Russell Cook: Climate Science Harasser

Harassment of climate scientists has become the norm in recent years. Climate scientist Michael Mann has received numerous threats, including death threats. But, he isn’t the only one. Essentially, any climate scientist who steps up and speaks on the issue to the public is facing attacks and harassment.

This appears to be a mostly American strategy. Scientists in other countries report little of the harassment American scientists experience. A major tactic of the denier lobby industry is to harass and attack climate scientists and anyone that even appears to be supporting valid climate science and that lobby is headquartered in the U.S.

Why would climate change deniers be interested in this tactic? Simple. By chasing climate scientists out of the public forum, the deniers have it to themselves. This makes them free to tell the public their lies, deceits, falsehoods, and false arguments without having to worry about someone calling them out. This activity is routine, organized, and well funded. A leaked memo from the American Institute of Petroleum revealed detailed plans to "recruit, train, and pay willing scientists to sow doubt about climate change among the media and the public."

While at nowhere near the level of the university researchers, I personally have received quite a bit of harassment and threats. People have sent me emails and comments that can only be described as vile. I have been called many things and have been threatened with several lawsuits. Unfortunately for them, I don’t intimidate very easily. I come from a different kind of background than most scientists and the prospect of a fight doesn’t scare me.

Thus, enter Russell Cook, who I fondly refer to as the Heartland Institute’s henchman. Cook has appeared in my comments many times making many bizarre, even incomprehensible claims, but always with the apparent intention of harassment in an attempt to silence or undermine me. If I comment on submissions from known fossil fuel lobbyists, such as Tom Harris, it takes only a short while before Cook shows up to attack me. Note, he doesn’t defend the denier, he attacks me. That is his modus operandi.

Who is this guy, Russell Cook? Like I said, he is affiliated with the Heartland Institute and his webpage with that anti-science organization lists him as an “unpaid contributing editor” and is responsible for investigating Ross Gelbspan. Notice, there is no mention of being paid on a free-lance basis. So, it would be entirely possible for Cook to be paid by Heartland without ever showing up on their books. That is how these things work. Continue reading and you will below how Heartland is actually paying him, despite their claims.

Why does Heartland feel it is necessary to have someone with the job of investigating a particular journalist and blogger? Take a look at who Ross Gelbspan is. He has written two popular books on climate change, TheHeat is On and Boiling Point. And, he’s no light weight. He won the Pulitzer Prize while working at the Boston Globe.

But, he retired several years ago. So, why are the antiscience people so interested in him? Well, for one thing he continues his work with regular contributions to DeSmogBlog.com – one of the websites most hated by the denier world.

Now, it makes sense. And, I have to admit I’m very flattered. The denier lobbyists think I’m so dangerous they have sent the same man to harass me that they sent to harass Ross Gelbspan. They may not see it this way, but I consider that to be a high compliment!

Speaking of DeSmogBlog.com, this is one of the quotes they had from Cook:

“My conclusion can be readily summarized: the accusation [“that those who express skepticism about the theory of man-made global warming are being paid by the fossil fuel industry to lie about the issue”] appears to be a false claim, a myth generated by a small group of enviro-activists with significant direction from ex-Boston Globe reporter Ross Gelbspan.”

Note to Cook: ExxonMobil has admitted providing funds to denier groups for years. So much for credibility.

Recently, Cook has appeared on my blog with some ad hominem attacks. I initially intended to simply ignore them as the ramblings of someone who has left reality, but instead decided they need to be turned into a posting. These comments quickly degenerated in diatribes. I have provided the two most egregious examples below for your perusal so you may see I am not misquoting him or taking him out of context. The crux is, they graphically demonstrate his harassment technique while, at the same time, demonstrating he has a total lack of credibility.

Having said that, let’s wade into this mess and take a look at some of the things he said.

Cook:

You openly say the "evidence is massive, conclusive and irrefutable", yet when I challenged you last year via the three different analogies of presenting evidence at a courtroom evidentiary hearing, or to prove a pure hearsay sighting of a rare bird, or to satisfy the demands of a Washington Post-style legendary news editor, you struck out rather than hit what should have been home runs.

Response:

Cook last year challenged me to a debate. Sounds good and I’m willing to do that. Except, the terms of his debate were that we both put up $10,000 and the money would go to a charity of our choice. Nice. His fossil fuel buddies pay his $10,000 and I have to take $10,000 out of my savings. I would have to be an idiot to accept that and he would have to be an idiot to think I would. But, that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to make it look as if I was afraid to meet him in public debate. Not only am I not afraid of debating the issues in public, but have sent challenges, including one to his Heartlandcomrade John Coleman. By the way, they acknowledged receiving my challenge, but never responded.

