Fairness and accuracy in Myron

A chance read of an article about how the few remaining climate observations that did not fit the climate models (models which based on the laws of thermodynamics that are known to be true) were corrected, and how these had been the final crumbs of comfort for scientific deniers such as Myron Ebell, lead me to look into it further.

The main set of data was the temperature measurements read by satellites that had appeared to show no warming of the air during a period of obvious warming of the earth.

Aha! said Ebell. Even if all the world's glaciers melt and flow into the sea, I'm going to say that if your satellites measure a cooling in that part of the atmosphere, then there is no global warming anywhere!

Turns out that the satellites were taking their measurements at 5pm local time instead of 2pm, and there was a consistent warming trend present in the data if you account for the correct time of day. Time is quite a tricky thing for things in space, and mistakes are made.

Myron's talent for lying is such that he can pick out which are the false facts years before they have been proven false.

I analysed his writings.

He reports semi-truthfully on the reassesment of the tropospheric satellite data on: May 15, 2003, August 12, 2003, March 17, 2004, and August 4, 2004. He comments on the reassesment of the weather balloon data, which had falsely confirmed the false data because of their sun shielding problems, on: March 31, 2004, September 5, 2003, September 24, 2003, December 3, 2003, and August 4, 2004.

And then it all stopped. Presumably that's the point where the matter became settled, and since it involved nothing but facts, Myron couldn't say anything more about it.

Myron has noticeably shifted his attention on the problems of peak oil and the campaign to rip up 90% of our remaining wilderness for the last 2% of available oil once the main fields have been depleted. As usual, he's lying a lot about how there is so much oil underneath this wilderness that if his employers, Exxon, could only get it, all our problems will be solved (apart from the global warming problem, but we don't talk about that any more).

His children will have a much to thank him for. Not only will he have helped to wreck the climate in the atmosphere, he'll have helped wreck the landscape and the life that stands on it as well.

Thanks, Myron. You're a credit to Republicanism.

Myron's proud letter of dismay

Myron mailed a new letter to the congress yesterday. Apparently he's dismayed, which generally means that something good has happened. As usual, his archive of whores have signed onto it in the naive belief that this will make the message more credible. It's pathetic. He must get sacked by Exxon soon. The lies and number-cooking are too transparent for anyone to take seriously and does great harm to his cause because people have to ask: "Is this the best that can be done?"

And it is. There is no solid ground for him to stand on. His position is utterly indefensible. For further details, start at the wikipedia entry. I've taken the liberty of clearing up his letter into something less intellectually insulting. Boldface denotes what's improved.

Dear Mr. Speaker/Mr. Majority Leader,

The undersigned astroturf organizations are relieved that a majority in Congress was able to thwart the will of minorities in both the House and the Senate to enact legislation to open the last remaining portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil and gas exploration.

We believe that there are several important reasons to keep ANWR closed. First,... the U. S. Geological Survey’s mean estimate of economically recoverable oil and gas reserves under the coastal plain of ANWR is 10.4 billion barrels of crude oil. While such an amount may increase the highly depleted U. S. crude oil reserves by 50%, and is equivalent to approximately twenty-five times last year's annual import from Saudi Arabia (NB Not a quarter century of imports -- that would be a misleading way to state it), which is our third largest foreign supplier with only 11.5% of the market. On its own this quantity represents no more than 215 days of domestic oil consumption.

Second, environmental pressure groups are correct in arguing that opening ANWR would be nothing but a payoff to "Big Oil". If there wasn't so little oil left unexploited then oil companies wouldn't be interested. It is estimated that the companies will initially pay several billion dollars for exploration contracts, but it would be much more efficient to tax their profits... The revenues that will flow into the federal treasury from oil and gas production should be diverted to alternative energy technologies rather than the futile effort of yet more oil drilling.

Third, the benefits of producing domestically more of the energy we consume are well known, but the ANWR won't have any impact. There are more effective strategies, such as wind power and energy conservation. Moreover, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita demonstrated that climate change can have serious consequences. Production in ANWR will keep the Trans-Alaska Pipeline polluting the environment for another decade or so with the corresponding risk of another oil tanker disaster.

Fourth, again we are businessmen and professional liars and we don't give a toss about the environment if it's not making money, and are willing to believe that there is compelling evidence that oil and gas production in the coastal plain is compatible with protecting the environmental quality of the refuge and the wildlife that depend on it no matter what anyone else says. We'll throw in bogus figures about acreage and reindeer populations to make it look like we know what we are talking about when we really couldn't be trusted to clean the toilet.

Fifth, we believe that local citizens and elected representatives of the States involved should be free to trash all sites of international heritage if it can make them a quick buck. The smaller the constituency that needs to be bought out, the more cost-effective it can be.

For these reasons, we respectfully request that you never read a letter sent by onw of the undersigned again, and treat it as though it were written in green ink. Thank you for your attention that our views do not deserve.

Correctfully yours,

Myron Ebell, Director of Energy Policy (for now)

...plus a whole bunch of really dodgy friends, such as Grover G. Norquist (Rich People for No Taxes), Gregory M. Cohen (More Government subsidised Highways), David Keene (American Strawberry Union), Matt Kibbe (FreedomFailure) James L. Martin (Senile Seniors Association), Jim Backlin (Religious Fundamentalists Anonymous), William Greene (RightMarch.com), and many, many more drooling crazies.

The expert full of Intl

Myron normally calls himself the "director of energy and global warming policy" at the CEI. But last week in a joint letter to Senator "I'll believe every word written in a crackpot science fiction novel" Inhofe signed himself as a Director for Intl Policy, whatever the hell that is.

Most of the hundred odd guys who signed the letter, and the man it was addressed to, know all about violating "private property rights" at gunpoint, particularly if the property in question is in Iraq and has oil under it. But when it comes to their own country, the only good species is an extinct species.

The Endangered Species Act has a long history of evolution and amendments to make it work effectively. In 1982 they brought in what are known as Habitat Conservation Plans which follows from the "No Surprises" regulation, which effectively answered all the whinges that Myron and friends are now levelling at this legislation in 2006.

The facts, of course, don't get in the way of Myron's politics. The letter begins by decrying the impossible burden imposed by the act on "homes, small businesses and family farms". In reality, most of its effect is on large ranches, big businesses and corporate plantations. The data is online, but not one of these signatory organizations felt the pressure to look it up. They know the campaign is only to enrich their already wealthy and unpopular corporate friends, so they knew they had to lie about the beneficiaries. As. Usual.

The letter goes on to outline how landowners avoid "losses in property values... [and] preemptively 'sterilize' their land to keep rare species away. Such preemptive sterilizations benefit no one – least of all the species the ESA was established to protect."

Myron and other signatories, such as Larry Pratt, Executive Director Gun Owners of America, one would presume would rather that such 'sterilizations' were legal rather than illegal, because it is not important that the consequences of the extinction of a species are effective for the next hundred thousand years; they'd prefer to get drunk and go on a hunting spree.

But that's fine. God created the world for us to rape like an Abu Ghraib whore. Thank you God for your kindness.