The Heartland Institute is a conservative think tank that promotes conservative causes, among them being climate change denialism. Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer, has a post summarizing the leak of what is supposedly a cache of the HI's internal documents. (They can be found here.) One of them is the organization's "2012 Climate Strategy" which includes this line:
[Dr. Wojick's] effort will focus on providing curriculum that shows that the topic of climate change is controversial and uncertain – two key points that are effective at dissuading teachers from teaching science.
"dissuading teachers from teaching science"?!
Read Plait's post. There are links to more discussion of the documents as well as his take on the HI's egregious hypocrisy regarding its views and the Climategate scandal that was nothing more than a tempest in a teapot.
I was poking through the fundraising plan document and found that HI, which is based in Chicago, is developing a stratagem for Wisconsin. It's called "Operation Angry Badger":
Wisconsin was the focus of national attention due to recall campaigns waged in 2011, and campaigns are taking place in 2012 against Gov. Scott Walker, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and three Republican senators who voted for Act 10, the landmark collective bargaining reform legislation adopted in 2011. We have been following the Wisconsin debate closely, reporting on it in Budget & Tax News, commenting in op-eds and LTEs and on blogs, doing television and radio interviews, and sending research and commentary to elected officials in Wisconsin and nationally.
The recall elections of 2012 amount to a referenda on collective bargaining reform at the state level, making them of national interest. Successful recalls would be a major setback to the national effort to rein in public sector compensation and union power. Heartland is the largest and most influential national free-market think tank in the Midwest, so we are in the right place and with the right resources to help defend and secure Wisconsin’s recent gains.
We are contemplating five projects:
1. Recruit and promote superintendents who support Act 10
2. Explain the benefits of Act 10
3. Document the shortcomings of public schools in Wisconsin
4. Expose teacher pay in key districts
5. Create blogs that shadow small town newspaper coverage of the controversy
We anticipate that this project will cost about $612,000. Maureen Martin, Heartland’s legal counsel, with be the chief researcher and writer for this project. The anonymous donor has pledged $100,000 toward this project. We are circulating a proposal to other potential funders.
Beware any press releases bearing the name "Maureen Martin". I wonder if any shadow blogs have been created yet. Which of their propagandists have been out on radio and TV pushing their agenda? Surely Charlie Sykes knows. I can just hear David Blaska's blathering now, "I, for one, welcome our new FIB overlords." Bears fans 4 Walker!
The HI is also looking to fund their Center for Transforming Education. Presumably the Center wants to transform science education so that, you know, science isn't actually taught in the brave new world of public schools gone for-profit. Will Allen Ruff be able to link Kaleem Caire to the Heartland Institute? Only The Shadow knows...
2 comments:
Wow, denier funding is peanuts. These documents contradict the claims of 'well funded climate denialism'. It shows they were never true, alarmists simply made them up.
For years I never really knew if deniers were well funded or not. Now I know they were never well funded.
Its the greenies who have been well funded all along.
Thank you Desmogblog. Nice work
"These documents contradict the claims of 'well funded climate denialism'."
They do no such thing. These documents show the funding plans of one organization.
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