SOMETHING'S NOT QUITE RIGHT IN TIM LAMBERT'S HEAD

Lefty computing teacher Tim Lambert describes his blogging mission:

I don't blog about computer science very much but rather about areas of science with political implications such as global warming, the relationship between guns and crime and the use of DDT against malaria. Usually I'm inspired by reading an article and noticing something that doesn't seem to be correct. I then do a little bit of research and before you know it I have a blog post explaining what is wrong and why it is wrong.

Lambert's a real stickler for facts. Thus his "Fact-Check Boy" nickname. But, being human, Lambert sometimes gets it wrong. The thing is, he refuses to admit his mistakes and goes to extreme lengths to avoid accepting responsibility for them - the sycophantic among his commenters often help in his responsibility shirking by arguing on his behalf. Anyway, I'm beginning to wonder if Lambert's behaviour might be symptomatic of some underlying medical/psychological problem. I'll lay it out; you decide if Lambert's fully with the program. (I don't want to leave anything out so please bear with me if this gets a bit long-winded.)

Lambert is obsessed with, amongst other things, DDT, its use in the fight against malaria and Africa Fighting Malaria. Here's his latest post on the subject (my bold):

Dunk Malaria is organizing a Malaria Action Day on March 19th, to raise awareness of malaria. The idea is that people net a basketball to symbolize the insecticide treated netting that is the best weapon against malaria. Good. Except that number 2 on their list of charities is the execrable Africa Fighting Malaria, who are trying to prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria.

I think that we here at Deltoid can, right now, do more to fight malaria than Africa Fighting Malaria has ever done. I will match, up to a total of $300, donations to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Leave your pledges in comments.

Lambert offers no substantiation for his claim that Africa Fighting Malaria is "trying to prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria". It's also pretty wild of him to claim a few hundred dollars raised at his blog will "do more to fight malaria than Africa Fighting Malaria has ever done" – I mean, does this guy see himself as Malaria Man coming to the rescue, or what? So, I sent copies of his post to Dunk Malaria's Lance Laifer and to Africa Fighting Malaria's Richard Tren and Dr Roger Bate to see what they had to say.

Laifer responded with a comment at Lambert's (reading in part):

I have spent the last eight months researching and fighting malaria (almost full time and learning as much as I can - though admittedly I am limited by a lack of scientific background - and low iq- My university chemistry teacher will attest to this fact) and I have not found one person or group doing more than Africa Fighting Malaria to combat this emergency...

Isn't it interesting that Laifer, who's been out there in the field engaged in the battle against malaria thinks highly of Africa Fighting Malaria? Whereas Lambert, who has as far as I know no first hand knowledge of the fight against malaria, despises Africa Fighting Malaria.

Tren emailed me the following response:

Africa Fighting Malaria fully recognises that bednets are an important, valuable and effective tool against malaria and should be supported by aid agencies, donors, the private sector and governments. We are not 'anti-bednet' in any way. We are against the recent trend in malaria funding which has promoted bednets ahead of and to the exclusion of other interventions that are also effective, such as indoor residual spraying with insecticides, like DDT. The reality of the last two decades is that donor agencies have not funded indoor residual spraying in any significant way and the result has been a steady increase in malaria incidence. We are working to redress that balance and most crucially we hope to give malaria scientists and experts in the countries affected a greater say in how to fight malaria in their own countries and to determine the best possible tools for their circumstances.

I did a bit of quick copying and pasting and lodged a comment at Lambert's. Here's Lambert's response:

Beck's comment was abusive. I have deleted it and banned him for 24 hours. I'll lift the ban immediately if he makes a donation to the Global Fund. Tim

Jeez, I must be one bad boy: Antony Loewenstein banned me, the humourless super-brains at Larvatus Prodeo moderate my comments and now Tim Lambert has banned me for 24 hours.

Here's the comment that was so abusive it just had to be deleted:

Mr Lambert,

Dunk Malaria's Lance Laifer thinks Africa Fighting Malaria is doing a great job - see comment above.

Richard Tren has issued the following statement:

Africa Fighting Malaria fully recognises that bednets are an important, valuable and effective tool against malaria and should be supported by aid agencies, donors, the private sector and governments. We are not 'anti-bednet' in any way. We are against the recent trend in malaria funding which has promoted bednets ahead of and to the exclusion of other interventions that are also effective, such as indoor residual spraying with insecticides, like DDT. The reality of the last two decades is that donor agencies have not funded indoor residual spraying in any significant way and the result has been a steady increase in malaria incidence. We are working to redress that balance and most crucially we hope to give malaria scientists and experts in the countries affected a greater say in how to fight malaria in their own countries and to determine the best possible tools for their circumstances.

You should retract your assertion that Africa Fighting Malaria is "execrable" because it endeavours to "prevent bednets from being used to fight malaria," should you not? (Could the Lambert toadies please resist the urge to answer for Lambert: he's a big smart boy and should be able to take care of himself.)

Yep, I'm one bad mother. And Lambert? He knows I'm a hobby-blogger with a very small readership – he deleted my comment knowing I would post on it but hopes that it's not going to matter because so few people read my blog. His main concern was that he not be embarrassed at his own blog. It's a point scoring issue for Lambert; he doesn't really give a flying fudge who's doing what in the fight against malaria.

The bottom line: he's a gutless, humourless lying cry-baby who really should get his head checked.

If you'd like to know more about Dunk Malaria's very worthwhile efforts, go here.

Update: Lambert has yet to respond to emails asking him to elaborate on the "abusive" aspects of my comment. He probably working on one of his typically clever alternative responses.

Update II: Reader Michael removed the "abusive" bit and then posted my comment at Lambert's. Here's Lambert's response:

I've deleted a couple more abusive comments left by commenters who seem to have been directed here by Tim Blair. You guys obviously don't like me, so here's your chance to cost me money! Donate to the Global Fund (or MFI if your prefer). How about it?

Michael, try clicking on the link to Africa Fighting Malaria in my post.

Poor Timmy, everybody's picking on him. C'mon Fact-Check Boy, address the issue.

Update III: For the latest, go here.