Here's how to tell the Obama transition team that you want RFK JR for EPA !

[garybeck]

You can do this in 30 seconds. It's completely free, and painless. But if everyone on DU were to flood the transition team with requests for RFK Jr as head of EPA, our voices will be heard.

from http://rfkjrforpresident.com/2008/11/11/say-yes-to-rfk-jr-at-the-epa/

Say “Yes” to RFK Jr. at the EPA!
REAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
(FOR A “CHANGE”)

...President-elect Barack Obama is reported to be seriously considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for a cabinet position, either as head of the EPA or Interior Secretary.

Our team is thrilled by this news — we’ve wanted to see Kennedy play a more active role in our government for some time, and now it looks like he might just have that chance. Imagine an Environmental Protection Agency that is actually run by…an environmentalist! Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change? We think so.

We encourage our readers to contact the President-elect’s transition team and them know you want Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an Obama administration.

Do it here:
http://www.change.gov/page/s/contact

Let your voices be heard — NOW is the time to show the President-elect your support for RFK Jr.!

--

This is related and interesting

Inside the Transition: Meet members of the Energy & Environment Policy Transition Team

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 04:21pm EST

To give you a behind the scenes look at the Transition and to see in greater depth how the team is approaching climate issues, we filmed this meeting of our Energy & Environment Policy Transition Team and interview with team member Heather Zichal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOMc1coT9oY

[mike_c]

1. that would be a terrible mistake....

RFK Jr has done fantastic environmental advocacy work, but he is not an environmental scientist and is not particularly well respected in the scientific community. Let me restate that, because I'm an environmental scientist (in the broad sense-- I'm an ecologist) and I respect RFK Jr. It's more accurate to say that he has little scientific credibility among environmental scientists. His leadership would likely be difficult for all concerned. He is MUCH better advocating from outside the EPA than I think he would be trying to run it from the inside.

I do not support RFK Jr. for head of the EPA. Get someone with scientific creds to run that agency.

[garybeck]

2. No. it wouldn't. But putting a number crunching scientist with no law or gov't experience would be.

You can't generalize about the scientific community, and even if could, their concerns are unwarranted. He has a very good understanding of the environmental problems, and how government has played a signifant role in creating these problems. He wrote a book about it, maybe you should check it out sometime. You'll find that he does a very good job of scientifically backing up his statements.

I'm sure some of the scientific community's misconceptions of RFK Jr are come from the constant attacks on him from the right in the media and an attempt to portray him as a wacko. That's complete bullshit. Maybe if you could name a single instance where RFK did or said something that was incorrect because it was not "scientific" that would help explain your concern.

It's important to note that an overly scientific/academic type person with no knowledge of government policy, THE LAW, or a sense of moral compass, would not do us any good as head of the EPA.

There is plenty of room in the department for the nerds and number crunchers. We need them in a big way, but not at the top of the agency.

At the top we need a well rounded person with a good working knowledge of not only the science but also the law, and how government works (and doesn't). RFK Jr is all of these and more. And most importantly he is someone I would entrust the nation's environmental policy to.

[cali]

11. well, I'm not sure Bobby would be the best choice.

For one thing, he's a convicted felon. That damned well would come up at a confirmation hearing. Secondly, he's not a scientist and he has no gov't experience.

And no, he decidedly does not have the scientific background or expertise.

[H2O Man]

12. Actually,

Robert earned his LL.M at Pace.

[TZ]

20. Ah. So scientists don't know what's best for them right?

Puleese! So were the FEMA people who didn't want a no experience Arabian horse judge as head of FEMA wrong to?
You should NOT have someone who has NO CLUE about science in charge of a SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZATION.
Thats like putting someone like Pat Robertson in charge of NIH!

[yellowcanine]

29. James Hansen is a government scientist who knows how government works.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen

He has been in the trenches working against the Bush global warming deniers for years. And he has plenty of administrative experience - which is what is needed at any large government agency. That and his scientific knowledge trumps RFK's evironmental activism and law degree, imo. EPA has plenty of career lawyers. What EPA has not had is someone at the helm with both science and administrative experience.

[ColbertWatcher]

8. Who would you recommend instead? n/t

[mike_c]

16. good question....

Frankly, I think promoting from within the existing career scientific management staff would probably be best-- it would bring someone to the top who has a demonstrated commitment to the agency and its mission. The EPA has lots of real, in the trenches regulatory work to do, and it has a tremendous amount of soul-searching and self-repair to accomplish too. It needs to do the latter as quickly as possible. I think installing a celebrity suit at the top is the wrong way to do it. The EPA needs to reach inside.

