The Heritage Foundation Touts John Coleman and Talk Radio

The conservative Heritage Foundation recently wrote a column for the conservative FOX News praising conservative talk-radio programs such as Rush Limbaugh's. Among the lauded accomplishments of talk radio was their coverage of issues such as this:

"Television meteorologist John Coleman, who founded the Weather Channel, published a scathing article dismissing global warming as 'the greatest scam in history.' "

"Scathing"? Try "feeble." Read the article yourself, and you'll see that it's completely devoid of any arguments whatsoever. It's simply the feeble invective of an old man.

it is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM.

Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data back in the late 1990's to create an allusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental wacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the "research" to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus.

Notice how he misspelled "illusion," and failed to cite any support or substance for his accusation of fraud.

The rest of the article is just more of the same, with grammatical errors all over the place ("Now their ridicules manipulated science has been accepted"). But this was my favorite part:

I read dozens of the scientific papers. I have talked with numerous scientists. I have studied. I have thought about it. I know I am correct

Dozens, I tell you! This article is really the epitome of cranky old man argumentation. Again, I suggest that everyone personally read it.

Also, as a point of clarification, being the founder of the Weather Channel does not make one an expert in climatology. Coleman earned his degree in 1957, then went to work at television stations doing the weather, working for programs such as Good Morning America. Ultimately, he turned to business, founded the Weather Channel, and subsequently retired. It's hardly a groundbreaking story when someone like this comes out of the woodwork and states his opinion (without any substantive arguments other than "I read dozens of articles - trust me!") on an issue like climate change. Especially when he does so in such a weak way. To carry this story, and to market it as a "scathing" criticism, is not highbrow journalism. It's shitty journalism.

UPDATE: Here is a summary of the invective:

greatest scam in history... appalled and highly offended by it... It is a SCAM... dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data... an allusion of rapid global warming... same environmental wacko... the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims... Environmental extremist... create this wild "scientific" scenario... to their radical agenda... very gullible... a nonevent, a manufactured crisis and a total scam... They respect government and disrespect business, particularly big business... manipulate the data to come up with the results they wanted... drive their environmental agendas... endorse it without question... environmental elitists berated them... . It is all a scam, the result of bad science... this global warming frenzy is based on bad science and is not valid... I am incensed... the outrageous scam