Release of E-Mails Has Senator up in Arms

A Semi-News/Semi-Satire from AzConservative ^ | 5 December 2009 | John Semmens

[John Semmens]

The unauthorized release of hundreds of e-mails from the British University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit has outraged Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.). Oddly, it is not the implication in the e-mails that much of the purported climate research carried out to promote the global warming crisis is flawed, bogus, or worse that has gotten the Senator’s dander up.

“A lot of people are trying to make a big deal about the irregularities of the research,” Boxer said. “However, the more critical issue is the violation of privacy. These scientists had no expectation that their communications would be made public. Consequently, they may have been more frank in these private messages than they otherwise would’ve been. Now, they’re labeled as liars and frauds. It’s unfair.”

Boxer acknowledged that “unfortunately, we can’t undo the damage to these scientists’ reputations. We can ignore the implications. Over time, people will tend to forget who did what. Still, the humiliation stings.”

To try to prevent future incidents of this nature, Boxer recommended that “the person or persons who divulge confidential information should face criminal charges. The risk of ending up in jail will go a long way toward deterring the next whistle-blower or computer hacker from delving into matters better left private. Those of us responsible for making policy shouldn’t have to worry that interlopers will derail our agenda with untimely disclosures of confounding information.”

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Those Hacked/Released CRU files.

It has become fairly obvious this archive was not "hacked" or "stolen" but rather is a file assembled by CRU staff in preparation for complying with a freedom of information request. Whether it was carelessly left in a publicly accessible portion of the CRU computer system or was "leaked" by staff believing the FOIA request was improperly rejected may never be known but is not really that important. What is important is that:

1. There was no "security breach" at CRU that "stole" these files
2. The files appear genuine and to have been prepared by CRU staff, not edited by malicious hackers
3. The information was accidentally or deliberately released by CRU staff
4. Selection criteria appears to be compliance with an or several FOIA request(s)

With some reluctance we have decided to host compressed archives of the hacked files and uncompressed directories you can browse online. Both are linked from the menu or you can simply point your browser to http://junkscience.com/FOIA/

If you want to rummage through just the emails An Elegant Chaos has provided a search utility here, under constant development and improvement: Alleged CRU Emails - Searchable (An Elegant Chaos)

[coconutt2000]

No whistle blower protection for this whistle blower... No way.

[Sasparilla]

Good God...Please defeat her reelection.

[hoe_cake]

Who does Boxer think she’s fooling?

Wait, that question implies she thinks.

Let me rephrase... .

[Hodar]

These scientists had no expectation that their communications would be made public. Consequently, they may have been more frank in these private messages than they otherwise would’ve been. Now, they’re labeled as liars and frauds. It’s unfair.”

Now we are expected to believe that these scientists are not as smart as the average employee? Every employee knows that all his emails, every website they visit, and every instant message they send on a work computer are under no garantee of privacy.

Where was the Senator's outrage when a private citizen (Sarah Palin) had her personal email account invaded and her private data published?

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

The left has no problem with privacy when the theft favors their cause. The left consists of nothing but whiney hypocrites.

[1_Of_We]

These scientists had no expectation that their communications would be made public.

Most crooks have no expectation that their activity will be made public.

[TLI]

Boxer said. “However, the more critical issue is the violation of privacy. These scientists had no expectation that their communications would be made public. Consequently, they may have been more frank in these private messages than they otherwise would’ve been. Now, they’re labeled as liars and frauds. It’s unfair.”

So... John! Testing the waters of hard news? :-)

[andy58-in-nh]

Very nice effort; although the irony might have been thicker had you chosen Senator Leahy to deliver the same message. Then again: for today’s Congressional leadership, the untapped potential of Hypocrisy appears to provoke a perverse form of competition...

[jessduntno]

“A lot of people are trying to make a big deal about the irregularities of the research,” Boxer said. “However, the more critical issue is the violation of privacy. These scientists had no expectation that their communications would be made public. Consequently, they may have been more frank in these private messages than they otherwise would’ve been. Now, they’re labeled as liars and frauds. It’s unfair.”

These are scientists that are changing the world and they don’t know their computers can be hacked? Or that they are changing the ENTIRE WORLD ECONOMY and maybe they shouldn’t be *&^^%ing around like this?

[ronnyquest]

"Boxer said. “However, the more critical issue is the violation of privacy. These scientists had no expectation that their communications would be made public. Consequently, they may have been more frank in these private messages than they otherwise would’ve been. Now, they’re labeled as liars and frauds. It’s unfair.”"

Labeled as liars and frauds?! Mustn't label anyone. How indelicate of us. Heavens, the MSM and leftist politicians, flunkies, activists, and hangers-on would never do such a thing.

So, it's OK to run the stop sign as long as no one sees it. It's OK to cheat on your taxes as long as no one finds out. It's OK to have an extra-marital affair as long as no one knows. It's OK to plunder our liberties as long as no one notices. It's OK to defraud the entire human race as long as no one knows.

Sure, that makes perfect sense. The reasoning found on the left is astounding.

[listenhillary]

You normally only post satirical stories.

[MarkL]

While I'm not a scientist, nor have I ever played one on TV, I did take a number of "science classes" over my educational career. One constant in every class that dealt with the scientific method or experimentation, and every one of those classes had one unbreakable rule. NEVER FUDGE YOUR DATA!!! If you play with your data, everything you do is invalid. Plain and simple. In fact, in one chemistry class, the professor purposely distributed contaminated samples to some of the students to see if they would turn in the results which would NOT match the expected results of the experiment. When one of the students turned in "good" results, he was made an example of, and given an 'F' on the experiment.

Again, the one thing that was drilled into our heads was if you play with your data, ALL of the results are invalid, and ALL OF YOUR WORK WILL BE SUSPECT!!!

Mark

[Quix]

Perhaps the most fitting thing to happen to her might be a used . . . particular type of . . . . napkin . . . could be placed in her upper chronically gaping and flapping orifice with Gorilla duct tape put over it just before she’s ridden out of town on a rail, tarred and feathered as a genocidal satanic treasonous obnoxious b**ch of a plague on the visual and auditory landscape.

[Always Independent]

Her words are about as good as her checks are!

[Talkradio03]

I don’t know if part of what you’re posting here is true or made up, the other comments think it’s true, read them...

But this is the last time I ever click on your post..

[Always Independent]

Her words are about as good as her checks are!

[Bernard Marx]

You normally only post satirical stories.

He almost got me too. Boxer, Pelosi and Feinstein are my main embarrassments as a Californian.

[bestintxas]

Boxer is acting like the professor in the Wizard of Oz when the curtain is pulled back by Toto.

“Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain”