“Merchants of Doubt” Threaten Lawsuit against Filmmaker? March 9, 2015

One of the key rules of public relations is not to do something that will draw more attention to the meme you’re trying to downplay.

In the case of Merchants of Doubt, the new movie has exposed a large new audience to the ugly historical fact that key members of the climate denial community were also active in the “second hand smoke is fine for you, your aged mother with lung disease, and your baby,too” community, back in the 90s. In the meantime, most of society has decided that second hand smoke is not only a health risk, but its about as welcome as a rancid fart.

Now some of those players are having second thoughts about the interviews they gave to filmmaker Robby Kenner. Aged but still militantly wrong Fred Singer claims the film calls him a “liar for hire” – which it doesn’t, but apparently some reviewers made that leap. Pity, that.

Most hilariously, if you go to Scientific American and read the whole link, Batshit Crazy fake Lord “I’ve cured AIDS” Monckton has offered to assist in Dr. Singer’s legal complaint.

So have at it, guys. Let’s open this discussion up. I’m all ears on that crazy, alarmist, second hand smoke thing.

Scientific American:

Before the release this Friday of the documentary “Merchants of Doubt,” S. Fred Singer sought the advice of nearly 30 climate skeptics about their chances of halting the movie and whether he should sue Naomi Oreskes, who co-authored the book on which it’s based. “Has she finally gone too far?” asked Singer. The discussion is outlined in a chain of emails initiated last fall by the 90-year-old physicist, who is featured in the film for his work questioning the amount of influence people have on rising temperatures. His request reached a mix of academics and others who have been mostly antagonistic toward mainstream climate findings. ClimateWire obtained the emails from a source who received them as a forwarded message. Perhaps the strongest response came from James Enstrom, an epidemiologist who has challenged the science around the health risks of secondhand smoke and particulate air pollution. Enstrom told Singer that he could make “a very strong case” against Oreskes if Singer filed complaints with the universities she’s affiliated with. “I suggest you Attack Oreskes by Filing short Grievances with Harvard and Stanford,” Enstrom wrote to Singer on Oct. 21. Oreskes is a professor of scientific history at Harvard University with a doctorate from Stanford University. “Good thought,” Singer responded.

The wider discussion is viewed by some as a window into the network of skeptical scientists, bloggers and conservative think tank scholars who often raise objections to mainstream climate science. The tactics discussed — like lawsuits and grievances — reflect previous efforts to constrain critics of Singer and others through legal attacks, or the threat of them, several people involved with the movie say. “This is part of their intimidation,” Oreskes said in an interview. “It’s a part about trying to make people frightened that if they do speak up and they do expose what’s going on, they’ll get attacked. And they will get attacked. I’ve been attacked.” The documentary is based on her book, “Merchants of Doubt,” published in 2010. In it, she outlined the similarities between the political fight around climate change and the earlier debates about whether smoking was dangerous. The effort to fight health problems from smoking was stalled for years. She suggested that a small group of scientists cooperating with think tanks and businesses managed to obscure basic truths about the harms of both. The movie will be released nationally Friday. It’s directed by Robert “Robby” Kenner, the creator of the 2008 documentary “Food Inc.”

Oh, Dr. Singer, Please, Please don’t throw me in that briar patch….