Green bully

Townhall.com::Mum's the Word::By John McCaslin

Green bully

The heat is obviously getting to Michael T. Eckhart, president of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE). Two weeks ago, this column published a threatening letter he wrote to Marlo Lewis, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), concerning "global warming." Then last week, Mr. Eckhart issued an apology, expressing regret for calling Mr. Lewis disparaging names and threatening to "destroy" his "career" as a "liar" ? all because Mr. Lewis does not share Mr. Eckhart's opinions on the cause of climate change.

Now, Inside the Beltway has learned that Mr. Lewis isn't the only recipient of Mr. Eckhart's vitriol.

He wrote to Competitive Enterprise Institute President Fred Smith on Sept. 25, 2006. "Following up on our meeting at the Rocky Mountain retreat last spring with Al Gore, I am writing to say that I am very unhappy to see this continuing false analysis coming out of CEI, seeking to refute the issue of global warming."

He said it's surprising a "scientist" like Mr. Smith could "refute" global warming, and "your voice and that of CEI ... will have the ultimate effect of putting my two daughters' lives at greater risk, and even more so for their children."

"The only explanation that I can see is that you are doing this because you are paid by Exxon Mobil and other clients to do so. I find this outrageous, that my children will have a lesser life because you are being paid by oil companies to spread a false story.

"As I said to you at the time, I would give you 90 days to show that CEI is reversing its position on this, or I will take every action I can think of to shut you down," Mr. Eckhart wrote. "I am writing to demand that you and CEI reverse course on this, and do so loudly and publicly, within 30 days, or I will personally file on Oct. 25, 2006, two complaints:

"1. A complaint with the IRS to have CEI's tax exemption revoked, on the basis that CEI is really a lobbyist for the energy industry; 2. A complaint with Phi Beta Kappa that your key should be withdrawn for using your mathematical skills to do the world harm ... You have 30 days to speak the truth, or face the IRS and PBK."

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Doesn't surprise me, all these openminded tolerant scientists really love to discuss such things, really.