by Mark Steyn Defend Free Speech
On Tuesday I appeared at the US Senate at a hearing called by Senator Ted Cruz's sub-committee on Space, Science and Competitiveness. Senator Cruz introduced me as "an international bestselling author, a Top Five jazz recording artist, and a leading Canadian human rights activist". In fact, at that moment, I was America's Number One jazz vocalist, but I thought it was a bit early in the proceedings to jump up and demand the record be corrected. ...
There was an altercation underway as I entered the room, when two Greenpeace activists attempted to get in the face of Professor William Happer about something or other. You can see it here. It is, to be legalistic about it, witness-tampering, and a sadly appropriate start to a hearing that at least partly addressed the climate of intimidation in global-warming science.
As for the hours that followed, I'll let the reports from all sides speak for themselves, and just make a couple of points. On the morning of the event, Senator Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat and Ranking Member, sent a message, warning me that I was obligated to "respect the decorum of the Senate". I've been invited to Buckingham Palace, the White House and parliaments around the world, and nobody has ever felt it necessary to pre-issue such a warning. In the event, the US Senate has no "decorum" worthy of respect, as we'll get to in a moment.
Here's my opening statement:
-Go To Links-
No comments:
Post a Comment