Facts are Stubborn Things

For 15 years King Coal and Big Oil, led by the Exxon Corporation, have funded dozens of Washington think tanks stocked with aberrant scientists (known as biostitutes) to persuade the public and the press that the science is still out on global warming and give political cover to the industries’ indentured servants on Capitol Hill -- corporate toadies like James Inhofe and Tom DeLay.

They have also relied heavily on shills like Rush Limbaugh to delude the broader public with their junk science. Limbaugh’s 1993 book, "The Way Things Ought to Be," argues [pdf] that global warming is a hoax -- a point of view he regularly espouses on his popular radio show.

Now, the very industries for which Limbaugh has ransomed his integrity are turning on him and his junk science cronies. Last month, Cinergy, one of America’s largest coal-burning utilities, devoted 35 pages of its annual report to global warming. And last week, Exxon and General Electric launched massive new campaigns to develop technology to deal with climate change. Even these companies recognize that the facts about global warming are no longer deniable and they have left loyal mouthpieces like Limbaugh high and dry.

www.stopglobalwarming.org