So they just copy them:
A congressional report used by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) to question the validity of the science behind global warming in a 2006 hearing was highly plagiarized, according to experts who reviewed it.
“The report was integral to congressional hearings about climate scientists,” Aaron Huertas of the Union of Concerned Scientists explained. “And it preceded a lot of conspiratorial thinking polluting the public debate today about climate scientists.”
The report was requested by Barton in 2005, when he was the head of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a position he is currently trying to reclaim. In 2006, he said that global warming science is “pretty weak stuff.”
Plagiarism experts told USA Today that the report, which was authored by George Mason University statistician Edward Wegman, copied material from textbooks, Wikipedia, and other sources.
John Mashey, a retired computer scientist, conducted a year-long analysis of the Wegman report and found that 35 of the report’s 91 pages “are mostly plagiarized text, but often injected with errors, bias and changes of meaning.”
After yesterday’s cheating post, I’ll be interested to see how many people rush to justify this.
taylormattd
Well, it was mostly just one person. Although a lot of people thought the professor was lazy too.
Bullsmith
I’m guessing any kind of sanction of Wegman for producing not only plagiarized but also further falsified work would be an infringement of his First Amendment rights. Or perhaps he is protected by the sanctity of contracts?
Michael
Meh. George Mason U, aka Wingnut Central. Par for the course for them – their diplomae are worth about a 3 ply roll of toilet paper, AFAIC.
As a moral relativist cheater excuser, I’m not upset about the plagiarism. I am, however, predictably annoyed about the spin and misrepresentation.
PS – Wegman is a lazy fat fuck.
SiubhanDuinne
Okay, so it’s plagiarized. But at least it’s filled with lies, errors, and bias.
/megasnark
An embarrassed GMU Law Student
A good example of what Koch money will buy.
Paris
Some post modernist liberal professor from ‘academia’ authors a report and doesn’t get the right answer so other ‘scientists’ from liberal universities go ape shit. This just proves that higher learning is a ponzi scheme and can’t be trusted. Why didn’t they hire real Americans to cut and paste?
General Stuck
@SiubhanDuinne:
teehee. IOW’s solid republican science
Martin
“It’s factually false but collectively accurate”
srv
George Mason was forced by liberals to accept more students of lower moral character (something passed in the Carter era), and this is a natural progression of those policies.
Rep. Barton’s study looks very truthy to me.
Villago Delenda Est
Let me guess. One of the prominent “scientists” quoted in the sparse non-plagiarized text was Dr. Art Robinson, professional loon.
BombIranForChrist
This is a big win for libertarianism. People have the right to make shit up as they see fit to create their own reality. Facts are the evil handmaidens of the gub’mint trying to keep me down! There are no facts! Only me. Sweet, beautiful me.
neill
“ignorance is strength” — come on, get with the program…
MattR
Seeing as how there is actual evidence of plagiarism, I don’t see how the two issues are remotely related.
I posted a comment late last night in another thread about the USA Today version of this story. They made sure to point out early on that the plagiarism did not invalidate the report’s criticism of Mann and Bradley’s work. Only much later did they note that the criticisms in the report were accurate but irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
El Cid
But the Climategate e-mails proved that there is no global warming because it sounded like the hacked e-mails prove that all scientists were lying about the whole thing!
There is no global warming, and if it is, it’s caused by changes in the Sun, and none of the scientists have ever thunk of studying the Sun. Also it’s a natural process because throughout the Earth’s history it’s been warmer and colder, and if it gets a lot warmer, we’ll adapt to that too, especially if it brings more oxygen and giant land arthropods.
TheMightyTrowel
I had to wear mittens today. Also, global warming is fat.
Dave
Obviously, the fault lies with us for not creating a system that would prevent Wegman from plagiarizing. After all, he is a big-brained chimp who is wired to pursue the easiest path. And to expect ethical behavior from him would just be foolish.
/snark
Comrade Javamanphil
I think I know some George Mason professor who now has the edge for any open Liberty University Dean positions.
srv
And why does it take a year to do an analysis of a 91 page report? The guy is retired, or just slow?
Dennis SGMM
It’s cold here today so global warming doesn’t exist.
And no sidewinding, hornswoggling cracker-croaker is going to ruin my bishincutter!
Earl Butz
B-school students cheating isn’t academic fraud, it’s on the job training. I’d care if they were studying something useful, like science.
