“Hundreds of private e-mails and documents hacked from a computer server at a British university are causing a stir among global warming skeptics, who say they show that climate scientists conspired to overstate the case for a human influence on climate change.

“The e-mails, attributed to prominent American and British climate researchers, include discussions of scientific data and whether it should be released, exchanges about how best to combat the arguments of skeptics, and casual comments — in some cases derisive — about specific people known for their skeptical views. Drafts of scientific papers and a photo collage that portrays climate skeptics on an ice floe were also among the hacked data, some of which dates back 13 years.

“In one e-mail exchange, a scientist writes of using a statistical ‘trick’ in a chart illustrating a recent sharp warming trend. In another, a scientist refers to climate skeptics as ‘idiots’.”

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Climatologist Roy Spencer, PhD, sums up, (emphasis ours):

“While it is too early to tell just yet, there seems to be considerable damning evidence that data have been hidden or destroyed to avoid Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) data requests; data have been manipulated in order to get results that best suit the pro-anthropogenic global warming agenda of the IPCC; e-mails that contain incriminating discussions are being deleted. And, on the bright side, we skeptics seem to be quite a thorn in the side of the IPCC.

“In reading these e-mails from the ‘other side’ of the scientific debate I am particularly amazed at the mindset of a few of these scientists. I exchange e-mails with other like-minded (read ‘skeptical’) scientists, as do the IPCC scientists with their peers. But never do I hear of anyone manipulating climate data to achieve a certain end. I must say that I am pleased to see that NCAR scientist Kevin Trenberth admits that it is a ‘travesty’ that no one can explain the lack of global warming in recent years.

“I think there is a good chance that this was an inside job…either a disgruntled employee at CRU, or someone who is simply getting fed up with the politicization of the IPCC’s science and wanted to reveal some of the inner workings of the IPCC process. I’m sure that further revelations will arise in the coming days”

Stay tuned…

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At the least, say those who have begun reading the stuff, it probably indicates a willingness by scientists to distort the data to make warming trends seem more clear and convincing. Gee, why would they want to do that? (Duh, control and $$$$)

The worst case scenario? “A scandal that is one of the greatest in modern science,” says Andrew Bolt of the Australian Herald’s Sun.

It appears the e-mails expose a conspiracy that was intended to hide detrimental information from the public that argues against global warming.

This stuff will be dissected and commented on for a long time. It’ll be interesting to see how much attention it will get from - and how long it takes to get the attention of - the mainstream media, which for so long has bought into the hype of global warming.

Go here for some of the good stuff, and here, and here. Then you might want to let Al Gore know how you feel about him becoming a billionaire as a result of this. Wasn’t the science settle? Where, oh where, are the professors and lawyers when you need them?

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Well, despite the fearful likelihood that this may mean similar unnecessary, freedom-denying, cost-increasing mandates may spread from coast to coast, California’s small business owners have urged other states and the federal government not to copy California’s Draconian television regulations.

Californians for Smart Energy, growing coalition of consumers, small businesses, trade groups and associations dedicated to smart energy policy that won’t harm the economy or destroy jobs, made the plea.

“This is not a debate over philosophy - we all support energy efficiency,” said Pam Crane, Ken Crane’s Big Screen Headquarters in Los Angeles.  “This is a debate over process.  The CEC’s regulations are based on old data, math errors, and a total disregard for Energy Star or how the consumer electronics industry operates.”

What do you think the chances of this deterring know-it-all, power-grabbing, unelected bureaucrats from further dictating what you can and cannot buy with your own money?

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Memo to the governor: Where was that conviction a few months ago?

Reuters news agency reported that in Milan, (somewhere on the continent), the governor told reporters: “I think it’s important not to raise revenues, not to raise taxes. We have to live within our means.”

It seems to us that living within our means would have been getting by on at least $24 billion less than the Legislature budgeted and the governor signed into law last summer. That’s the size of the current deficit, which follows last year’s deficit, which followed the deficit from the year before.