[garybeck]

21. What's the rush to a "scientist" at the expense of other knowledge and experience?

Knowledge of the science is just ONE important factor. The head of the EPA is not necessarily a scientific position. The head of the epa will have scientific advisors. But this person needs to be take the scientific data and meld it with other factors like the law, the government, the economy. If we put someone there who understands the science but has no experience in these other realms, it's a big mistake.

[mike_c]

42. that's why I specified someone from the current upper management team....

Those are folks who integrate environmental science with policy and law-- I'd pick someone who comes from a scientific background-- a career agency scientist-- who has branched out into policy management. That's the sort of person who will have instant creds within the agency.

Don't get me wrong-- I don't know that there is a good candidate. That's just where I'd start looking first if it was up to me. I think that's what the agency needs most right now-- someone to rebuild it from within. One potential drawback is that there is a risk of myopia in such appointments, managers with insider mindsets and consequently limited vision, so there might not in fact be suitable candidates within the EPA. But I suspect that there are at least folks who should be examined as possibilities-- and I think in the end the EPA would be better served by someone like I've described than by someone seeking to bring an outsider's agenda that agency scientists might resist or not respect. RFK Jr is a polarizing voice among scientists-- his embrace of what many professionals consider pseudoscience at best-- and I don't mean to debate that issue here, but simply acknowledge it-- is a problem. On the other hand, he might make an excellent DEPUTY admininstrator in the EPA, where his vision could be used to good effect without causing credibility gaps between the head of the agency and its scientific work force.

[Odin2005]

3. Us folks on the Autism spectrum don't want an anti-vaccine nut heading the EPA. n/t

[garybeck]

4. RFK was right on thimerosal, and he is not "anti-vaccine"

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/7395411/deadly_immunity/

[Odin2005]

5. The thimerosal crap is total BS. We're not "poisoned" and we don't want to be "cured."

[garybeck]

6. I don't think it's BS. Read this from the Association of American Physicians.

you can't deny they met in secret to cover up the scientific evidence. a freedom of information act request proved this

if thimerosal is safe, why did they remove it from children's immunizations ? Can you name another time that something was removed from product when there was no evidence that it caused any harm?

despite a coordinated effort to convince people there is no correlation, read this from the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc.

Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Inc.
March 2, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Medical Journal: Autism Rates Decline as Mercury Removed from Childhood Vaccines

Independent Analysis Refutes Institute of Medicine Claims of “No Relationship,” While Mercury Still Used in Flu & Other Vaccines

TUCSON, AZ — A new study shows that autism may be linked after all to the use of mercury in childhood vaccines, despite government’s previous claims to the contrary.

An article in the March 10, 2006 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JPandS.org) shows that since mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the alarming increase in reported rates of autism and other neurological disorders (NDs) in children not only stopped, but actually dropped sharply – by as much as 35%.

Using the government’s own databases, independent researchers analyzed reports of childhood NDs, including autism, before and after removal of mercury-based preservatives. Authors David A. Geier, B.A. and Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. analyze data from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the California Department of Developmental Services (CDDS) in “Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines.”

The numbers from California show that reported autism rates hit a high of 800 in May 2003. If that trend had continued, the reports would have skyrocketed to more than 1000 by the beginning of 2006. But in fact, the Geiers report that the number actually went down to only 620, a real decrease of 22%, and a decrease from the projections of 35%.

This analysis directly contradicts 2004 recommendations of the Institute of Medicine which examined vaccine safety data from the National Immunization Program (NIP) of the CDC. While not willing to either rule out or to corroborate a relationship between mercury and autism, the IOM soft-pedaled its findings, and decided no more studies were needed. The authors write: “The IOM stated that the evidence favored rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal and autism, that such a relationship was not biologically plausible, and that no further studies should be conducted to evaluate it.”

As more and more vaccines were added to the mandatory schedule of vaccines for children, the dose of the mercury-based preservative thimerosal rose, so that the cumulative dose injected into babies exceeded the toxic threshold set by many government agencies. Mercury is known to damage nerve cells in very low concentrations.

http://thimerosal.worldwidewarning.net/www/archives/17

would you inject thimerosal into your child's blood? I certainly wouldn't.

[orleans]

7. people got into this last week when the idea of bobby heading epa

was brought up.

(i'm very pro bobby myself--maybe if hillary leaves the senate he could replace her)

what about gore heading epa? na, i'm sure he isn't good enough either

:sarcasm:

[garybeck]

17. Gore already said he's not interested, and

Bobby would be much better in administration than the senate, IMHO. the senate is just one vote out of 100. have to play politics all the time and compromise your principles. a position in the administration would enable him to make more of a difference.

