CON GAMES: Maybe The Global Warming Hoax Is On You

March 6th, 2008 at 05:59am Michael Conniff 2

The question I would ask assembled parishioners today is whether you really know who your experts are. Take the case of global warming: without fail, if you wait long enough, those who say global warming is a hoax will trot out John Coleman, the founder of The Weather Channel, as if he is in possession of the holy grail of climate change.

Here, in toto, is an email on the subject that I received this week:
 
“Weather Channel Founder Wants to Sue Al Gore

“John Coleman wants to sue Al Gore for fraud. Coleman, who founded the Weather Channel in 1982, thinks taking legal action against Al Gore would be a great ‘vehicle to finally put some light on the fraud of global warming.’ Coleman rejects the notion that people must take drastic actions to reduce their energy use.

“Speaking at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change on Monday, Coleman sharply chastised those who further global warming alarmism. Coleman believes that the station he founded has been captured by alarmists, such as the Weather Channel’s Heidi Cullen, who has advocated revoking the license of meteorologists that believe global warming can be explained by cyclical weather patterns and not human activity.  See I told you.”

Here’s the problem for those who turn to John Coleman for the final word on climate change: Yes, to his eternal credit, John Coleman founded The Weather Channel, but John Coleman is little more than a local television weatherman, a job he has performed for decades. He has no special knowledge. Other than telling you whether it will rain in San Diego, he has no purchase on the truth.

Let me make this clear: the “expert” speaking at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change is a local television weatherman.

I was a television critic in Boston when The Weather Channel was launching, and I remember John Coleman as a nice man with a crazy idea. He is one of the most enduring meteorologists in the country, and his place in television history is assured. But if he is the font of knowledge on global warming, then maybe John Coleman—and not Al Gore  is a walking, talking hoax.

Entry Filed under: Environment, Media, Colorado, Television, United Post