The Scrutinator

Patterico summarizes it:

So now that you’ve seen the evidence, what should you do?

Simple. Don’t take anything at face value. Look at pro-Obama letters in your own local paper and search phrases on Google to see if they are examples of Astroturf.

Another lesson in dealing with trickery.

By The Scrutinator @ 8:11 AM  ::  0 comments

Hats off to Jane Hamsher for documenting Jonathan Gruber's conflict-of-interest scandal, which is really the Obama administration's conflict-of-interest scandal.

The essence: Gruber offered what was portrayed as objective analysis, even broad consensus, but he actually on the Obama administration's payroll.

Via Ace, amidst various bewildering references.

Via Instapundit.

By The Scrutinator @ 2:31 PM  ::  0 comments

How to treat Weather Cooking Deniers?

Old superstitions and prejudices replaced by new superstitions and prejudices.

By The Scrutinator @ 7:41 AM  ::  0 comments

There are mountains of worthless lefty bumper stickers our there. So when I find one I actually like, I take note. I really like the Coexist one.

So I also took note when this guy deconstructed it. (Note that his is more elaborate, too.)

His point deserves pondering: camps in many religions/ideologies use the message of tolerance and coexistence to keep the heat off while they try to gain power, fully intending no such tolerance of their own. Vigilence in calling this out is justified.

But I think he's painting with too broad a brush. Taking it at face value, I still like it.

I also hope its message pushes the less militant of each ideology away from the more militant, and gives traction to those calling them out.

Via Instapundit.

By The Scrutinator @ 8:48 AM  ::  0 comments

A peek at life in the Democrats' Fiefdoms.

(From this, FYI.)

Labels: satire

By The Scrutinator @ 5:28 PM  ::  0 comments

From around 4:54 above:

Sen James Inhofe (R-OK): "The fact that this whole idea on the global warming, I'm glad that's over, gone, done. We won. you lost. Get a life." [Environment and Public Works Committee SD-406]

Jon Stewart: "By the way, that quote was from before he found out about the leaked e-mail story."

As though ClimateGate was the first evidence (Inhofe's attitude aside).

Not so: ClimateGate: 30 years in the making.

More, from Powerline. It didn't start with ClimateGate. Late Professor Frederick Seitz, 1996:

In my more than 60 years as a member of the American scientific community, including service as president of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society, I have never witnessed a more disturbing corruption of the peer-review process than the events that led to this IPCC report.

Stewart's final point is an excellent one, um, kind of (profanity and ad hominem aside):

But that's the point: if you care about an issue and want to make it your life's work, don't cut corners! It's disheartening to people inclined towards the scientific method, and it's catnip to these guys...

I agree: don't cut corners. Also, don't commit outright fraud.

Interesting, though, that he phrases it "care about an issue..." What about "care about a field of study" or "care about a scientific discipline"? Innocent slip or deliberately confusing the two? You decide. And if the "issue" you care about is your predetermined conclusion about the science, how trustworthy should we consider you?

By The Scrutinator @ 3:46 PM  ::  0 comments