20 Nobel Laureates accuse Bush of distorting scientific facts - NY Times

[fiorello]

Scientists Accuse White House of Distorting Facts
By JAMES GLANZ

Published: February 18, 2004


The Bush administration has deliberately and systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad, a group of about 60 influential scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, said in a statement issued today.
...
Together, the two documents accuse the administration of repeatedly censoring and suppressing reports by its own scientists, stacking advisory committees with unqualified political appointees, disbanding government panels that provide unwanted advice, and refusing to seek any independent scientific expertise in some cases.

"Other administrations have, on occasion, engaged in such practices, but not so systematically nor on so wide a front," the statement from the scientists said, adding that they believed the administration had "misrepresented scientific knowledge and misled the public about the implications of its policies."
...
Dr. Kurt Gottfried, an emeritus professor of physics at Cornell University who signed the statement and spoke in the conference call, said the administration had "engaged in practices that are in conflict with the spirit of science and the scientific method." Dr. Gottfried asserted that what he called "the cavalier attitude toward science" could place at risk the basis for the nation's long-term prosperity, health and military prowess.

Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/18/science/18CND-RESE.html?hp

[Beetwasher]

1. Faith Based Everything

That's what these criminals are all about...

[sallyseven]

2. Nobel Laureats?

Do they own Oil Wells? Are the rich? Then no need to pay attention to them, sniffed bush.

[Dudley_DUright]

3. Welcome to DU and thanks for the post sanfo

:hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi::hi:

There is a related thread on this topic here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=1133563

[prodigal_green]

4. Scientificity?

"the administration had 'engaged in practices that are in conflict with the spirit of science and the scientific method'"

And this is somehow surprising because...? If it wasn't written in Hebrew, then translated to Greek, then after many political interventions translated into vernacular English, it has no veracity in this administration.

Can we call a general strike or something?

[mn9driver]

5. No different than cooking the WMD intelligence.

No different than cooking the Texas economic and education data.

These guys are one-trick-ponies.

[Zan_of_Texas]

6. Yep.

Thanks for the heads-up on the article. Good one!

The thread running through this presidency is indeed a one-note symphony:

Enron -- cook the books, run schemes to bleed California of billions

Education and Rod Paige -- emphasize testing, but fake the numbers

WMD -- tons and tons of 'em ... oops, well, those bad Iraqis were THINKING of making tons and tons of 'em

Global warming -- no problem

Biggest debt ever -- no problem

Biggest deficit ever -- no problem

Jobs evaporating -- cool, doncha love free trade

Let's fix the voting machines with electronic voting -- fix indeed. Scientists agree, 1700 of them, that electronic voting without a paper trail is an invitation to fraud, hackable by a teenager.

Science? This administration and its lackeys can't even do simple arithmetic. Task: count meals served to troops. Halliburton's solution: take the number and multiply by, oh, say 3, and charge for that.

[Mecil]

7. This is the most important story of the news cycle

Why isn't this story getting more press? This is the most important story of the news cycle, akin to Einstein, Bohr et. al. warning against the military uses of splitting the atom.

Now that 20 Nobel laureates speak out against this administration, it cannot just flatly deny that it is misrepresenting scientific knowledge, and more importantly is this quote:

"...could place at risk the basis for the nation's long-term prosperity, health and military prowess."

When these 60 leading scientists say that this administration is damaging the US military prowess, even the republicans ought to take notice.

On NY-Times website it's the most e-mailed article, but i don't see it making top headlines elsewhere, why is this?

[gandalf]

8. At least it is in The Guardian

See this thread.

[Mecil]

9. The Guardian of our side

The Guardian of our side will run it of course (it's always been a voice of reason) and it's also being picked up around the world. What I am trying to question is why didn't CNN/MSNBC and CBS/NBC/ABC evening news not run with this up front? Clearly it has relevance and is not just a minor issue.

Honestly, of importance to the United States, please rank the following.

1. 60 scientists including 20 Nobel prize winners say that this administration is risking Americas future prowess.

2. Janet Jackson flashes a breast during the Superbowl halftime show.

Now what gets more airtime, watercooler chit-chat time and congress time?

This make sense to anyone here??

[historian]

10. no sense but...

it doesnt surprise me - remember when 50 police cars with lights flashing were chasing simpson at 15 miles an hour and the subsequent circus which followed?? Why should anything surprise us any more when it comes to general stupidity

[icymist]

11. Yeah, and then they let him go

because he could afford to buy US justice. This is what happens when the media is owned by a few powerful corporations and the country being run like it was a corporation.

[newyawker99]

12. Hi Mecil!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast: