re: #551 Charles

If you really want to know who’s funding Dr. Patrick Michaels:

[Link: www.sourcewatch.org…]

I didn’t say “everyone who does scientific work for the energy industry is a shill.” I said that the Heritage Foundation is a well-known shill for the tobacco industry and the energy industries, and they specialize in falsehoods and distortions. I completely stand by this statement. I’ve been reading about them for years, and their history of acting as shills for industries who want to avoid consequences for bad behavior is long and legendary.

I have actually found the Heritage Foundation (or at least their website) to be…yes very conservative, but not one of the frothing at the mouth type of think tanks. They were well regarded in the Reagan years. Also Source Watch is not exactly non-biased being they are the work of the Center for Media and Democracy, and at least the last time I looked, headed by Sheldon Rampton who is clearly an environmental crusader. Even so when I look at Source Watch’s list of Michael’s corporate sponsors there are a number of very reputable firms on the list but to be honest I know more about the Oil industry than coal.

Nonetheless, I am not wanting to engage in a duel of citations. I did say that I found Sinclairs video thought provoking. However I just thought that his dash Darth Vaderish comments about Michaels was totally unnecessary and at odds with his low keyed and well reasoned narration.