Citing The Bible, The EPA Just Changed Its Rules For Science Advisers

[octoberlib]

The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday afternoon sweeping changes to who can advise the agency on its research and regulatory priorities, opening the door to more industry participation.

Effective immediately, scientists who receive EPA funding cannot serve on the agency's three major advisory groups. Some Republican lawmakers have been pushing for similar changes to the agency's advisory boards for years.

"We want to ensure that there’s integrity in the process and that the scientists that are advising us are doing so without any type of appearance of conflict of interest," EPA head Scott Pruitt said at a press conference announcing the directive.

Pruitt used a story from the Book of Joshua to help explain the new policy.

On the journey to the promised land, "Joshua says to the people of Israel: choose this day whom you are going to serve," Pruitt said. "This is sort of like the Joshua principle — that as it relates to grants from this agency, you are going to have to choose either service on the committee to provide counsel to us in an independent fashion or chose the grant. But you can’t do both. That’s the fair and great thing to do."

https://www.buzzfeed.com/zahrahirji/epa-pruitt-new-science-advisors?utm_term=.er8Ye1QVyq#.rr54EZKroO



This administration is a fucking nightmare. We have got to win back the House next year and the Presidency in four.

[Laffy Kat]

1. Are you effing kidding me? nt

[octoberlib]

4. Pruitt's excuse for not allowing scientists is that it's a conflict of interest. What a joke.

As if seating people who work for the industries they're supposed to regulate isn't.

[dhill926]

2. religiously insane sick fucks.....

god help us.....(irony intended...)

[raging moderate]

3. Their giant egos make them confuse themselves with God.

In this story, Joshua was advocating that the people of Israel should choose to serve the Lord.

[ProudLib72]

5. Matthew 10:13

Jesus said to the GOP: "You guys are fucking morans!"

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. Receive a government grant means you can serve

Receive money from corporations, no problem!

[unblock]

7. After careful thought, Joshua chooses to serve the EPA

Does that mean he gets the grant or the advisory job, as both mean he serves the EPA?



You know on second thought, I think they're just trolling us. On everything. The just do what they want, usually just reversing our position, then spout a justification that we use. Ithat justification doesn't apply, or in fact it applies to the opposite of what they did, but that's fine with them. If it makes liberal heads explode, so much the better as far as they are concerned.

I mean they can't really come out and justify it honestly. "We're doing this in order to further corrupt and diminish a regulatory body we loathe but can't officially destroy outright."

[lindysalsagal]

8. It's gawd or the planet: Seriously. You'll get to keep one or the other. Not both.

Choose responsibly.

[Honeycombe8]

11. Not true.

It all depends on the belief system and interpretation.

Seventh-day Adventists believe that humankind was created in the image of God, thus representing God as His stewards, to rule the natural environment in a faithful and fruitful way.

Unfortunately, corruption and exploitation have been brought into the management of the human domain of responsibility. Increasingly men and women have been involved in a megalomaniacal destruction of the earth's resources, resulting in widespread suffering, environmental disarray, and the threat of climate change. While scientific research needs to continue, it is clear from the accumulated evidence that the increasing emission of destructive gasses, the depletion of the protective mantel of ozone, the massive destruction of the American forests, and the so-called greenhouse effect, are all threatening the earth's eco-system.

These problems are largely due to human selfishness and the egocentric pursuit of getting more and more through ever-increasing production, unlimited consumption and depletion of nonrenewable resources. The ecological crisis is rooted in humankind's greed and refusal to practice good and faithful stewardship within the divine boundaries of creation.

Seventh-day Adventists advocate a simple, wholesome lifestyle, where people do not step on the treadmill of unbridled consumerism, goods-getting, and production of waste. We call for respect of creation, restraint in the use of the world's resources, reevaluation of one's needs, and reaffirmation of the dignity of created life.

https://www.adventist.org/en/information/official-statements/statements/article/go/-/environment/

A little trivia: The 7th Day Adventists group in California is one of the few groups on earth designated a "blue zone" by the author of that book. The people in Blue Zones of the world have longer life spans than the rest of the world. Here in the U S, they live an avg of 10 yrs longer than the rest of us.

[Honeycombe8]

9. OMG. Are we turning into a Middle Eastern country, where the religion and govt are together?nt

[VOX]

10. By all means, lets bring back the Bronze Age.

Because all that smiting and “laying with” and living huddled in complete superstition was an absolute hoot!

[procon]

12. By that logic, then no industry that receives or benefits from government

contracts, funding, research, or legislation, could serve on those boards either.

"They can’t do both. That’s the fair and great thing to do."