but we should be making as big a stink as possible. If these arrogant, elitest, statist [SELF-SNIP]s want to go that route, then we have to get the electorate in the mood to remove them in November. Write your congressional delegation.
Crosspath,
I certainly understand your frustration.
However, letters and emails to congress do have an impact, if they reach a certain threshold.
For example, Rep Mark Kirk, Ill (R)and 2010 Senate candidate did feel the heat for his vote on Cap & Trade and was sending out detailed explanations (a de facto apology) to his constituents.
Jeff,
I will be doing my part here in Illinois as well. May I suggest that you and others in Illinois include Mark Kirk to your list even if you do not live within his district. One should do this to his Senate campaign office (http://www.kirkforsenate.com/), not his Congressional office. (In my letter to Kirk I will be hinting that this could redeem himself for his cap & trade vote.)
http://www.kirkforsenate.com/
I sent Kirk one too, thanks for the link. The parentheses are causing trouble though.
Jeff,
Sorry about the parentheses. I am a first time poster here or anywhere. Your blog is tremendous and I commend you for your efforts.
I did not notice a bio on your blog. I assume it is because you wish to remain anonymous for one reason or another. But anyway, keep up the good work!
Feel free to say hi at my address. I feel like I owe you a steak dinner, fellow Illinoisan
#8 I’ve been anonymous out of fear of retaliation and for the fact that I own a ‘green’ company. There’s nothing wrong with voluntary efficiency after all.
It will end soon as Ryan O has a nice publication which he has generously allowed my participation in. The hockey stick team already knows my name anyway. I’m an aeronautical engineer by education and optical engineer at work.
My comment to one of my Senators.
Senator Graham, I want to commend you for attempting to address the thorny issue of climate change. I know that you and Senator Kerry want to look at this in a fresh light and not be tied down by previous considerations. I want to draw your attention to some unsettling revelations that have occurred on the internet about the science of climate change. I have sent input to you on the climate change issue, but did not ask for a response. This is different. I wish a reply.
There was a release of e-mails and documents from the Climate Research Unit at East Anglia University. The e-mails to and from some of the leading researchers in the field and key players in the IPCC, document attempts to manipulate scientific data, control the scientific review process, subvert FOI officers, destroy materials that should have been preserved under FOI regulations to avoid release, and the use misleading and deceptive information to influence both the public at large and policy makers.
Not only do I think that the cap and trade model for CO2 is not supported by the success of the SO2 cap and trade, it appears that the basic premise of the necessity of action immediately is questionable. In these frank assessments of the science of climate change, these persons, authors in the IPCC for the basis of claiming anthropogenic global warming (anthropogenic climate change) reveal that the science is not settled. Worse, the emails document unacceptable methodology that has been denied by these same individuals. It is simply not acceptable.
Since, thermometers did not exist at the last global warming incident called the Medieval Warm Period, these reconstructions were necessary for the IPCC to claim that the present warming could not be caused by nature. The quote from the IPCC is IPCC AR4 WG1 Chapter 9 p665 No climate model that has used natural forcing only has reproduced the observed global mean warming trend or the continental mean warming trends in all individual continents (except Antarctica) over the second half of the 20th century. Emphasis mine.
Now we find that the author’s may have deliberately suppressed that the MWP was as warm or warmer than the current period invalidating the AR4 claim, which is why you and Senator Kerry are working together. Considering the large amount of money even at just $300 or so per household for US citizens estimated by the US EPA, this requires investigation. Some of the persons involved are US citizens at our institutions. At least one has testified to the Senate. As a taxpayer and a South Carolinian, I believe you have little choice in pursuing this to completion. The refusing and/or undermining of FOIA attacks the cherished concept of an informed citizenry. Please address this.
TD:
Thank you for the suggestion about the campaign office. I’ve been frustrated because the congressional e-mail system seems to refuse e-mails from outside a congress person’s district. I’m also noting that some of them seem to have face-book accounts…..
Help me folks, as a California resident what can I possibly tell Sen B. Boxer that would have any impact?
Ron
Well, I’m an expat but have family and am registered to vote in Oklahoma (and I do vote absentee ballot). I’m proud to say that Inhof and Coburn are my two senators.
I’ll be watching with interest if this gets airplay (for what it’s worth) in Switzerland. We’ve been pretty much off the grid since Friday, altho I snuck a look at Air Vent on the laptop – very slow wireless in the mountains – and will only know tomorrow when the newspaper comes. it used to be very good, my husband has been complaining that they’ve gotten lazy and/or indoctrinated and pretty much rewrite what the NY Times and Washington Post send.
