Politicized “Science” Advocates Want to “Shut Down” Dissenting Voices

This blog does not get into the specifics of global warming, but it does discuss how science is being corrupted by politics—mostly from the left—transforming the method into an ideology sometimes called scientism. Thus, in the stem cell debate, clear biological definitions have been altered, not due to new scientific understandings, but to better present a political point, while ethical objections to certain approaches have been demagogued as “anti science.”

In the global warming arena, a campaign to stifle legitimate opposition to the mainstream view has been launched to the point that Al Gore imperiously decreed the debate over—when very credible meteorologists and other scientists dissent from the idea of catastrophic, anthropomorphically caused “climate change” (a term Secondhand Smokette hilariously branded “global warming during a blizzard.”)

A brouhaha in Louisianna illustrates vividly how the politicized scientism sector seeks to stifle open debate and shut down the democratic process in the global warming arena. From the story:

After a presenter at last week’s Public Service Commission meeting asserted that global warming is a hoax, Commissioner Foster Campbell said Tuesday he plans to introduce a motion at the June meeting requiring most people testifying before the commission to do so under oath…”Requiring witnesses to swear an oath to the truth will bring more credibility to their testimony and the Commission’s deliberations,” said Campbell, of Bossier City. It will “make speakers think twice before injecting political agendas into our meetings.”

Last week, Campbell invited Louisiana State University professor David Dismukes to make a presentation about how “cap and trade,” a system for setting a national cap on carbon dioxide emissions and allowing companies to trade allowances for pollution, works to control global warming and how current proposals in Congress would affect Louisiana. But Dismukes was upstaged by a guest invited by Mandeville Commissioner Eric Skrmetta who asserted that global warming doesn’t exist…

Campbell … criticized Boissiere for not shutting down Morano’s presentation. “The testimony was taken like this guy was a credible witness,” Campbell said. “I was waiting for the chairman to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute, we need to talk about facts.’ “

Boissiere said the commission is an open forum, and since no votes were required on the cap and trade agenda item, he saw no reason to shut down Morano’s presentation. As for putting speakers under oath to keep commission business serious, Boissiere said he is concerned that such a move would make people feel like they can’t approach the commission without consulting a lawyer. “I want it to be a people’s commission,” Boissiere said. “If you go under oath in a public forum like that, you’ll deter comment rather than encourage it

Well, that’s the idea. Indeed, when I testified a few years ago against an assisted suicide bill before the California Senate Judiciary Committee, one sponsor (Lloyd Levine) demanded (unsuccessfully) that the chairman end my testimony. Of course, that was when I knew I was drawing blood.

We increasingly see intense efforts to prevent heterodox opinions from being uttered where they might have real impact. But attempting to stifle debate about the facts and the best policy about scientific matters is the true anti-science. I guess the value of speaking truth to power depends on which side is in control.