I report tonight with shock and sadness that long-time Heartland Institute policy advisor Alan Caruba has passed away. Alan was a patriot, an online entrepreneur, and a brave and tireless writer. We were honored to publish much of his work at this blog, and to call him a friend.
On May 22, Alan announced he was undergoing surgery the following week. It wasn’t serious, he assured his fans, but something that would involve just “three to four days recovery” in the hospital. “I have no concerns regarding this other than to just get it over with!” he wrote, wishing us a great Memorial Day weekend and an eagerness to get back to his writing.
Alan was true to his word, filing on June 3 another of his columns — which were always published first at his Warning Signs blog, and often re-posted here. Alan’s last piece for Heartland was a typical act of kindness and enthusiasm: Promoting our Tenth International Conference on Climate Change in Washington, DC.
We had arranged to bring Alan to DC for last week’s conference to meet so many of the scientists and experts he long admired and so often cited in his work, but his recent operation prevented it. “Next time,” I wrote back. But life does not always give you a next time, and I regret not being able to give Alan many next times right now.
Alan was one of the most fearless writers I ever read — especially in the Internet Age in which ideological opponents swing bats at your head from the safety of an anonymous persona. But he never backed down, coming back time and again with a smile and a determination to tell the people the truth — especially, on this blog, about the international delusion of catastrophic, human-caused global warming.
The last paragraph of the last post by Alan at this blog reads:
An entire generation has grown up and graduated from college since the first lies about global warming were unleashed. That’s how long Heartland and others have labored to present the truth. If the media fails to take notice of this week’s conference, you will know that the battle will continue for a long time to come.
That battle will continue for a long time to come. Alan cherished the fight, and his friends at Heartland will continue to wage it with his fearless and determined spirit in our hearts.
Alan Caruba, R.I.P.
[Read all of Alan’s contributions to the public debate published here at this link.]
Jim Lakely is the Vice President and Director of Communications of The Heartland Institute.