What I’ve tried to do since Friday (as well as the months since I started my research) is to wake up a few people. If I only can find one, who finds one, etc. Most people have no clue, they think CO2 is black smoke melting the polar bear habitat and don’t even know the names of the major players in this. It’s a bit frustrating.
I’ve been trying to communicate over the past year, even if only to attract them in just a humorous way, for example sending people links to Steve’s “Upside Down Mann.” When I bring up Yamal, bristlecone pines, varves, ice cores, they’re lost (and believe me, I’m just an apprentice – but why is it so interesting to me and not them?) I also send Watts, as he has many posts I find accessible to the layperson. No response! Luckily, I have my Swiss husband who’s equally interested but not obsessed and catches links too for me when it’s his turn on the computer.
I’m sorry to admit that I don’t even know the extent of Switzerland’s involvement in carbon offset schemes. Even though I speak fluent Swiss German, reading a German newspaper is very laborious. Naturally, the TV news is, like everywhere, mainly “soundbytes.” I’ve felt til now that to even keep up, I have to read the English sources (and let’s face it, what the U.S., Australia and UK do are in the forefront)
I also have tried in Facebook, because my contacts there range all types of people, and from the least expected quarter I suddenly found myself kneecapped, ad homed, arguements from authority, etc., from the person I least expected it from. I found saying anything that challenged agencies that he thought were pristine (even if his only example that he had a an ethical friend who worked there – ergo – they’re all as pure as the driven snow). And peer review is up there in purity land. So just dealing with that has been quite traumatic – he is not a leftist even, I only can explain it as on overwhelming defensiveness of academia in general. I hope he reads at least some of the links – I’m not claiming ALL peer review is corrupt, simply that it is not on a pedestal and, well, the just take it with a grain of salt, or even all government agencies are corrupt (tho in my opinion they are). My point is the more power the more corruption or potential corruption.
On the other hand, an innocent type (sort of hippie) saw my link some weeks ago on the polar bear expert who was barred from a conference for having make skepical comments about CO2 warming being the problem. This made a huge impression on her and shows me she’s able to go outside PC because it’s the truth she wants and EVERYONE should be there who knows about polar bears. Such chinks can be made, but only with keeping up with the knowledge and I seem to be the only one in my circle willing and wanting to do that.
Next step, the Windmill problem. In the meantime, I’m keeping track of articles that give a layman’s overview that I can send on to her re the FOIA info. I have several, but am not totally satisfied (the best ones presume too much knowledge or have you click on interminable links.
I’d really appreciate getting links to these as they come so I can pick and choose according to the openmindedness of the designee!!
I’m open to any ideas, ways to help – stuffing envelopes? So count me into anything that happens where I could contribute.
Thanks so much, my appreciation for all of you is boundless
Kendra
If anyone has a clue to whom I could address these issues, considering my circumstances, please let me know.
If nothing possible, the worst case is I got to be in on the beginning of a mindblowing historical even and I ain’t lettin go.
“Since, thermometers did not exist at the last global warming incident called the Medieval Warm Period, these reconstructions were necessary for the IPCC to claim that the present warming could not be caused by nature.”
There is more to it if I read Dr. Jeff Glassman correctly. He says the IPCC models treat the climate as in equilibrium prior to the recent warming. That premise is insupportable if there was a Medieval Warm Period followed by a Little Ice Age from which we are recovering. Perhaps it was to sustain the basic premise of equilibrium built into the models in support of their results that they had to eliminate the MWP?
12.Ron H. said
November 22, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Help me folks, as a California resident what can I possibly tell Sen B. Boxer that would have any impact?
Ron, my problem is the same as yours: Chris Dodd and Joe Lieberman are my senators and Rosa DeLauro is my representative. John Pittman’s letter above is really very good. John thanks his senator for his concern for the environment, shows that he is well aware of the senator’s efforts, and then suggests that the senator’s well known concerns should prompt him to look at this latest development. John’s letter is a masterpiece. Wish I’d written it.
13.Kendra said
November 22, 2009 at 8:21 pm
It’s been a very long time since I paid any attention to Swiss affairs. Keep in mind that Copenhagen is part of the drive for a centralized EU with rule-making authority binding its member states. See if you can find some like-minded people…. being a skeptic can sometimes be a lonely thing. That’s us: The few, the proud, the skeptic.
15 -Rephelan – I have a similar problem – Congresswoman Jan Shakowsky.
When writing her, I try to convey that her constituency are “passive liberals” in that they like the idea of “doing something” about [insert issue] but would not support such legislation once they are asked to pay for it. I encourage her to “slow down” and make sure the legislation she supports is “smart.” I remain silent about my politics. This might leave the impression that I would otherwise support her otherwise. (Ah-schuks.) Indeed, that is the point.
