Over the years, Progressives have had a love-hate relationship with Free Speech. They love it for themselves, and despise it for anyone who dares have a divergent viewpoint and actually speaks up. The same could be said of the Fourth Amendment, in which people shall be “secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects…” Quite frankly, their not big fans of the original Bill of Rights at all, except in the cases where it helps themselves, then they are all about screaming about their Rights. And the Washington Post’s Robert Post is very vexed over Exxon Mobile
Exxon-Mobil is abusing the first amendment
Global warming is perhaps the single most significant threat facing the future of humanity on this planet. It is likely to wreak havoc on the economy, including, most especially, on the stocks of companies that sell hydrocarbon energy products. If large oil companies have deliberately misinformed investors about their knowledge of global warming, they may have committed serious commercial fraud.
The operative word is “if”. See, here’s the thing: you have to prove fraud, and you cannot legally do it on a fishing expedition, using the power of the Government to violate 1st and 4th protections. Heck, 5th Amendment, as well, since Government is violating due process.
But, first you have to prove that the assertion that Mankind is mostly/solely responsible for the Modern Warm Period, and will create massive harm in the future, is real. Is scientifically proven.
Of course, Post brings up, as Warmists like to do, the tobacco lawsuits. Was there fraud? Sure. It was easily proven that tobacco was bad for people, especially with all the chemicals put in cigarettes. Anthropogenic climate change has not been proven to any degree. Yammering that the science is settled is not proof. Circumstantial evidence is not proof. Saying that because CO2 has risen and man drives fossil fueled vehicles, therefore it is Mankind’s fault is not proof.
The obvious point, which remarkably bears repeating, is that there are circumstances when scientific theories must remain open and subject to challenge, and there are circumstances when the government must act to protect the integrity of the market, even if it requires determining the truth or falsity of those theories. Public debate must be protected, but fraud must also be suppressed. Fraud is especially egregious because it is committed when a seller does not himself believe the hokum he foists on an unwitting public.
You cannot have robust debate, nor public debate, when one side attempts to use the power of government to shut down other viewpoints. Even within the scientific community, including the IPCC, there has been much uncertainty. Since that is the case, how can one prove fraud when the Cult of Climastrology cannot even prove that their Beliefs are 100% verifiable? They don’t care, because this is political, not scientific. It is a witch hunt, going after a company they love to hate.
It may be that after investigation the attorneys general do not find evidence that ExxonMobil has committed fraud. I do not prejudge the question. The investigation is now entering its discovery phase, which means it is gathering evidence to determine whether fraud has actually been committed.
But, there must be evidence of fraud prior to any investigation, and this is a fishing expedition. You see the position of the Warmist: no prejudging, which means “damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead” in trampling Constitutional protections in favor of cultish beliefs.
It is grossly irresponsible to invoke the First Amendment in such contexts. But we are witnessing an increasing tendency to use the First Amendment to unravel ordinary business regulations. This is heartbreaking at a time when we need a strong First Amendment for more important democratic purposes than using a constitutional noose to strangle basic economic regulation.
Damn that pesky Free Speech clause! How dare anyone use it in a way that Leftists disapprove! They’re involved in Wrongthink! They must be stopped!
The tobacco companies knew their products were dangerous. Climate change? 95% of the models failed. Doesn’t sound like science to me, more like a difference of opinion. One thing you can always count on Liberals for is their belief that THEIR priorities require that others give up their Rights.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Done, done and done!
What’s next?
Blatantly untrue.
What’s next?
The denier claim that the 1st Amendment protects corporate fraud?
Do you have case law to support that claim?
And whom do we believe? The Dean of Yale Law School or a used car salesman? LOL
Dr. Roy Spencer or the little guy who exaggerates often and claims to have invented a miracle drug and founded a successful company?
“But, first you have to prove that the assertion that Mankind is mostly/solely responsible for the Modern Warm Period, and will create massive harm in the future, is real. Is scientifically proven.
Done, done and done!”
Wrong, wrong, and wrong!
I’m sure you can point to evidence in non-lunatic sources that demonstrate where the models have gotten any predictions right…?
Since the subject is ‘free speech’ and governmental overreach…
http://www.wnd.com/2016/06/explosive-new-twist-in-idaho-sex-assault-case/
Hey cocker man !
Wnd??
