Dear Colleagues,

Due to my outrage concerning the disgusting attack of the (mostly)
US astronomical community against Geoff Marcy, and the apparent
lack of any counter movement against this madness, I would like to
draw your attention to the danger of remaining silent in this
situation.

What we can gather from the newspapers and web sites discussing the
issue, it is clear that the reaction of the community was unproportional,
vicious, hypocritical and hysterical. The unleashed hate, clearly
blowing out of proportion the weight of his behavior and leaving wide
open space to any further accusation against anybody showing some level
of casual interaction and furthermore, endanger normal and friendly
contacts in the community and in the society, as a whole. I hope you
recognize the great danger of accepting the total destruction of someone's
undeniable contribution to science because of the hypocritical attitude
the community seems to accept these days.

Considering the pace of events, I think that the clock is ticking very
quickly. If the mature and free-thinking part of the community does not
act right now, I am sure that the game ends very quickly, and those who
initiated this dirty, unethical and disgraceful attack, will win. Today
Geoff, tomorrow you or me.

Sincerely,

Geza Kovacs, DSc
Konkoly Observatory

p.s.: You are free to circulate this letter to anybody you think might
      be willing to act. This letter has been sent also to other
      researchers.