Furthermore, I work in the fact that Democrats [like me, ;)]represent middle-class Americans. It is unfair for upper-middles/class or wealthy individuals to impose such punitive costs on middle-class/working class families.
The whole point is that politicians care about their support or potential support. Write it in that manner. It will have the greatest (even if very limited) impact on Senator Boxer.
Cordially, TD
–Help me folks, as a California resident what can I possibly tell Sen B. Boxer that would have any impact?–
How about “Please stand under this falling piano, Senator Boxer”. 🙂
You’re doing great work Jeff. Keep it up.
18.Brian B said
November 22, 2009 at 10:16 pm
I can understand and sympathize with the sentiment, but the purpose of this thread is to encourage productive change in the attitudes of our legislators and wean them away from their knee-jerk support of climate legislation. I don’t know that Senator Boxer CAN be weaned away, but we’ve got to try. When I said my problem was Senator Lieberman, that was only partly true. He has actually put his life on the line for causes that I think we can all support, for example joining voter registration drives in the South during the “Mississippi Burning” period, but he’s also a long-time Gore ally and would not lightly toss him under the bus. Rosa DeLauro is probably one the hardest-working members of Congress. I may often diagree with both of them, but they also have my respect. And it’s a very long time until November. John Pittman and TD both have good approaches.
It would also help to start e-mailing everyone in your address book, whether “liberals” or not. The number of commenters on other blogs who proclaim that they are both liberals and enraged by these revelations is quite large. We sneed to get the word out. I’ve been sending e-mails out with the following message:
So far, there has been muted reaction from the press, but you can find interesting articles here:
Andrew Revkin, New York Times
Keith Johnson, Wall Street Journal
http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/11/20/hacked-sensitive-documents-lifted-from-hadley-climate-center/
The British Blogger Bishop Hill has an easy-to-read summary of major issues here:
http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2009/11/20/climate-cuttings-33.html
The Blogger Anthony Watts describes the on-going events here:
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/11/19/breaking-news-story-hadley-cru-has-apparently-been-hacked-hundreds-of-files-released/
Jeff Id, whose The Air Vent blog was the site where the whistle-blower first announced the release of the files on a server in Russia, has a number of posts.
https://noconsensus.wordpress.com/
The actual e-mails and documents can be found here, among other places:
http://www.anelegantchaos.org/cru/search.php
This issue needs to be thoroughly aired in a Congressional Investigation before our nation damages its economy, security and liberty any further.
Let’s act rather than be acted upon.
I check wattsupwiththat.com about once a week. I live in Idaho where The Idaho Statesman has practically a monopoly position in the newspaper business. It’s also very leftist. (Runner up for a Pulitzer for their ‘Weekly World News’ tabloid quality series of hit pieces on Sen. Larry Craig.)
But amazingly, that’s where I first heard of the CRU e-mail and data revelation, though in a very small and cut down version of the New York Times article. That in itself is a surprise, that the NYT would report this at all!
Ironically, that same day’s Statesman ran Thomas L. Friedman’s rant about human caused climate change and overpopulation*. That lost him any respect I had for him.
*Look up the area of Texas, divide by the current estimated world population. The result is not much below 2,000 square feet per person. Most *families* live in houses or apartments smaller than that.
I’ve just sent a complaint to the Information Commissioner in the UK.
Since it’s a UK organisation that’s the primary culprit behind the attempts to subvert the UK FOIA.
My MP’s next on the list!
This is a set up. The emails have clearly been edited (most of the RFC 850 headers have been removed) and there are just selected emails. If a “hacker” really picked up a mail box there would be many tens of thousands of them and they would have all the headers attached. Someone has clearly taken the time to find emails that tell a particular “story”.
There is no real “smoking gun” in these emails, they are pretty boring really. Of course, it could be that these have been released as a distraction to divert your attention from something else.
Agreed – it would be good to have confirmation that these are all genuine items. I haven’t seen any claim from CRU that they are not and I have seen an FOI request seeking to verify them. Time will tell.
Richard Blogger:
Are you really that dim? The term is “whistleblower” not “hacker”. You might at least get your terminology right. Many of the people on the e-mails have confirmed their accuracy: Steve McIntyre and Andrew Revkin for two. Phil Jones has conceded their accuracy. This was not a slash and grab, the e-mails apparently WERE selected. Go troll somewhere else.
The purpose of THIS thread is to discuss how to influence our legislators.
#17 TD
Stick with it TD. IMO active liberals must start to speak up and ask questions.
The old saying…. “only Nixon could go to China” is apropos.
#26
The reason I say this is because these questions should not be about politics.