The other challenge Cook made was for me to produce evidence deniers are funded by the fossil fuel industry and have instructions to undermine climate science. Unfortunately for Mr. Cook, this was pretty easy and I did a large posting on the subject. My evidence consisted, among other things, of documents filed with the SEC and the IRS, court documents, and internal memos. Cook says this is all invalid because I don’t have secret recordings and canceled checks. Well, Mr. Cook, you don’t get to decide what constitutes evidence and proof. Of course, he doesn’t have to worry about that. All he has to do is keep repeating the same lie and there will be people who believe him.

Included in those original challenges was a veiled threat of a lawsuit. Mr. Cook insists it wasn’t a threat, but when I showed the comments to two lawyers, they both agreed it was a case of making a threat without actually making a threat. The purpose, they told me, was to make it clear to me the threat was on the table without saying anything I could exploit against him. When I stated the first thing I would do if sued would be to subpoena Heartland’s financials, he stopped making the threat. Surprise.

Cook:

What follows next is a whole series of personal attacks.

Response:

What this has to do with the subject matter is never revealed. What is of particular interest is how Cook accuses me ‘name calling’ when I say Tom Harris is a paid shill for the fossil fuel industry. See my posting here on that topic. So, why did Cook engage in this attack? You’ll have to ask him.

Cook:

You don't read my blog. I read yours. I read your heroes' books, articles, I watch interviews of them and their own video presentations. But you just shot yourself in the foot with a cannon again - you don't read opposition material because it undermines all that you BELIEVE.

Response:

Again, what does this have to do with the subject matter? But, it has a lot to do with Russell Cook. How in the world does Mr. Cook know what I do and don’t read? No, I don’t read his blog. I tried once but it has no value, even in the realm of denialism. However, I read denial blogs, statements, articles, etc. on a nearly daily basis. I need to stay informed on what the deniers are lying about. It is a occupational hazard. Sorry, Mr. Cook, but you are the one who shot yourself in the foot. You have demonstrated your lack of credibility in a big way.

Cook:

You only believe I'm employed by Heartland to knowingly spread lies, you believe criticism against your dear leaders is collapsing, and you believe in the 'tobacco industry parallel' talking point, but you literally cannot prove a word of it. Hurl all the accusations you like, and torture yourself to sleep with nightmares of apocalyptic climate mayhem, but ask yourself why it is that you are compelled to pursue this on BELIEFS which are enslaved to erasing criticism, rather than facing it head-on.

Response:

You say you read my blog, but then you say I cannot “prove a word of it.” You may have pointed your eyes at my blog, but you certainly did not read it. My guess is that you can’t understand the science. And, how could you possibly know how I sleep? This is a great example of how you do business - you merely assume what you want without any supporting evidence, or even a chance of supporting evidence. I can assure you, I have never lost any sleep over you or your cohorts and I cannot remember the last time I had a nightmare. I simply don’t have them. I guess that’s the product of a clear conscience. So, how do you sleep at night?

Cook:

You view me and other critics with unrestrained hatred which tears you apart. I view you as potentially one of the strongest skeptics there could ever be, once you have actually objectively viewed both sides of the issue. You've already indicated you don't read material you oppose. I've probably already read more of your own side's political material than you have, and maybe even more of the scientific material than you have, that's why I am as confident as I am, and that's why I have confidence in a positive outcome for you.

Response:

Once again, Cook demonstrates his lack of credibility. How could he know any of these things about me and what does any of this have to do with the subject? This is nothing more than a continuation of the diatribe from a desperate man. I certainly feel no “unrestrained hatred” and I am not being torn apart. Of course, you know there is no way you can know that, so you say it for the sake of your fans. (The alternative is you're a sick person who needs to seek counseling. Your choice.) Again, if you really have read my blog, you know I continuously refer to the antiscience statements of deniers. How could I do that if I wasn’t reading them? One more giant hole in your logic you don’t seem to be able to see and another example of your thought processes. And, I am almost certain you do not read more of the scientific material than I do. I am also highly skeptical you understand any that you do read. It is not possible to understand the science and still be a denier. Of course, you are financially vested in being a denier and a harasser, so you will never be able to understand the science.

Let’s move on to Mr. Cook’s second diatribe.

