Perverting science for politics

[tw]

Originally posted by Beestie
What I didn't find was anyone outside of the White House who disputed the allegation.

More damning facts say same. 60 prominent scientists published an open letter on 18 February. Many had been involved in science policy for both Republican and Democratic administrations. The letter was blunt:

when scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals, the administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions.

Then the Union of Concerned Scientists chimed in separately to provide many more damning examples of such manipulation from Stem Cell research to the nonsensical Anti-ballistic missile system. Even the nuclear bunker buster bomb.

William Howard was turned down as a member of the Army Science Board because he might have contributed to the presidential campaign of John McCain. Actually another William Howard made the contribution; the administration was confused but would quash science because someone might have contributed to a Republican who is "not on the team". More examples of clearly underqualfieid candidates only because of their political beliefs are listed.

Manipulation of science for political agenda is so widespread that one must even ask if Hubble is being sacrificed to promote a silly man to Mars mission. A queston asked only because so much science is being perverted by administration political agenda.

The State Department's Arms Control and Non-proliferation Advsory Group was disbanded because it represented a threat to the President's political agenda. Not true, says Dr Marburger (presidential science advisor who was dispatched to disagree with the UCS). Technically Dr Marburger is correct. Just that the administration has forgotten to fund the Advisory Group for 32 months. We are to believe this little oversight has been ongoing for more than a year? People should have no problem seeing an administration spin and coverup here as well.

From The Economist of 10 April 2004:
There is a wide-spread feeling among scientists that Mr Bush is ignoring scietific results and opinions he does not like in other areas, too. In August 2003, the House of Representative Committtee on Government Reform made claims similar to those of the UCS report.

It does not stop there. Supporters of 'good' science are under attack by these right wing religious extremists. One is Arlene Specter, republican PA Senator who is challenged by a darling of the administration - Pat Toomey.

One reason suggested for less funding on quantum physics is that those scientific results are in direct contradiction to Genesis. How dare we challenge teachings of the Bible. Slowly, more advanced physic research is moving to Europe and Japan where funding request need not be written to avoid religious overtones. Can we point fingers at specific lawmakers? No. But many science projects based on concepts contrary to Genesis have suddenly lost funding only recently. One example cited here is the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) which would have asked questions about the Big Bang - a concept that violates Genesis.

Money on quantum physics contrary to Genesis is said by some to be diminishing. By themselves, these claims would be nothing more than speculation. But these claims are consistent with what the UCS and those 60 prominent scientists have said.

The administraton does distort science to promote their religious beliefs and political agendas. But then this administration would even lie about an Iraq war, about funding for Medicaid perscription plan - even that they had no idea of an Al Qaeda attack involving hijacked planes and buildings.

Clearly this administration would subvert science for their own self serving ambitions as just too many publications and science organizations say - even a recent article by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers - IEEE.

[cowhead]

I expect politicians to lie to us, that's what they do.. It's in the nature of the game, however this is just plain wrong. there was a post above asking for the information on the distortions that the current admin is doing, well.. here's a link to Henry Waxmans' report on what' what and suchlike (you'll need acrobat.. which somehow I am assuming that everyone on this board is comp-literate enough to own a copy of ) )

http://www.house.gov/reform/min/poli...nce/report.htm

and here's a direct link to all glorious 32 pages of it

http://www.house.gov/reform/min/poli...cience_rep.pdf

happy reading.. it made me really really angry when I read it

[tw]

from NY Times of 23 April 2004 Science Group Says U.S. Budget Plan Would Harm Research

The nation's largest general science group said Thursday that the Bush administration's proposed budget for the next five years could cut research financing at 21 of the 24 federal agencies that engage in it.
...
Mr. Koizumi said he projected that the lower spending would continue from 2005 to 2009 and "leave key programs with budgets well below recent historical levels."
...
For instance, he said, federal budgets would decline 15.9 percent for earth science over the next five years, 16.2 percent for aeronautics, 11.8 percent for biological and physics research, 21 percent for energy-supply research, and 11.3 percent for agriculture research. Research budgets would drop 15 percent at the Environmental Projection Agency, 10.5 percent at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and 4.7 percent at the National Science Foundation, a federal agency that supports a diversity of fundamental investigations.

Nothing new or unexpected here. George Jr knows we are wasting time with silly science when we should be sending men to Mars. After all he knows. He has an MBA degree.

[xoxoxoBruce]

You'll probably say it isn't possible, but could it be that the bugets were bloated to begin with. A ten year old can whine that Dad cut his allowance 25%, when in fact it was cut from $1,000 to $750 per week. When they talk of % funding cuts it leaves us without enough information.

[richlevy]

Originally posted by tw
Nothing new or unexpected here. George Jr knows we are wasting time with silly science when we should be sending men to Mars. After all he knows. He has an MBA degree.

You know, I'm really beginning to think we should have some continuing education or retesting requirement on those things. If 80-year-old drivers in Florida can be retested to see if they still can drive, can't we find some way to retest GWB to find out if he remembered anything from Economics 101.

[Happy Monkey]

Women's issues.