Some how we’re not real confident that we’ve heard the last flip-flop from this governor, who alternately and seemingly perpetually calls for belt-tightening and tax-raising.

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According to a post at the Watts Up With That? blog, a hacker apparently got into the United Kingdom’’s Hadley Climate Research Unit and acquired hundreds of files - 61 megabytes worth - that he’s placed on a Russian FTP server for others to download.

Quoting from Anthony Watts’ blog:

It contained data, code, and emails from Phil Jones at CRU to and from many people.

I’ve seen the file, it appears to be genuine and from CRU. Others who have seen it concur- it appears genuine. There are so many files it appears unlikely that it is a hoax. The effort would be too great.

Here is some of the emails just posted at Climate Audit on this thread:

http://www.climateaudit.org/?p=7801#comments

Hm. If the science is settled, it’ll be interesting to have a look at this stuff, no? Shouldn’t it uniformly point to the undeniable conclusion that global warming is on pace to kill us and that mankind is to blame?

Or maybe there’s something else in those 61 megabytes. And why is it copies of this stuff haven’t always been publicly available to view, inspect, challenge and test? Hm?

Stay tuned…

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During the Regent’s meeting hundreds of students protested the goings on. And even inside the meeting students and union members made outbursts to show their general dissatisfaction with the decision.

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All together now: Hallelujah!

Legislative leaders resisted the Commission’s contention that it could reduce their salaries by 18 percent. In the grand scheme of things, this is tiny relief for a mamoth state spending problem, but we’re just delighted to know these do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do budget cutters will share the pain. About time. In fact, way past time.

Brown said when voters approved 1990’s Proposition 112 requiring the Commission to “adjust the annual salaries of state officers” each year, it gave the Commission’s authority to reduce salaries. Brown says Prop. 112 contradicts but supercedes a previous ballot measure in 1972 that prohibited mid-term salary reductions.

Small victories. But we’ll take them. Now about those pay cuts…

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We can all breath a sigh of relief. The Terminator has presided over arguably the largest increase in state taxes in history, the deepest budget deficits in history and the most dramatic swelling of the public payroll in history. He nearly terminated California. A truly historic stewardship, indeed.

But it’s an era coming to an end - at least his part of it when his term runs out in the coming year. And if we can believe him (anyone have trouble with that?), we’re done with him in elected office. Let the harm end here.

Now that we’ve breathed that sigh of relief, it’s time to take another deep breath. Jerry Brown, whom we remember most as former Gov. Moonbeam, is the likely successor.

Can’t we get a break here?

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“An overgrown lawn could cost a homeowner $1,000 a day,” reports the Palm Beach Post.

The city’s considering quadrupling its fine for long grass in private lawns. Repeat violations would increase to $5,000 a day, up from the present measley $500.

“Code enforcement needs a large hammer,” insists a city councilman, whom we won’t dignify by giving his name.

Big hammer indeed. Dare we suggest small, limited government as an alternative to the big-hammer variety? Long grass, for pete’s sake. What next? No, forget we asked. Don’t give them any ideas.

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Well, we probably shouldn’t be surprised, but that same overly optimistic forecasting seems to have caught on at the Legislative Analyst’s Office. He’s the guy ostensibly independent of the Legislature and governor, on whom we can rely for fiscal realism. Must be drinking the same Kool-Aid.

Get this: the Legislative Analyst has projected the state will have nearly a $21 billion deficit over the next year and a half, and scolds the Legislature for its smoke-and-mirrors approach to budgeting.

Then he admits that his own projection is based on government employees not getting cost-of-living raises in the coming years. Yeah, that’s likely to happen. Ha! Imagine how much worse it’ll be in reality.

