What justification?

While busily procrastinating getting our living room ready for Christmas, I've been going through my morning news, editorials and letters to the editor.  I am finding myself increasingly frustrated and perplexed in the fall out - or lack of it - of the leaked Hadley CRU documents.

First off, there's still surprisingly little coverage in the media.  Had this sort of scandal emerged from the "other side," the headlines would've been screaming about it.  Instead, there's hardly anything.  A few columnists, like Lorrie Goldstein, are writing about it.  If it weren't for Tom Nelson's blog, with his diligent posting of stories from all over, I'd be finding far less.

A few other main stream papers are finally writing about it, and some of them really blow my mind.  They are actually justifying the actions of these CRU "scientists."  A number of letter writers and commentors also try to excuse and justify this incredibly unscientific behaviour by the CRU.  How?  How can someone look at the leaked data and not realize that it calls into doubt everything about AGW theory?  It's not just the CRU that screwed up.  Similar problems are being revealed in New Zealand, and those following the data over the last few years know that the US data is woefully corrupted.

There is no excuse or justification for this sort of shoddy science and deliberate manipulation of information.  What we should be doing is putting all proposals to "fight climate change" on hold.  All current programs should also be stopped.  A thorough, independant investigation needs to be done, not only into the CRU, but all major climate data organizations.  We can't be pushing for global action based on bad information.  To continue to do so would be stupid and irresponsible.