When prominent climate change denier Jonathan Reisman wanted to make discrimination against people like him illegal, he quickly found a friend with power willing to make it happen. State Rep. Lawrence Lockman (R) introduced a new bill that’d do exactly that. The Associated Press reports:
State representative Larry Lockman has introduced a bill that would limit the state attorney general’s ability to investigate or prosecute people based on their political speech, including their views on climate change. It would also prohibit the state from making decisions on buying goods or services or awarding grants or contracts based on a person’s “climate change policy preferences”.
Lockman, an independent business consultant from Amherst, told the Associated Press that he believed it was an open question whether human activity is the primary cause of climate change.
Reisman, who’s an associate director at the University of Maine at Machias, admits this was in direct response to last year’s ExxonMobil investigations. Because if we don’t look out for the giant multinational corporations, who will?! From the Portland Press Herald:
Reisman confirmed the legislation is being offered at his request. He said it was neutral toward which climate change views an individual might hold and is largely intended to protect an individual’s right to free speech. He said the measure is the result of the civil suit that Mills joined with other Democratic state attorney generals. That suit, headed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, seeks to launch a federal racketeering investigation against oil giant ExxonMobil for potential fraud for misleading the public and investors on climate change.
Question: Why does a climate change denier have a job as an educator?? It must be nice to be able to simply ask a congressman to introduce a bill for you.
I’ll leave you with a fun fact about state Rep. Lockman: He’s the lovely man who said if women have the right to choose whether to have an abortion, men should be allowed to legally rape women. After having some time to think about it, he apologized … 18 years later.
Clearly a bunch of great people are behind this bill.