There is a frequent commenter at “Open Mind” and “Real Climate” named “Lazar”. I have enjoyed reading his comments on these blogs because he at least thinks things through, discusses, and debates. He has spoken up on this issue – particularly the FOI stuff. It takes some guts for him to do this because all of his buddies are being dismissive and reacting like it is just more “denialist” hot air.
Lazar – if you by chance read this….good on ya!
–I can understand and sympathize with the sentiment, but the purpose of this thread is to encourage productive change in the attitudes of our legislators and wean them away from their knee-jerk support of climate legislation.–
If you saw the smiley at the end of my sentence, presumably you would have noted I was just making a small joke regarding my fellow Californian Ron H’s desire to have an “impact” on Senator Boxer. I think I can safely assume my small joke didn’t dissuade anyone from earnestly contacting their representatives or, alternately, persuade anyone to engage the services of any DC piano movers.
–I don’t know that Senator Boxer CAN be weaned away, but we’ve got to try.–
No we don’t. As a native Californian I can assure you that Senator Boxer is unreasonable, uneducable, arrogant and not particualrly bright.
While I disagree with Sen Lieberman on many issues he is none of the above and I commend your efforts to sway him. However I would sooner and more profitably assist Sisyphus with his rock as attempt to change Barbara Boxer’s mind.
jeff, steve, anyone…….what are these articles at wuwt? http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/07/26/deep-cool-the-mole-within-hadley-cru/
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2009/07/28/hadley-cru-discovers-the-mole/
I have emailed my senator and representative, There is little hope for the senator (I live in Washington state), but perhaps the representative will pay attention.
I urge those of you who haven’t to do so. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
#29, The mole in that case was simply someone leaving a file on an FTP server. Nothing else.
Thanks Rephelan, it does get a bit lonely, although my husband and I do have each other, both find things for each other and often find ourselves “preaching to the choir.”
It makes it a bit hard to be “social” and meet people out, when we don’t want to be with people who are either not interested or resistant. I did have a lovely experience this evening – someone who wants to meet us Thursday has glanced at the links and plans to read at least this site by Thurs, as I warned her I will not be able to meet without bringing it up.
There are a number of us here in Switzerland, natives and expats, who have become extremely leery of the EU and, of course, Copenhagen.
Well, I’ll stay out of this now, although will continue reading, because it’s off-topic if I don’t have suggestions.
One last note, anyone who has Boxer to deal with CAN forget it, as someone said above. I’ve seen her behavior on video a number of times, from the “ma’am” to the guy asking about green jobs – I think from the black chamber of commerce. Her appalling condescending treatment of him left me breathless with rage.
Still a lot to catch up on here, WUWT, CA, was mainly off the grid on the weekend and luckily have a day job.
Please let this be a turning point.
Oh yeah – let’s sent that to Babs Boxer. She’ll pop a gasket.
The NZ govt and media are now aware of this story, particuarly as it does involve some NZ scientists inc. some working for NIWA a GOVT agency. Today it made mainstream news (TV) in NZ and the story wasnt down played either, which is great to see.
Whilst I dont think the leaked data is that damming for climate science or the people involved, it clearly shows the field of climate science has been skewed to prevent alternative theory from being presented, which in my opinion is a conspiracy to mislead. It has become too politicised to be objective to the data, and those involved have ended up supportinging a large heavy pile of dosh with nothing but flimsy straws
They may have thought they were doing this for the right reasons, and they may one day be proven right. Personnally I compare this to christian missionaries indoctrinating tribes thinking they are doing them some good, but as an outsider you see only the harm caused.
If they can sit back from this and learn where they went wrong and become more open to alternative views and clearer state uncertainty they would restore their reputations and hopefully retain some public trust in climate sciences. Unfortunetly I doubt this will happen…
Brian B.
Do you actually know any piano movers in DC? could I have that phone # please? 🙂
Jeff,
Here is how I found out: I was reading a thread on Talk Polywell about Climate and a link to Watts’ first article was there and it was still WHITE HOT.
You will be pleased to note that I contacted the Congressional Republican Blogger Representative on the night of the 19/20th with links to two simplifications I wrote.
1. The advent of the material
2. Some confirmation as to its veracity
I got a reply back on the 20th saying to the effect: “AMAZING”.
So yeah. We are getting through. Volume of traffic reinforces the message.
BTW I stayed up all night to stay on top of developments. What fun!
Let me add that it was 6 to 8 hours after the FOIA2009 link shut down that the files were widely available on the ‘net. I got mine from a mega downloader (you know – 1 load a day for free after a 45 second wait) about 4 hours after the shutdown. Now it is just a torrents link away.
Excellent performance from the volunteers. Or maybe we should call them Minutemen.