Cook:

Live in whatever alternate reality, 911Truther/ChemTrail-style conspiracy-driven world you wish, there is no way on Earth you can prove I didn't first arrive here at your blog purely on my own volition, nor can you prove I've questioned the veracity of yours and others regurgitations of the 'industry-corrupted skeptic climate scientists' accusation for the last 7+ years under the direction/payment of ANYBODY.

Response:

Well, most of this is nothing more than personal attacks and is irrelevant to the issues. But, let’s take a look at one of these comments. He states he doesn’t work under the direction/payment of anybody. Then, explain this from DeSmogBlog:

After January 2013, with his “savings drawn down to a critical level,” the Heartland Institute offered Cook a “$12,000 strings-free grant to enable [him] to continue devoting time to [the] subject.

So, he really is receiving payment from someone to continue his attacks and that someone just happens to be one of the worst of the denier institutes.  Once again, Mr. Cook has demonstrated a total lack of credibility.

So, there you have it, a climate change denier harasser exposed. Below are the two comments to which I have been referring.

Russell Cook Christopher Keating

Puh-lease. You openly say the "evidence is massive, conclusive and irrefutable", yet when I challenged you last year via the three different analogies of presenting evidence at a courtroom evidentiary hearing, or to prove a pure hearsay sighting of a rare bird, or to satisfy the demands of a Washington Post-style legendary news editor, you struck out rather than hit what should have been home runs. You response here is as bad as Dan Rather sidestepping his 'George W Bush National Guard fabricated documents' disaster by saying there is evidence out there somewhere proving his accusation. Skeptic climate scientists didn't manufacture evidence out of thin air at the behest of industry people, they were pointing out doubt in the global warming issue that was pre-existing to begin with and industry people found that out AFTERWARD. Your beloved Ross Gelbspan felt compelled to take words out of context from industry annual reports in order to twist that into an 'industry sought out scientists' line. I have those report copies and you do not, and Gelbspan has never shown his copies for a very good reason. If you would read my blog, you'd know all about that particular wipeout.
You don't read my blog. I read yours. I read your heroes' books, articles, I watch interviews of them and their own video presentations. But you just shot yourself in the foot with a cannon again - you don't read opposition material because it undermines all that you BELIEVE. As I've said now at ClimteCrocks, DesmogUK and elsewhere, look in the mirror and repeat as often as it takes until you get it: "It doesn't matter what I believe, it only matters what I can prove!"
You only believe I'm employed by Heartland to knowingly spread lies, you believe criticism against your dear leaders is collapsing, and you believe in the 'tobacco industry parallel' talking point, but you literally cannot prove a word of it. Hurl all the accusations you like, and torture yourself to sleep with nightmares of apocalyptic climate mayhem, but ask yourself why it is that you are compelled to pursue this on BELIEFS which are enslaved to erasing criticism, rather than facing it head-on.
This is your wake up call. Read my blog, read skeptic climate science assessment, watch skeptic presentations, do some critical thinking, and you can look forward to the uplifting prospect of being freed from your own unsupportable ideology. As I said at the end of one of my Breitbart pieces ( http://www.breitbart.com/big-j... ) several years back, quoting a famous US movie line, "Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss."
You view me and other critics with unrestrained hatred which tears you apart. I view you as potentially one of the strongest skeptics there could ever be, once you have actually objectively viewed both sides of the issue. You've already indicated you don't read material you oppose. I've probably already read more of your own side's political material than you have, and maybe even more of the scientific material than you have, that's why I am as confident as I am, and that's why I have confidence in a positive outcome for you.

Russell Cook Christopher Keating

Live in whatever alternate reality, 911Truther/ChemTrail-style conspiracy-driven world you wish, there is no way on Earth you can prove I didn't first arrive here at your blog purely on my own volition, nor can you prove I've questioned the veracity of yours and others regurgitations of the 'industry-corrupted skeptic climate scientists' accusation for the last 7+ years under the direction/payment of ANYBODY. Stop and think about your line of reasoning for a moment: one of the interesting things about the accusation against skeptic climate scientists is how it never showed up until they criticized your dear enviro-activist leaders - but none of your dear leaders in the mainstream media ever fact-checked the core of the accusation, where it originally came from, or who was promulgating it.
I did, and you continue to sidestep every challenge I put to you to back up the core assertion of the accusation.
Meanwhile, what's up with the "the sold[sic] job of attacking one particular blogger" line? What blogger? Show us all exactly where it says that. Surely you don't actually believe the "Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist" Ross Gelbspan is a mere blogger, do you?? Really???