Today, the Plaintiff (finally) rested their case — after 10 days, including jury selection, and four witnesses, to include Mann himself. The Plaintiff's last witness, Dr. John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota), was called as an expert witness. After a rigorous voir dire, Abraham was allowed to testify, but only as a fact witness. Which is really legal jargon for being Mann's BFF.
And how did putting Dr. Abraham on the stand work out for the Plaintiff? The below excerpts from the cross-examination (by the Defense and Mark), pretty much sum up Mann's entire case.
Excerpt One
Defense Counsel: "You've written that Dr. Mann is a hero, right?"
Abraham: "Yeah, I think I wrote he's a hero to his colleagues, something like that."
Defense Counsel: "Okay. Okay. And that's a good thing, isn't it?"
Abraham: "Yes, it is a good thing."
Excerpt Two
Defense Counsel: "Do you know what expert opinion is in a legal proceeding, Dr. Abraham?"
Abraham: "I'm not offering expert opinion on Dr. Mann's reputation."
Excerpt Three
Defense Counsel: "You're not aware of any other scientists who does [sic] not want to work with Dr. Mann, because of Mr. Simberg's or Mr. Steyn's blog posts; are you?
Abraham: "I am aware of people who were concerned, but no one said that they would not."
Excerpt Four
Defense Counsel: "Do you know of any entities that have refused to fund Dr. Mann's research, because of the Steyn or Simberg blog posts?"
Abraham: "No."
Defense Counsel: "Are you aware of any journals that have refused to publish Dr. Mann's research, because of the Simberg or Steyn blog posts?"
Abraham: "I'm not aware."
And over to Mark for the finish:
Mark: "You're skittish about Dr. Mann regarding your fellow scientists, but at the same time you were willing to help found a group and lend your name to this group in order to protect him from lawsuits [Mann], correct?"
Abraham: "I was concerned about adding him as a co-author, and at the same time I helped conceptualize and found an organization that would help scientists, not just Mike Mann, but scientists. Both of those things are true."
Mark: "But Mike Mann was the example you chose to focus on in your column?"
Abraham: "Well, there are two examples. Ben Santer was the first example, and Mike Mann was the second. Those are the two samples that I used in my column, that's correct." ...
Mark: "Why did you wait until 2020 to add him to your Ocean Heat Group, if it was to do with your skittishness?"
Abraham: "By 2020 I was no longer concerned that I would lose co-authors, if I involved Dr. Mann."
Mark: "No further questions."
The defendants finally began their case late today with Dr. Abraham Wyner, a professor of statistics and data science at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. It's riveting testimony, so tune in tomorrow — in person or online.
Finally, many of you have asked for the "Hide the Decline" video shown in court earlier this week. The video can be found here.
More Support for Mark
"Like so many of your supporters, I am tuning in to be with you in the courtroom everyday of your trial. Through everything, as always, you are still making me laugh with your formidable and indomitable wit. Your presence and demeanour assure me that there are still good, strong men in the world. Men with courage and conviction who are making the world a better place simply by being in it. Thank you." — Margaret W.
"Mark Steyn is an absolute legend." — Paul S.
"Real believers in democracy don't fund lawfare to bankrupt those with whom they disagree. This whole affair is disgraceful and an indictment of our legal system." —Andrew C.
People have been asking how they can support Mark in his fight. One way is to buy a limited edition Liberty Stick. They're almost sold out, so get yours here while you can.
