...that responsible critics of Anthropogenic Global Warming would make at least an effort to police their ranks and do their part to discipline flakes and shills such as those that conducted the latest denialist raid on Space (now moved to Flame, below). Every side has its wackos and embarassments, and keeping them out of the debate not only makes discussion easier, it also contributes to the legitimacy of those on both sides with genuine opinions and something valid to contribute.

The key issue in this disgraceful thread is whether or not the petition, and the organizations behind it, are legitimate expressions of responsible students of the problem, the misguided blather of the incompetent, or even blatant and cynical distractions and provocations. As it is, no effort was made to either scold these people, or alternatively, defend the petition and its sponsors if they so deserved it. Instead, the usual suspects showed up with the usual talking points that have already been beat to death, and the usual conspiracy theories and ideological finger pointing, all designed to direct attention away from the key issue: Who ARE these people? A stern admonishment, or at least, a reasoned defense of the initial post would have gone a long way to establishing the anti-AGW community as having some agenda other than merely shouting down their opponents, intimidating the undecided, and monopolizing the debate.