Continua la caccia alle streghe nella forma di attacchi personali contro Michael Mann, il climatologo. Arriva da Richard Littlemore la notizia di un tale chiamato "Kent Clibze"; apparentemente ex-impiegato della CIA, che ha mandato (e sta ancora mandando) lettere ai climatologi, invitandoli a trovare, produrre, o inventarsi dati che possano in qualche modo mostrare irregolarità o frodi nella gestione dei fondi di ricercca di Mann. Il tutto dietro la promessa di un premio in denaro che lui quantifica come "oltre 12 milioni di dollari" (e, fra le altre cose, non sa nemmeno fare il conto di quanto sono esattamente il 30% di 50 milioni di dollari).
La bassezza umana e morale di questa gente è pari soltanto alla loro incompetenza e alla loro sete di denaro. Lavorano solo per quello; non fosse altro che per i 50 centesimi che guadagnano per ogni commento che mandano ai blog per conto della lobby dei combustibili fossili.
La loro fissazione sul denaro è dimostrata anche dall' accusa che continuano a ripetere che la scienza del clima sarebbe solo un complotto dei climatologi per lucrare sui contratti di ricerca. Non riescono nemmeno a concepire che si possa ragionare in modo diverso da come ragionano loro.
Non faccio ulteriori commenti. Segue il testo completo del post di Richard Littlemore che comprende le lettere di questo spione ("spook"), incompetente oltre che infame.
Da DeSmog Blog
Spook's antics would be creepy if they were competent
A self-proclaimed counter-terrorism expert and former CIA case worker is soliciting for "whistleblowers" who will make allegations of impropriety against Dr. Michael Mann, director of Penn State's Earth System Science Center and author of the apparently bulletproof Hockey Stick climate reconstruction.Kent Clizbe has been sending letters, annually, to Mann's colleagues promising them a big payout if they can offer any evidence that Mann has been misusing his federal research funds. In the first such letter that Clizbe sent, more than a year ago, he reported that the U.S. False Claims Act stipulates that whistleblowers can claim up to 30% of any recovered money and that Mann has received $50 million. Clizbe adds: "30% of $50 million is more than $12 million."
In this single sentence, Clizbe reveals all you need to know about the man: he doesn't care about the accuracy of his facts; and he can't wrangle a calculator effectively enough to establish that 30% of 50 is 15. (Neither do his math skills improve over time, in this year's version, he writes: "Up to 30% of $50 million (the total Dr Mann claims to have received for climate research) could net a whistleblower more than $10 million.")
For the record, Mike Mann lists his research grants proudly on his CV - they total something under (a very impressive) $6 million. As Mann has quite obviously used this money to produce research that continues to give fits to his detractors, it's hard to imagine there is sufficient slush left over to provide a big enough payday to keep Clizbe or any of his would-be accomplices in Ray Bans.
But this attack - silly on the surface - is still pointedly unfunny for Mann. First, according to the suspiciously well-informed Telegraph columnist and libertarian mouthpiece James Delingpole, Clizbe sent his solicitation last year to all 27 of his (Mann's) colleagues at the Earth System Science Center. Purely as a matter of freelance character assassination, this is an afront - an organized effort to encourage Mann's co-workers to think that he is cheating.
Now Mr. Cloak-and-Dagger is back, this time invoking the witch hunt launched against Mann by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. Apparently Clizbe plans to sustain the campaign and to make common cause with others who are harassing Mann.
The letter also raises questions about Clizbe himself: Who is this guy, really? And who's paying his bills?
You can more or less answer the first question by reading Clizbe's website, and you can learn more by looking at his blog, which features all manner of paranoid raving, including a charge that President Barack Obama's "minions in ACORN revealed their plans to spend federal funds to import illegal alien child sex slaves for Obama-brothels." (I obviously missed 60 Minutes that year.)
So Clizbe is either an ex-CIA contractor - a mercenary who finds that anti-Islamic "counter-terrorism" is no longer paying the bills, forcing him to take money from people who want to make trouble for legitimate climate scientists. Or he's a kook. In the current climate, neither of those possibilities is reassuring.
The full text of Clizbe's frankly libelous letters are below. The first is the one reported by Delingpole (and by ClimateProgress's Joe Romm, here, a year ago.) The second was passed along by one of Mann's colleagues in the last week.
