Hockey sticks and academic freedom

“At some point Dr. Mann crossed the line from scientist solely in pursuit of truth to activist with a book to sell.”

Paul Jossey writes at the Daily Caller:

Recently the Virginia Supreme Court put the kibosh on Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s quest for information relating to former University of Virginia (UVA) climate scientist Michael Mann. Mr. Cuccinelli sought this information under Virginia’s Fraud Against Taxpayers Act after questionable comments by Dr. Mann surfaced in what became known as “Climategate.”

The court’s ruling is a sad development for Virginia taxpayers, but is even more disturbing for science…

At some point Dr. Mann crossed the line from scientist solely in pursuit of truth to activist with a book to sell. The book’s title is illuminating: “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines.” Activists go to “war,” scientists do not. Through Twitter, he links to liberal websites touting President Obama’s electoral prospects as evidence of his perceived persecution. And in one of the “Climategate II” emails he wrote he “gave up” on another scientist because she was not firmly committed enough to the “cause.” But Dr. Mann’s cause, whether it be selling books, preserving his professional reputation, or obtaining more government funding, is not purely science. And the Virginia Supreme Court shouldn’t make us “just trust him.”