[Exeric]

Affinity fraud is something to think about in this discussion. Paul Krugman recently wrote this about it in reference to economics. But it could just as well be written about Global Anthropogenic Climate Change if you substitute a few words.

"As I’ve written on previous occasions, the Bernie Madoff phenomenon helped me understand a lot about the persistence of bad economics [bad climate science]. Madoff flourished through “affinity fraud”; his investors [followers]thought he was their kind of guy, so they didn’t look hard at how he was allegedly making money[creating new science]. And I realized that a similar phenomenon explains the enduring popularity of goldbugs and fiscal doomsayers — including, say, the Wall Street Journal editorial page — despite years of being wrong about everything; their devotees, who consist in large part of cranky old white men, see kindred spirits and can’t see past that to the consistently terrible analysis."

Often, people who are logic and science oriented cannot get a foothold in important decision making when affinity fraud is going on. That's why those of us using real data, and logic cannot get a foothold in these discussions. The other side in these discussions will always have their Bernie Madoffs offering soothing explanations why a change of course is not neccessary. He was their kind of guy.

I should add that I fully expect that Ecomodded will turn this around and say that those believing in man created global warming are the Bernie Madoffs of the world. That would follow from all previous comments on this thread. It is the equivalent of "I know you are, but what am I response?" between two kids. Always blame the messenger for bad news, especially if the course change will neccessarily change the economics and put different people in charge on those things. Even if it has been proven that a certain group that is in charge is either corrupt or incompetent it always comes down to the accusation that any change in that power structure is the result of hubris by those who will take over, even if its a Darwinian change resulting from victory of the competent over the incompetent.