Group Condemns Harassment of Climate Scientists - NYTimes.com

“There is nothing wrong with F.O.I.,” said Raymond Orbach, director of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin and one of two board members who pressed for drafting such a statement.

“Anyone should be completely free to ask about any background information for scientists funded with public money,” he said in an interview. “But when it’s done in an organized fashion as part of a political agenda — when you ask for all the data that a scientist has ever produced — that’s just nuisance tactics.”

“And when it’s compounded by personal attacks or threats, and scientists aren’t willing to do this sort of research anymore, then there’s less information for the public, not more, Dr. Orbach said. “You’re interfering with democracy, not promoting it.”

- Bishop Hill blog - Comedy of AAAS

It's hard not to recall the Penn State investigation into Michael Mann, which, if I recall correctly, concluded that he could have done nothing wrong because he had brought in so much grant money.

The Great Solar Swindle

The authors of the piece, Daniel Wetzel and Reto Klar, as suggested by the title, conclude that solar energy is a well-executed swindle that was and is promoted by slick industry lobbyists. Today solar panels and systems, massively subsidized by the government, are enjoying a boom in Germany. Solar energy is the number one desired form of renewable energy by Germans, according to a recent survey. The industry, needless to say, is making money hand over fist.