Dr. James Hansen, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, celebrated the 20th anniversary of his warning about global warming by arguing that energy company CEOs should be put on trial for crimes against humanity. So watch out Aubrey McClendon, because the moral police are coming for you. If you think vindictive Seattle Supersonics fans are mad, wait until you face the wrath of people who grew up watching "Captain Planet." It seems that with the potentially impending presidency of Barack Obama, every enviro-looney is coming out of the woodwork with the intent of striking a victory against the oil industry. Sure, hydrocarbons are a messy fuel, but can we really take a moment and think of the ramifications of charging corporate executives for committing crimes against humanity? Hansen continued in an opinion piece on the Institutes's web site: "Special interests have blocked the transition to our renewable energy future. Instead of moving heavily into renewable energies, fossil fuel companies choose to spread doubt about global warming, just as tobacco companies discredited the link between smoking and cancer." Now here he's touching a raw nerve. One, just what obligation do energy companies have to move heavily into renewable fuels, especially since history has proven avoidance of ethanol production to be a smart thing. It's the dirty little secret that oil remains the most powerful and viable energy source we have right now. Second, how would one define a crime against humanity? Yeah, it makes for a great emotional tug, but as the oil industry predates mankind's concern with global warming, it seems unlikely to think that this industry came into being to destroy the world. The fact is, global warming is a divisive issue, and that champions of the theory like Hansen will be greatly offended by actions taken by those who disagree with it. The oil industry has every right to question the legitimacy of reports that place the blame on global warming on energy producers, especially if those reports are being funded by people who have strong anti-capitalist, anti-oil and pro-one world government sympathies. I'm not, of course, accusing Hansen of having such beliefs, but scientists, like businessmen, have their biases which can influence their opinions. Accusing energy executives of being guilty of crimes against humanity is fearmongering of the worst order. Why not just accuse David O'Reilly of being a child molester while you're at it? Or Jim Mulva of being a terrorist? You know, I expect that sort of rhetoric and baseless accusations from DailyKos, angry YouTube videos and comedians masquerading as being political commentators, but I would think that a NASA scientist would have a little more tact. –Stephen Payne, Editor, Oil and Gas Investor This Week; www.OilandGasInvestor.com; spayne@hartenergy.com