This one will pull at your heart strings.

In July, the pro-business advocacy group Competitive Enterprise Institute posted an article that likened the administrative cover-up of Jerry Sandusky to a university cover-up of Penn State climatologist Michael Mann, regarding the Climatic Research Unit email controversy. In their article, CEI branded the university’s investigation of Dr. Mann as “hogwash,” and that “Mann could be said to be the Jerry Sandusky of climate science, except for instead of molesting children, he molested and tortured data.”

The National Review linked to this post, and said that the author “has a point.”

In response, Dr. Mann has sued the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the National Review, and the writers of these posts, accusing them of libel.

Now The National Review needs our help.

The magazine’s publisher, Jack Fowler, appealed to his readers, “We’re being sued, and we need your help.”

As many of you know, National Review is not a non-profit — we are just not profitable. A lawsuit is not something we can fund with money we don’t have. Of course, we’ll do whatever we have to do to find ourselves victorious in court and Professor Mann thoroughly defeated, as he so richly deserves to be. Meanwhile, we have to hire attorneys, which ain’t cheap.

The bills are already mounting.

This is our fight, legally. But with the global-warming extremists going all-out to silence critics, it’s your fight too, morally. When we were sued, we heard from many of you who expressed a desire to help underwrite our legal defense. We deeply appreciated the outpouring of promised help.

Now we really need it.

Will not one of you stand up and fight for these proud patriots? Could you imagine America without these heroes. For those concerned about the future of National Review Online can donate here.

While debates on issues of climate change and climate action continue to exist worldwide, a microcosm of this fight is being waged close to home with the research done by Michael Mann at Penn State.