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Sure enough, the site has reported, for example, 30 jobs saved in Arizona’s 15th CD. Arizona has 8 CDs. In Oklahoma 15 jobs were reported created in districts that don’t exist, while in Iowa $10.7 million in spending supposedly created 39 jobs in nonexistent districts. Connecticut topped that feat with 25 jobs created in the nonexistent 42nd district by spending zero in stimulus dollars. It goes on and on. Almost every state shows jobs “created or saved” in congressional districts that don’t exist.

The problem isn’t as bad as it sounds, but underlying problems are even more important. The jobs supposedly saved or created were reported by government agencies, non-profits, universities and the occasional private business by people who didn’t understand the reporting procedure and/or had no idea what congressional district they were in presumably just made up a number. The White House claims all these errors will be corrected eventually.

Still, there are real problems. A Colorado outfit got a $28.3 million contract with the FCC and reported 4,231 jobs created — but 3,000 were for five weeks or less. An Ohio outfit got two FCC contracts and reported hiring 26 people for each, for a total of 52 jobs — but the same 16 names were on each report. And the jobs lasted only two months. A Free Press analysis in Michigan found three of four contracts created only one job each — and 3,000 of a reported 22,500 jobs were summer jobs for students. There’s a plethora of double-counting and guessing. Some agencies reported jobs created when they simply gave existing employees a raise.

In addition,  it is simply impossible to estimate how many jobs were “saved.” It’s sheer guesswork. And while Obama promised that 90 percent of the jobs saved or created would be in the private sector, in Michigan, for example, 13,555 of the inflated 22,513 figure were public-sector jobs.  Creating more public-sector jobs with money borrowed from China while the taxpaying private sector is in the toilet is hardly sustainable.

Bottom line, of course. Even if the undoubtedly inflated claim at recovery.gov of around 650,000 jobs “saved or created” were true, some 3.5 million jobs have been lost since the stimulus package was passed.

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This Saturday, Doctors for Patient Care, a group that advocates to protect the doctor-patient privilege, is organizing demonstrations in major cities throughout the country. This Saturday they will host a protest in Los Angeles at the Federal Building.  Here are the details for anyone wondering:

When: Saturday, November 21
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM

Where:

The Federal Building
11000 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

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Claremont Institute’s California Public Policy Conference at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, California, on Saturday, December 5, 2009. You will hear candid discussions of state and local government policies – how they impact us and what we can expect in the future. Invited panelists include officials of both parties, distinguished academics, and policy analysts. Please go to www.claremont.org to view the agenda and register online.

Keynote speaker: Mitt Romney, Former Governor of Massachusetts

Featured speaker: Joel Kotkin, Presidential Scholar in Urban Futures at Chapman University; best-selling author

Special guest: Bill Bennett, former Secretary of Education; Washington Fellow; radio and television pundit; best-selling author

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Well, there’s a Democrat in the White House now, and as explained here, Sessions’s filibuster shoe is on the other foot. In response to Obama’s first appellate judicial nominee, Sessions initiated a filibuster. “I was opposed to filibusters before,” he said, but in this case “I don’t agree with his judicial philosophy.”

Oh.

The filibuster was defeated 70-29.

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We’re shocked. Not really.

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Now Norby will head to the general election January 12th against Democrat John MacMurray.

Norby’s name recognition and fundraising propensity–not to mention that the district heavily Republican– make him the heir apparent to fill Mike Duvall’s vacated Assembly seat.

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There’s this from an Anchorage Daily News writer on how Palin brought celebrity culture to Alaska, then a rather snarky NYT review of her appearance on Oprah. Here’s an ABC story on the BabaWawa interview on GMA. McCain himself diplomatically tells Politico he’s “moving on.” The WashTimes Joseph Curl notes that the new Palin persona is “victim.” The LAT reports on some of the overwrought reactions from liberals and Dems. ABC reports on the book and a compliment from Mary Matalin. National Review online has excerpts from the book and a roundup of reactions. More of the same here. Rich Lowry tut-tuts about “mainstream” media reaction.

There’s little doubt she’s a cultural phenomenon. But no mas, no mas.

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