Down with the Political Gangster Ken Cuccinelli!

“Given the lack of any evidence of wrongdoing, it's hard to see Cuccinelli's subpoena — and similar threats of legal action against climate scientists in a February report by climate-change denier Senator James Inhofe (Republican, Oklahoma) — as anything more than an idealogically motivated inquisition that harasses and intimidates climate scientists.”---Nature (5-13-10)

This is a picture of the great Virginia statesman and President Thomas Jefferson. He took a great deal of interest in developing democracy, science, and education. He founded the University of Virginia.

These days, Virginians have Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, and he is no Thomas Jefferson. Attorney General Cuccinelli is a vindictive demagogue who doesn't understand the first thing about democracy, science, or education. He is persecuting the famous climate scientist Michael Mann by fabricating fraud charges against him. He hopes to intimidate scholars at the University of Virginia so they won't research climate science, but what will happen to our country and to the whole world if America's great scientists are not free to help mankind meet the challenges of global warming?

For 40 years I voted Republican; but when the "Climategate" story broke, I began to realize that my party's powerful politicians and their fossil fuel sponsors were trying to confuse me and lie to me about the science of global warming. It struck me that although Cuccinelli was persecuting Michael Mann for his alleged frauds, Virginia's hightest justice official didn't seem concerned that this "Climategate" story had been provoked by the theft of emails from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia in the U.K.

Bloggers bullied me and demanded that I make my judgments about these "corrupt" climate scientists from stolen emails that lacked context, but I decided to look at what the scientists were saying about global warming in their peer-reviewed research, instead. Why should I be like Attorney General Cucchinelli and take the word of annonymous thieves who hypocritically call themselves "honest men"?

The bloggers demanded that I read a stupid article about "Climategate" penned by an Australian named John Costella. This guy is a professional conspiracist and a 9-11 Truther who believes that President Bush "masterminded" the 9-11 attacks!

John Costella co-authors a website called "Assassination Science." What kind of "science" is assassination science? I think it's the science of assassinating people's reputations. Costella seems to be very involved in an Australian political party called the Climate Skeptics Party. One of the recommended readings of the Climate Skeptics party is "Truther" Costella's book on "Climategate." Give me a break!

One thing I noticed from reading about "Climategate" is that global warming denialists often lie about what the scientists actually say. This is because the denialists can't argue with the scientific research. The denialists argue like the discredited Colorado ex-professor Ward Churchill. They mischaracterize their opponents' research in order to fabricate the appearance of evidence for their pseudoscientific denialist ideology.

The denialists often accuse the global warming scientists of being part of some "commie" conspiracy; but really, Cuccinelli is the political thug. His judicial persecution of Michael Mann reminds me of the tactics of "scientific" Marxist-Leninist politicians---assassination "science."

How ashamed I am that I voted the Republican ticket! How I wish I could take back my vote! I helped put a real goon in power who is abusing his office by fabricating criminal charges against Dr. Michael Mann, great scientist whose discoveries are not in the interests of Cuccinelli's supporters: mouthpieces for the fossil fuel interests who do not want our government to craft policies that will help our people develop new energy sources.

I believe the scientists who are telling us about global warming, not the denialists who steal and show contempt for me by telling me big lies.

Denialists scream that they are being "blacklisted" while the scientist Michael Mann is being persecuted on fabricated fraud charges! What hypocrites! Attorney General Cuccinelli is a political gangster. I voted for him, but I won't make that mistake again. I am standing up for the climate scientists, not their oppressors who believe in assassination "science"!

The Washington Post has published an article about Attorney General Cuccinelli's attempt to repress the scientist Michael Mann titled "Judge stays Cuccinelli's U-Va. climate change subpoena, sets Aug. 20 court date" (6-22-10):

An Albermarle County judge has stayed Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's civil investigative demand to the University of Virginia for documents related to a former university climate scientist, pending the outcome of a legal challenge to the request.

The university faced a July 26 deadline for complying with the subpoena but Circuit Court Judge Cheryl V. Higgins stayed the demand after the university petitioned the judge asking her to set Cuccinelli's inquiry aside. Cuccinelli has said he is investigating whether former university professor Michael Mann committed fraud when he sought and spent five public grants for his research. The university is resisting the request, arguing that Cuccinelli is intruding on Mann's academic freedom.

Such a stay is common practice and was formalized as part of a scheduling order that has been in the works for some time (the judge seems to have signed it June 10) but has been circulated to lawyers just this week. The order, agreed to by both sides, also sets a schedule for the circuit court's consideration of the university's petition, culminating in the courtroom showdown of oral arguments on Aug. 20.