I’m still way behind on everything, and have just lost a whole week of work to this silly l’affaire Guardian, but I want to pass along the news that the (London) Independent today printed the following retraction:
In Editorial and Opinion on Saturday (3 February) we wrote that ‘ExxonMobil is attempting to bribe scientists to pick holes in the IPPC’s assessment (on climate change).’ We now recognise that this statement is incorrect and we withdraw it.
Indeed the original story has been removed from their website. And on Saturday, New York Times business columnist Joseph Nocera called the charge "ridiculous." (Unfortunately his article is behind the annoying TimesSelect firewall.) You know things are out of hand when your help comes from the New York Times. I’ll await Al Gore’s retraction now.
Al will be by to apologize...as soon as he gets out of his zinc mine, reviews his Occidental stock, clears the back forty with a double-handled axe, fertilizes the tobacco crop and gasses up the Lear Jet.
Being called "unethical" by Al Gore is a badge of honor, sir.
I find this worrisome, for two reasons. The first is that the Guardian felt pressure to retract a statement in the Editorial and Opinions column. I haven’t seen the contest of the statement, but wouldn’t the reader have been better served by another editorial from the opposite viewpoint?
Second, you’ll recall that the BBC was roundly criticized, and jobs were lost, over a story that suggested that the pre-war intelligence was "sexed-up" with false WMD evidence, something which was clearly true.
What this Independent story suggests to me is that the British press is no longer free, nor balanced. Unlike ours though, it would still like to be.
Mr. Hayward, AEI, and Exxon are all innocent for basically the same reason that employing a professional escort involves no crime. The escort is invited over to share her "time" with the man who is interested in her "companionship" putting a sum of money on the dresser, coffee table, or wherever. The two talk, get to know each other, go to dinner, etc. They develop a basic friendship. The escort decides after some time, completely independently, that she is attracted to the gentleman, and yes, by sheer coincidence, she too is interested in engaging in the exact same sexual activities that the man is! They engage in the activities that both parties are equally interested in. After a few hours, the lady decides that she is tired and needs to go home. The gentleman decides that he would like to offer her a financial gift (an early birthday gift?) until they meet again. He nods towards the cash, she thanks him for the generous gift and is on her way, until they decide to meet again to continue their romantic relationship. No crime has been committed! There’s no problem, love is blossoming.
We know it’s not some form of legalized prostitution, Jim--or you’d support it.