Science may encourage dissent, but the Believers in AGW sure do not.

It depends on the nature of the dissent. It must be funneled through the proper channels, and followed up with some form of proof. If you are making baseless, scientifically invalid accusations and assertions, then no, you will not be encouraged. However, if you are a scientist, who is formulating an alternative hypothesis about how our climate has warmed, and have provided published research to back it up, then yes, this would be encouraged.

You fall into the former category. This is why you meet so much dissent from people like me. You are being persecuted for stating the truth. Your misinformed arguments are simply being refuted with real science.

Deniers! Heretics! Burn them at the stake!

Actually, science encourages dissent. The only catch is that the dissenting view must also be critical of their own view, and must be able to prove their research with statistically valid results of some kind. If this is the case, they’ll be able to publish their findings in a respectable scientific journal, and will indeed change the way we think about our climate. In this endeavor, I wish them the best. However, if their hypothesis is unable to be verified, they must be willing to set it aside.

This is where many skeptics fall short. Only a few, such as Christy and Spencer, are going about this the right way (through scientific experimentation). The rest of the “skeptical scientists” are either not actually climate scientists, or are only making political arguments, based on red herrings and anecdotal evidence, rather than trying to prove any alternative hypothesis through scientific research.

So, long story short, as long as these guys are approaching this scientifically, I support their efforts.