I suspect that we have the answer from James Hansen. I do believe HE got the message but true to form for the AGW proponents, he apparently does not want to engage the opposition, even for a worthy opponent such as Lord Christopher Monckton. I think it would have been a great event but one of these two key figures does not feel he needs to defend his position.
If you look at it from one perspective, you could think that giving the opposition exposure gives them credibility. Is that what Dr, Hansen is thinking? I would hope that is not the case. It is not an acceptable option when he is asking us to spend $Trillions.
Another possibility is that Dr. Hansen does not know who I am to be able to make such a challenge. OK, but he certainly knows Lord Monckton. I sent the challenge to his assistance Leslie as well as to the return email on James Hansen's email list. Either way he should have gotten it. I had previously sent a challenge to wager $5,000 that his prediction of a record average global temperature within 3 years would not happen. According to John Thoen, Hansen's former boss, or whatever their relationship was, when I inquired about the email address I used, he said, "He got it!". So I used the same address.
Having accepted the challenge from Don Blankenship, why wouldn't he accept a replacement with a choice of venue which was apparently a key stumbling block? The logical point here is that Blankenship was carrying some heavy baggage. Monckton has no such baggage. Then again Hansen did weasel out of the challenge because of the venue and some biased reporting. Sounds pretty lame to me. If he really wanted to debate, why didn't he make a counter offer or at least say that the venue thing was a deal breaker. According to Hansen's own email, that didn't happen. So ostensibly Hansen was going to take advantage of the baggage and likely rely on ad hominem attacks, rather than argue the science.
At any rate, regardless of the reason, and I really don't know what it is, the challenge went unanswered. I will send this article to Dr. Hansen for one final opportunity to redeem himself. If I still do not get a response, Lord Monckton has agreed to be interviewed for this column and I will challenge him from some of Hansen's papers, articles and letters. I am sure the Head of the GISS could do better but I will try my best. I am sure I will be a second rate stand-in for the good doctor. Dr. Hansen, it's still not too late to accept Monckton's challenge. I really hope you do.
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