[DanaC]

Nice one Happy Monkey. Thats a fascinating read.

[Happy Monkey]

Salmon population counting.

[tw]

Securing Our Nation's Energy Future
Increase Domestic Energy Supplies through Advanced Alternative Technologies

Authorize the President’s Hydrogen Fuel initiative to help reduce our dependence on foreign sources of oil by creating a new generation of hydrogen-powered vehicles

Clearly the president has knowledge beyond that found in science. Where is all this hydrogen to come from? Will we just drill into the earth for it? IOW this president thinks you a fool. All he need do is put up some neat sound bytes and we will believe him?

In the meantime, enemies of god's choosen - Scientific American and Industrial Physicist -explain many problems with hydrogen fuels. God's laws exist such as Laws of Energy Conservation, and Thermodynamics. For example 4 cycle automobile automobile engines will never use more than 40% of the energy consumed in doing productive work. Basic thermodynamics principles cannot be violated no matter how George Jr interpretes the bible.

Manufacturing and distributing hydrogen to cars as fuel will mean somewhere between 78% and 92% of the energy will be lost - does no productive work. Inefficiencies because of so many energy conversions, gas compression, massive structures to contain hydrogen at those exteme pressures, leakage, etc. That is the problem with science. God does not decree a solution. Hydrogen is promoted by George Jr as a fuel just as he sees a 'man to Mars' as advanced science.

Bottom line - Hydrogen is not an acceptable fuel. It will never create energy independence. The solution to energy problems is conservation and efficiency. 30 years after they developed the technology, GM still did not use 70 Horsepower per liter engines in all vehicle (even though Honda and Toyota do). Why does George Jr not address that problem? Therein lies a major problem making the US energy dependent.

George Jr instead gives GM $millions - a gift - no strings attached - just to do the hybrid research that Honda and Toyota had been doing for years. Where does that solve the problem? (It means more legalized bribed from GM will appear in George Jr's campaign chest).

We have a problem. We need people educated in reality to make decisions and empower innovators. George Jr lies. He says Hydrogen fueled vehicles will be a solution. How curious. Anyone with real world knowledge is not saying that. Why does George Jr know better? Maybe god told him? Openly questioning either the intelligence or honesty of this president - because first I examine the facts rather than wait for god to tell me.

[tw]

Clearly the administration knows better than scientists. Review the votes by scientists. But the president was, after all, choosen by god:

from the Washington Post of 7 May 2004 Plan B Won't Be Sold Over Counter

The Food and Drug Administration yesterday rejected over-the-counter sales of the emergency contraceptive Plan B, saying the distributor had not proved that young teenagers can take the drug safely without a doctor's guidance.

The decision was an unusual repudiation of the lopsided recommendation of the agency's own expert advisory panel, which voted 23 to 4 late last year that the drug should be sold over the counter and then, that same day, 27 to 0 that the drug could be safely sold as an over-the-counter medication.

The denial was a major goal of social conservatives, including members of Congress who lobbied President Bush on the issue. Reproductive-rights advocates lobbied equally hard for its approval, and yesterday they criticized the decision as misguided and a historic blot on the reputation of the FDA as a science-based agency.
...

The "not approvable" letter was signed by acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Steven K. Galson, not by members of the FDA review team, as is usual. Former officials of the FDA said that generally means that the review team had made a different recommendation.

The religious concept is that a 'morning after' pill causes an abortion. It is a fetus the millisecond a male ejaculates. After all, only god has the right to determine whether a baby is created. Therefore 27 unanimous scientists must be wrong. Screw the civil rights of women. God's choosen administration knows which religious beliefs must be imposed upon the people.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally posted by Happy Monkey
Salmon population counting.

I don't see a problem here, Monkey. If we had a bunch of zoos cranking out thousands of tigers per year, then tigers shouldn't be on the endangered list.
But the Greenies say it's not about fish, it's about logging and development. It's really about habitat. Well then say so, god damn it. I'm just as tired of the greenies, as I am of the gumint, being deceptive about the real goals. If you want my support, talk straight.

[Happy Monkey]

It's like saying wolves couldn't be endangered as long as there are dogs.

[wolf]

No, dogs, while genetically similar are not wolves.

If would be the same if the wolf refuges were involved in breeding programs and releasing wolves to the wild. Oh, wait, they are. That's why there are wolves in Yellowstone again.

The salmon are still salmon.

[xoxoxoBruce]

From the link

"Rather than address the problems of habitat degraded by logging, dams and urban sprawl, this policy will purposefully mask the precarious condition of wild salmon behind fish raised by humans in concrete pools," said Jan Hasselman, counsel for the National Wildlife Federation.

I have a problem with this person putting fish up as the problem when they really have a problem with logging, dams and sprawl. Maybe we should just evacuate the upper half of the west coast so the fish are not disturbed. Granted fish are a tougher sell than cute mammals but lets keep it real. If the problem is running out of salmon, the problem is solved. If the issue is something else, say so.

[richlevy]

Nancy Reagan Calls for Stem Cell Research

Well, when the first lady of one of the most beloved (by his own party) presidents of the United States challenges the Bush Adminstration, who will win.