But economics is a secular religious system buoyed solely by beliefs, not provable, repeatable facts. So who cares?
Davis X. Machina
@Dennis SGMM:
I’d like to thank you on behalf of the children for that splendid example of authentic frontier gibberish…
Brachiator
Jesus H Climate Change Christ! This reminds me of the goofballs who tried to claim that they wanted to publish a “scientific” textbook for kids that promoted intelligent design, but which was proved to be a poorly disguised creationist screed.
Keith G
@TheMightyTrowel: I will trade you. Here in Houston, I am fixin (as we say) to walk to the market in sandals, shorts and a T. Our temp will be 82 by the afternoon, 12 above the historical ave.
While that is just weather, it is cementing in the notion that should I live long enough I will not be living here enjoying the new climate that develops around us.
edit – fywp
Bill E Pilgrim
@TheMightyTrowel: Made me laugh.
Does this climate make my butt look big?
Also: Al Gore is a myth.
Mike G
Barton, exhibiting the magical-thinking crowd’s usual rigorousness with regards to data and evidence.
I think that Congress should apologize to Barton for his lying, like he apologized to BP for turning the Gulf into a fetid greasetrap.
ed drone
@Martin:
Facts are for Muggles and Mud-bloods!
Ed
p.a.
Of course it’s too hard; making up credible lies about scientific issues requires at least some base knowledge on the subject (see American Tobacco Institute/P. Morris/Atria). Congressional Republicans attempted in the scientific arena what they have successfully done in the political arena: spread mass delusion. And who’s to say they weren’t successful? It took 5 years to out them. (Although it is wonderful timing given their stated intent to run
a witchhuntinvestigations on climate scientists.Roger Moore
@Mike G:
Obviously, Barton is just too good for Congress, and should be sent home to protect him from its corrupting influence.
Kyle
@El Cid:
Shorter climate denialists:
The Zapruder film was blurry, therefore JFK was never killed.
lou
Wonder if Va attorney general Ken Cuccinelli will spend as much time investigating this Wegman dude as he spent on Michael Mann.
TheMightyTrowel
@Keith G: I LIKE my mittens, thank you very much! This is my favourite time of year!
ETA: FYWP
Villago Delenda Est
@lou:
You need not wonder. The answer is not just no, but hell no.
ricky
Justify what, your post?
ricky
@Earl Butz:
B-school…isn’t academic(.) It’s…training.
Editorial plagiarism.
El Cid
@Kyle:
The Onion is on the job!
Phil
Whilst plagiarism is iffy (although the examples I read were to do with the description of what a tree ring was – not exactly a refutation of the statistical errors in the paleoclimate reconstructions) isn’ t there a tiny double standard here? The investigation was done by a retired computer scientist, and reported in USA Today. And yet one of the usual responses to amateur skepticism is precisely that the skeptics (a) are not climate science experts and (b) the work is not peer reviewed, or published in a “high impact” journal.
None of that has any relevance to the validity of AGW but it’s not particularly flattering to the integrity of some of its adherents. IMHO.
El Cid
The United States has nothing whatsoever to do with global warming. It’s all Russia’s fault.
It’s also a natural process, and who wouldn’t feel a bit better about warmer winters so as to save on heating bills?
That said, bear in mind that global warming is a myth made up by two scientists corresponding via e-mail.
MattF
You don’t get it. This is the greatest report ever written by the most expert experts ever assembled that reaches the strongest conclusions ever reached that proves exactly what everyone with any common sense knew was true all the time. And if you disagree with any of it, in any way whatsoever, your countertops are made of granite.
El Cid
@MattF: The danger, though, is that however well-intentioned and accurate Barton’s report was, it still involved words and reading and stuff, and that’s pretty elitist stuff, because reading & writing are signs of college professor traitor snobbery.
A true patriot’s report would have been entirely in drawings, illustrations, pictures, and popup figures.
JBL
@Phil: discovering plagiarism isn’t doing science and doesn’t require any expertise. And, in fact, most scientists would be completely happy with non-stupid amateur work in their field — see for example http://rabett.blogspot.com/2006/10/amateur-night.html or http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2010/08/doing-it-yourselves/ — but “non-stupid” is a reasonably high barrier, especially in a field that has been the target of so much anti-science.