Global warming is far from settled science.

In last week's letters, Doris Noriega makes a number of assertions regarding global warming and the Tea Party movement which bear closer examination. First of all, anthropogenic (man made) global warming is far from settled science. "Consensus" is not science; "fudging" is not the scientific method; "tricks" are not empirical data; "suppressing or destroying conflicting data" is not objective analysis. This was all done by the University of East Anglia global warming proponents, not by the Bush Administration as Ms. Noriega alleges.

Ms. Noriega specifically cites NASA scientist James Hansen as a "victim" of "muzzling." His now retired supervisor Dr. John S. Theon has declared Hansen an "embarrassment" to NASA. Dr. Theon joins numerous current and former NASA scientists in dissenting from Hansen's man-made climate fears and alarmist projections. A small sampling includes: Aerospace engineer and physicist Dr. Michael Griffin, the former top administrator of NASA, Atmospheric Scientist Dr. Joanne Simpson, the first woman in the world to receive a PhD in meteorology, and formerly of NASA, Geophysicist Dr. Phil Chapman, an astronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut, Award-winning NASA Astronaut/Geologist and Moonwalker Jack Schmitt, Award-winning NASA Astronaut and Physicist Walter Cunningham of NASA's Apollo 7, Chemist and Nuclear Engineer Robert DeFayette was formerly with NASA's Plum Brook Reactor, Hungarian Ferenc Miskolczi, an atmospheric physicist with 30 years of experience and a former researcher with NASA's Ames Research Center, Climatologist Dr. John Christy, Climatologist Dr. Roy W. Spencer, Atmospheric Scientist Ross Hays of NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility.

Ms. Noriega then goes on to connect some dots between Koch Industries and Americans for Prosperity which she declares is "the very founder of the Tea Party Movement." I am sure she has done equal diligence in tracing George Soros' funding of enviro-statist causes and other global warming alarmists. Nonetheless, her conclusion is erroneous. For instance, the local Delta Tea Party Patriots chapter receives no funding from ANY external source, cause, or candidate. They owe no allegiance to any business or industry. Far from being "pawns" or "duped" as Ms. Noriega alleges, they are well informed citizen patriots who love their country and disagree on the path this administration is following. No more, no less.

Many of the left wing blogs like to portray the Tea Party movement as uneducated, easily manipulated by corporate "robber barons", racist, homophobic, sexist, pro-pollution, violent, fringe, and transitory. They will use every opportunity to demean and belittle and pretend the movement is insignificant. It's not working and we will "remember in November!"

William L. Garvin