"climategate"-gate

The real scandal -- Rex, Margaret -- is not a conspiracy of scientists trying convince the public of anthropogenic global warming, but rather a conspiracy of oil company shills trying to convince the public of a putative conspiracy of scientists. As with the debate over evolution, the scientific debate over AGW is over. The only real debates that are ongoing in either case are public relations exercises designed to achieve various political goals. The creationist arguments in the public debate over evolution in the US are designed to get certain religious doctrines taught in American classrooms. And the denialist arguments in the public debate over global warming are designed to prevent policies inimical to oil company profits. Since the science in both cases is settled, neither creationists nor denialists do any real science -- publishing their research in peer reviewed biology or climate journals, presenting it at scientific conferences, etc. Moreover, they attempt to explain away both the scientific consensus and their own refusal to do any real science by appeal to scientific conspiracies of various kinds.

It is, of course, worth noting that not all denialists (or creationists, for that matter) are in on the conspiracy. Some have been duped by the dishonest public debate tactics of the conspirators. Where Rex and Margaret fall I do not know -- I'd guess they are dupes rather than part of a conspiracy designed to increase oil company profits (without regard for the consequences for future generations). But allowing oneself to duped in this way is itself a moral failing.