Great source you used there
Wing nut daily is considered by most to be an Internet joke
Teach
The 1st Anendment does not protect fraud
Fraud is
a crime
Has fraud been perpetrated ? That is what discovery motions are for, to determine whether a crime has been committed.
Teach Exxon’s own studies showed that burning fossil fuels causes global warming
They hid that information from investors, that is fraud
Models are built to forsee trends not events
Teach climate truthers used to claim it wasn’t getting any hotter THE PAUSE they have stopped saying that, 3 record high years pretty much shut that down
The Sun is slightly cooler now than in 1960
So what is causing the record high temps ?
The trends have all shown warming and are correct
Also that graph showing models are not accurate ends in 2013 just before 3 record breaking years
Please update it
Also please note that the graph pictured does NOT show the temp of the surface of the Earth which is where I and other human beings live
Also RSS recently changed the complex a logarithms that somehow convert their instrument readings to temperature
In the past they were too low they have since corrected
From the one who is considered to be an internet retard.
You guys keep saying that. But, you have to prove there is criminal conduct, you cannot just go on a fishing expedition. This is still America, not the old USSR you leftists are so fond of. Furthermore, you cannot prove fraud when you cannot prove that anthropogenic climate change is real. Please read the posts, not just the headlines.
BTW, would you be good with Republican AGs going after Al Gore, Michael Mann, and other Warmists, claiming fraud? I’m suspecting the answer is “no.”
In the U.S., the standard isn’t “proof”, but “reasonably calculated to lead to admissible evidence.” In this case, there is some weak evidence that Exxon knew the risks of climate change while funding climate denial groups. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/08/exxon-climate-change-1981-climate-denier-funding
The evidence is weak, as noted, but it is up to the courts to determine whether it meets the legal standard required for further discovery. ExxonMobil is more than capable of defending itself.
ExxonMobil is now “committed to positive action on climate change and dedicated to reducing the risk of climate change in the most efficient way for society.”
Sound familiar?
Ex falso qoudlibet
http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/23/federal-lab-forced-to-close-after-disturbing-data-manipulation/#ixzz4ChwXnBZv
Doubt you’ll see any of this in the WaPo…
“Eubanks also attended the 2012 La Jolla Conference as well as a closed-door January 2016 meeting at the Rockefeller Family Fund offices, at which activists brainstormed ways they could establish “in the public’s mind that Exxon is a corrupt institution.â€
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2016/06/24/activists-admit-at-forum-theyve-been-working-with-ny-ag-on-climate-rico-campaign-for-over-a-year/
The inspection report on the USGS inorganic mass spec lab in CO:
https://www.doioig.gov/sites/doioig.gov/files/2016EAU010Public.pdf
“Global warming is perhaps the single most significant threat facing the future of humanity…” They say with absolutely no proof. Or perhaps it’s not. Name all the “significant threats” that they’ve predicted that have occurred due solely to additional CO2 added to the atmosphere. Oh, wait, none. Further more, there’s no proof negative effects would out-weigh positive ones if there was more warming. So, status quo-another drama queen scare story from the Post.
You mistakenly require “proof” but proof is absolute and there are few absolutes. There will never be 100% certainty of runaway global warming until it happens, and then, of course, it’s too late. What you really want is evidence of the likelihood that continued warming will be harmful to human civilization. The question you should ask is how likely are significant negative effects when compared to potential positive effects of warming and/or high CO2.
I say let them sue the Fossil Fuel Industry.
HOld them accountable. That would then hold accountable all those nations who have used fossil fuels in order to create a better life for their citizens or used the fuels to fight wars.
Germany, France, England the USA, Russia, China etc…etc. all indulged in the wild misuse of fossil fuels to fight wars knowing that creating a naturally occuring substance in our atmosphere was harmful to all of mankind.
So I say sue them out of existence. BAN Fossil fuels….Put perhaps a billion people out of work and destroy the economies of every country on earth.
And then every person who feels that this should happen should be put on a WATCHLIST. Their names published and their addresses made available.
And then lets watch what happens when anarchy and the rule of law collapses the world into total chaos.
When there is no longer an internet, Xboxes and I phones…..they will certainly be hailed for their diligent work at saving the planet despite our sheer stupidity in trying to destroy it by powering the world.
Let these communist anti-corporate…..anti-freedom loving ENVIRONAZIS get a taste of what its like to really be loved for their of course astounding endless love for mother earth.