David Roberson <[email protected]> wrote:
> Have you ever discussed with Mr. Park the reason for his behavior? > Dr. Park. I don't mean that he is the only one. He is particularly prominent. I use him as a stand-in for others at the DoE, the Jasons and elsewhere. I have only spoken with him on a few occasions, briefly. However, he has explained his reasons many times, in his APS blog, in the Washington Post, and at presentations at conferences and so on. He has said: Cold fusion is entirely wrong. All of the reported experimental results are the product of incompetence, criminal fraud, or lunacy. Cold fusion is physically impossible, like homeopathy. It is utterly unscientific, like creationism. If I believed what he believes, I might be campaigning against cold fusion too. > Why does he have such a strong aversion to research in this field? > I take him at his word. I assume he sincerely believes the cold fusion researchers are committing fraud and besmirching the good name of science. He sees them as people like the fake scientists who sell snake oil cancer cures. > What main industrial or military projects did he participate in during his > formative years? > I do not know. It doesn't matter. There are hundreds more like him. Some people assume that opponents are faking it, and they actually know that cold fusion is real. They are trying to defend their turf. Or they are working for fossil fuel companies and trying to prevent the use of a technology that will wipe out these companies. I doubt that. I have no way of knowing. As I have often said, if there is a conspiracy, they do not invite me to the meetings. However, based on what these people say and write, and based on my experiences interacting with some of them, such as Park and Huizenga, I have the strong impression they mean what they say. They are giving us their honest reasons for attacking the field. They see themselves as working to prevent fake scientists and lunatics from stealing research money. Robert Park also claims that he has never read any cold fusion papers. He says he does not need to. No one needs to; anyone can tell at a glance that the claims are preposterous. This is what I would say if a doctor presented papers claiming he could bring to life a rotting corpse, like Lazarus. I suppose that Park may have glanced at one or two papers, but I take him at his word that he has not read any carefully, because every assertion he makes about this subject is technically wrong. He knows nothing about it. Ditto the editors of the Scientific American, who also told me -- explicitly -- that they have read no papers, "because reading papers is not our job." Most so-called skeptics have read nothing and know nothing. - Jed
