SpaceBanter.com - View Single Post - Former Hansen Supervisor Calls for the Global Warming Alarmist's Dismissal

**marcodbeast**

wrote:
On Mar 11, 4:54 pm, "Eric Gisin" wrote:
http://www.businessandmedia.org/arti...311105122.aspx

Former Hansen Supervisor Calls for the Global Warming Alarmist's
Dismissal
Retired NASA atmospheric scientist John Theon tells ICCC that Hatch
Act is grounds for media darling's firing.

By Jeff Poor, Business & Media Institute, 3/11/2009 10:56:19 AM

Is it possible that one of the most outspoken figures of the global
warming alarmist movement has violated ethical, if not legal
boundaries in his job? John Theon, a retired senior NASA atmospheric
scientist said he believed so.

Theon an audience at The Heartland Institute's 2009 International
Conference on Climate Change (ICCC) in New York on March 11 that the
head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, James Hansen,
should be fired. Hansen is widely known for his outspokenness on the
issue of manmade global warming.

"I have publicly said I thought Jim Hansen should be fired," Theon
said. "But, my opinion doesn't count much, particularly when he is
empowered by people like the current president of the United States.
I'm not sure what we can do to have him get off of the public
payroll and continue with the campaign or crusade. I think the man
is sincere, but he is suffering from a bad case of megalomania."

In 2001, Hansen received a $250,000 Heinz Environment Award for his
research on global warming, an award named for deceased Sen. John
Heinz, R-Pa. His widow, Teresa Heinz Kerry is now married to Sen.
John Kerry, D-Mass., who ran for president in 2004. Hansen later
publicly endorsed Kerry for the presidency and according to Theon,
that's a problem for Hansen.

"Yes, that is absolutely illegal," Theon said. "There is a law
called the Hatch Act, which prevents any civil servant, including
Jim Hansen from endorsing any political cause publicly and he
certainly did that. That alone is grounds for firing, and if not
imprisonment or fine."

But Hansen has avoided retribution for violation of the Hatch Act, a
law that restricts the political activity of executive branch
employees of the federal government, because he is well-connected,
according to Theon.

"People have complained to me, the inspector general of NASA, and
they say because of Hansen's very powerful political connections, it
has had no effect to date," he said.

Theon explained that Hansen rose to prominence in the global warming
debate when he was invited by former Vice President Al Gore to
testify before Congress when Gore was a member of the U.S. Senate.

"In 1988, then-Sen. Albert Gore, Jr. invited Dr. Hansen to testify
before a congressional committee concerning his carbon research,"
Theon said. Hansen blindsided his supervisors by contradicting
NASA's official position on global warming.

"Dr. Hansen stated that global warming is here now - that's my
paraphrasing - and [we] had to do something about it. At that time,"
Theon explained, "I was working at NASA headquarters. Between the
years 1982 and 1994, I was responsible for all NASA weather and
climate research, except those dealing with the stratosphere.

"Dr. Hansen's revelation came as a surprise and an embarrassment to
me and my superiors at NASA headquarters," Theon said. "The official
NASA position at that time was climate change - we did not know
enough to understand the climate system and more research was
needed. The official policy was that NASA does not and did not know
as scientists."

Hansen has been the recipient of media accolades as the
anthropogenic global warming alarmist movement has gained steam. He
was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in
2006. Recently, Hansen was awarded the 2009 Carl-Gustaf Rossby
Research Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the American
Meteorological Society. But despite all this attention, Hansen has
said NASA has tried to silence him.

In 2006, Hansen told Andrew Revkin of The New York Times that "NASA
headquarters had ordered the public affairs staff to review all his
coming lectures, papers, postings on the Goddard Web site and
requests for interviews from journalists."

"In his more than 1,000 speeches, interviews, publications and
public appearances since 1998, it is difficult for me to believe
that Dr. Hansen has even been bothered," Theon said.

Fire his ass.

Toady here already knows these claims are lies, as they were debunked here
earlier. lol