I like the way this Fedako character thinks!
Thompson reveals bias
Based on his interview in Sunday’s Dispatch, it's clear that Lonnie Thompson of Ohio State University is no longer acting as a scientist. Instead, he's functioning as both a government contractor and a policy advocate.
In the paper he authored, referenced in the article and published by the journal The Behavior Analyst, Thompson lists government agencies as the predominant sources of his funding. So when a Dispatch reporter asked him why he is publishing his opinions about global warming, he should have responded that he writes to obtain government funds. Period.
In addition, Thompson has joined the ever-growing list of scientists acting as policy advocates when he admits that his goal is to change (manipulate?) opinions and behaviors.
But none of this is proof that Thompson left science behind. That proof is found in his insistence that he is absolutely correct with regard to human-induced climate change. His attitude is contrary to science.
As noted by William Stanley Jevons some 120 years ago, “We ought to have some idea of the truth we seek, but should immediately put it to a severe trial as if we were inclined to distrust and dislike it rather than be biased in its favor.”
Thompson’s unscientific bias is glaring. Simply consider that the lead graph in his article in The Behavior Analyst has been falsified by empirical data. But there it remains as supposed evidence for his argument.
As a scientist, Thompson’s only principled stance in the realm of science should be to defend science.
JIM FEDAKO
Lewis Center
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/editorials/stories/2010/12/25/thompson-reveals-bias.html?sid=101