[January 2010 letter]
Hi,Greetings and best wishes for a prosperous New Year.National Search
After the recent whistleblower revelations of emails between climate researchers and data from the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit, there are on-going investigations into potential fraudulent use of grant funds in Climate Research in the US. I am assisting interested parties who may have details of fraud in climate research to make contact with the proper authorities, and to share in the rewards paid when the funds are recovered.Whistleblower Rewards Program
The federal government has established vigorous programs to identify and prosecute fraudulent grant applications and administration. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) administers the False Claims Act. It allows rewards for those who come forward with details of grant fraud to share in the recovery of federal funds. This reward can be as much as 30% of the total amount reclaimed. The program is almost completely reliant on insiders to report their knowledge of the fraud in their institutions.Attorney Literally “Wrote the Book” on Fraud Recovery Lawsuits
Joel Hesch, Esq., of Hesch and Associates, literally wrote the book on how to report federal fraud. He has an extensive background in representing whistleblowers in all types of federal funding fraud cases, including Educational/ Research Grant Fraud. According to Mr Hesch: “Many institutions receive grants, whether for research or educational purposes. When they lie to get the grant or keep the grant or if they use the funds for purposes outside the grant, they are liable under the DOJ program. There have been many grant cases brought by whistleblowers. ”If you know of anyone who might have details about fraudulent statements or actions by recipients of federal grant funds for climate research, please have them contact me immediately at the below email or cell phone. Alternatively, they may also contact Mr Hersch directly, and let him know that they were referred by me. All communications are completely confidential. They may want to consider using a third party email service (Yahoo, Hotmail, or other) instead of work email to communicate.30% of $50 million is more than $12 million. Ask your friends to do the right thing, and be rewarded for doing it.
Our country, and in fact, the entire world is counting on someone to stand up and tell the truth about climate research. The effects of moving forward with taxes and policies based on fraudulent science could potentially cripple the US economy and cost lives and jobs for generations.Look forward to hearing from you.All the bestKent Clizbe
[January 2011 letter]Greetings and best wishes for a prosperous New Year.I understand that you worked in the University of Virginia's Department of Environmental Sciences with Dr Michael Mann, during the period 1999-2005.National SearchAfter last year's whistleblower revelations of emails between climate researchers and data from the University of East Anglia's Climate Research Unit, there are on-going investigations into potential fraudulent use of grant funds in Climate Research in the US. I am assisting interested parties who may have details of fraud in climate research to make contact with the proper authorities, and to share in the rewards paid when the funds are recovered. I have no financial interest in this whatsoever. My role is simply to help those who would like to do the right thing make contact with the proper authorities. This is my own personal project, to help the truth come to light.University of Virginia Stonewalling Search for EvidenceIn April of last year, the Attorney General of Virginia requested the University of Virginia to produce documents related to Dr Michael Mann's tenure at U.Va between 1999 and 2005. The State is researching the potential of fraud in Mann's receipt of nearly half a million dollars in State grants for climate-research. It is possible that information from Mann's time at U.Va. could also illuminate potential fraudulent receipt of federal grants in his later work, at the Pennsylvania State. U.Va refuses to cooperate, so far.Whistleblower Rewards ProgramThe federal government has established vigorous programs to identify and prosecute fraudulent grant applications and administration. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) administers the False Claims Act. It allows rewards for those who come forward with details of grant fraud to share in the recovery of federal funds. This reward can be as much as 30% of the total amount reclaimed. The program is almost completely reliant on insiders to report their knowledge of the fraud in their institutions.Attorney Literally "Wrote the Book" on Fraud Recovery LawsuitsJoel Hesch, Esq., of Hesch and Associates, literally wrote the book on how to report federal fraud. He has an extensive background in representing whistleblowers in all types of federal funding fraud cases, including Educational/Research Grant Fraud. According to Mr Hesch: "Many institutions receive grants, whether for research or educational purposes. When they lie to get the grant or keep the grant or if they use the funds for purposes outside the grant, they are liable under the DOJ program. There have been many grant cases brought by whistleblowers."http://howtoreportfraud.com/examples-of-federal-fraud/grant-fraudhttp://howtoreportfraud.com/do-i-have-a-caseDo you know of anyone with details on potentially fraudulent grant activities at U.Va or PSU?If you know of anyone who might have details about fraudulent statements or actions by recipients of federal grant funds for climate research, please have them contact me immediately at the below email or cell phone. Alternatively, they may also contact Mr Hesch directly, and let him know that they were referred by me. All communications are completely confidential. They may want to consider using a third party email service (Yahoo, Hotmail, or other) instead of work email to communicate.Up to 30% of $50 million (the total Dr Mann claims to have received for climate research) could net a whistleblower more than $10 million. Ask your friends to do the right thing, and be rewarded for doing it.Our country, and in fact, the entire world is counting on someone to stand up and tell the truth about climate research. The effects of moving forward with taxes and policies based on fraudulent science could potentially cripple the US economy and cost lives and jobs for generations.Look forward to hearing from you.All the best.Kent ClizbeIntelligence Education, Training, Consulting, Commentatorkent@kentclizbe.com571-217-0714www.kentclizbe.com
Ringrazio Luca Lombroso per la segnalazione