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AlterNet.org
The Junk Science of George W. Bush
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.,
The Nation
February 24, 2004
Excerpt--
As Jesuit schoolboys
studying world history we learned that Copernicus and Galileo self-censored for many decades their proofs that the earth revolved
around the sun and that a less restrained heliocentrist, Giordano Bruno, was burned alive in 1600 for the crime of sound science.
With the encouragement of our professor, Father Joyce, we marveled at the capacity of human leaders to corrupt noble institutions.
Lust for power had caused the Catholic hierarchy to subvert the church's most central purpose -- the search for existential
truths.
Today, flat-earthers within the Bush Administration -- aided by right-wing allies who have produced assorted
hired guns and conservative think tanks to further their goals -- are engaged in a campaign to suppress science that is arguably
unmatched in the Western world since the Inquisition. Sometimes, rather than suppress good science, they simply order up their
own. Meanwhile the Bush White House is purging, censoring, and blacklisting scientists and engineers whose work threatens
the profits of the Administration's corporate paymasters or challenges the ideological underpinnings of their radical anti-environmental
agenda. Indeed, so extreme is this campaign that more than sixty scientists, including Nobel laureates and medical experts,
released a statement on February 18 that accuses the Bush Administration of deliberately distorting scientific fact "for partisan
political ends." [See UCS report in right column]
I've had my own experiences with Torquemada's modern successors, both personal and related to my work as an environmental
lawyer and advocate working for the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Waterkeeper Alliance. ...
Ignoring Bad News
The Bush Administration's first instinct when it comes to science has been to suppress, discredit or alter facts
it doesn't like. ...
Getting the Right Answer
But suppressing or altering science can be a tricky business; the Bush Administration has found it easier at times simply
to arrange to get the results it wants. ...
As a Last Resort, Fire the Messenger
Most federal employees have gone along with the Bush Administration's wishes but a few have tried to stand up for sound
science. The results are predictable. ...
Science, like theology, reveals transcendent truths about a changing world. At their best, scientists are moral individuals
whose business is to seek the truth. Over the past two decades industry and conservative think tanks have invested
millions of dollars to corrupt science. ...
Now Congress and this White House have used federal power for the same purpose. Led by the President, the Republicans
have gutted scientific research budgets and politicized science within the federal agencies. The very leaders who so often
condemn the trend toward moral relativism are fostering and encouraging the trend toward scientific relativism. The very ideologues
who derided Bill Clinton as a liar have now institutionalized dishonesty and made it the reigning culture of America's federal
agencies. ...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., senior attorney for the
Natural Resources Defense Council and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, is working on a book about President Bush's environmental
policies, Crimes Against Nature, to be published this spring by HarperCollins.
ｩ
2004 Independent Media Institute. All rights reserved.
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Union of Concerned Scientists
Scientific Integrity in Policymaking
An Investigation into
the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science
The U.S. government runs on vast amounts of information. Researchers at the National Weather Service gather and analyze
meteorological data to know when to issue severe-weather advisories. Specialists at the Federal Reserve Board collect and
analyze economic data to determine when to raise or lower interest rates. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control examine
bacteria and viral samples to guard against a large-scale outbreak of disease.
The American public relies on the accuracy of such governmental data and upon the integrity of the researchers who gather
and analyze it.
However, at a time when one might expect the federal government to increasingly rely on impartial researchers
for the critical role they play in gathering and analyzing specialized data, there are numerous indications that the opposite
is occurring. A growing number of scientists, policy makers, and technical specialists both inside and outside the government
allege that the Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these
results in line with administration policy. In addition, these experts contend that irregularities in the appointment of scientific
advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies.
The quantity and breadth of these charges warrant further examination, especially given the stature
of many of the individuals lodging them. Toward this end, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) undertook an investigation
of many of the allegations made in the mainstream media, in scientific journals, and in overview reports issued from within
the federal government and by non-governmental organizations.
To determine the validity of the allegations, UCS reviewed the public record, obtained internal
government documents, and conducted interviews with many of the parties involved (including current and former government
officials).
Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush
Administration's Misuse of Science presents the finding of this investigation and offers solutions to help
restore scientific integrity to the federal policymaking process.
Download the full report or the executive summary.
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/rsi/report.html
© Union of Concerned Scientists
Page Last Revised: 02.18.2004\\
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