[TZ]

Gore would be fine.

He's demonstrated his scienctific comptency just fine. He's not a nut and a woo. RFK is both.

[Odin2005]

44. The AAP is a group of right-wing wackos. n/t.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. No he wasn't right

The took thimerosol out yet kids are still getting autism.

[garybeck]

19. Oh really?

the numbers indicate otherwise. Before thimerosal was removed, the rate of autism was skyrocketing, and it leveled off since. So it's not as simple as saying that just because kids are still getting autism, that proves thimerosal is not a factor. Obviously, it's possible that thimerosal is just ONE of several things that can increase autism risk.

While many reports make this false assumption, a closer look at the numbers does indicate a change in autism rates after thimerosal was removed:

check this article for details

http://thimerosal.worldwidewarning.net/www/archives/17

[Odin2005]

43. That is a lie.

And your link looks no objective and unbiased, NOT! :eyes:

[alarimer]

15. That bullshit has been debunked many, many times.

It is nonsense. The Rolling Stone article is full of lies, quote-mining and just utter bullshit.

[garybeck]

18. So has global warming.

[TZ]

24. by a handful of scientists.

Scientific consensus has shown NO LINK to thimerosol and autism rates. Or perhaps NIH, and the World Health Organizations know less about medicine that RFK jr?

[garybeck]

26. It's not just RFK. how about the American Association of Physicians?

http://thimerosal.worldwidewarning.net/www/archives/17

[Occam Bandage]

32. On edit: They are a dangerous right-wing fringe group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_American_Physicians_and_Surgeons#Journal_of_American_Physicians_and_Surgeons

[proud2BlibKansan]

45. Wow - how can anyone give this group any credibility? From your link:

Leprosy errors

In a 2005 article published in the Journal, Madeleine Cosman argued that illegal immigrants were carriers of disease and that immigrants and "anchor babies" were launching a "stealthy assault on medicine."<49> In the article, Cosman claimed that "Suddenly, in the past 3 years America has more than 7,000 cases of leprosy" because of illegal aliens.<49> The journal's leprosy claim was cited and repeated by Lou Dobbs as evidence of the dangers of illegal immigration.<50><45>

However, publicly available statistics show that the 7,000 cases of leprosy occurred during the past 30 years, not the past 3 as Cosman claimed.<51> James L. Krahenbuhl, director of the U.S. government's leprosy program, stated that there had been no significant increase in leprosy cases, and that "It is not a public health problem—that’s the bottom line."<50> National Public Radio reported that the Journal article "had footnotes that did not readily support allegations linking a recent rise in leprosy rates to illegal immigrants."<45> The article's erroneous leprosy claim was pointed out by 60 Minutes,<52> National Public Radio,<45> and the New York Times<50> among other sources, but has not been corrected by the Journal.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

41. You think global warming's been debunked?

My goodness.

[proud2BlibKansan]

39. This really pisses me off

cause it is dangerous. We are seeing a definite increase in kids who are not vaccinated. And polio is a lot scarier than autism, since it can be fatal.

[TZ]

22. Oh citing ROLLING STONE on a scientific issue?

How idiotic is that? Is that a peer reviewed scientific journal? NO.
BTW, he's been idiotically wrong on thimersol...even saying a vaccine THAT NEVER HAD THIMEROSOL in it was causing autism.

[garybeck]

28. How about the American Association of Physicians?

http://thimerosal.worldwidewarning.net/www/archives/17

[Occam Bandage]

33. On edit: they are a dangerous right-wing fringe group.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_American_Physicians_and_Surgeons#Journal_of_American_Physicians_and_Surgeons

[garybeck]

34. And here's another

http://www.jpands.org/vol8no1/geier.pdf

Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines,
Neurodevelopment Disorders, and
Heart Disease in the United States

MarkR. Geier, M.D., Ph.D.
DavidA. Geier
Abstract
In this study, we evaluated doses of
mercury from thimerosal-containing
childhood immunizations in comparison
to US Federal Safety Guidelines
and the effects of increasing doses of
mercury on the incidence of
neurodevelopment disorders and
heart disease. This study showed that
children received mercury from this
source in excess of the Federal Safety
Guidelines for the oral ingestion of
methylmercury. Our analyses showed
increasing r e l a t i v e r i s k s f o r
neurodevelopment disorders and
heart disease with increasing doses of
mercury. This study provides strong
epidemiological evidence for a link
between mercury exposure from
thimerosal-containing childhood
vaccines and neurodevelopment
disorders.

[Occam Bandage]

35. Ah. I've found out who they are. They're nuts.

They intervened in Schiavo. They want to ban all abortions. They frequently publish utterly bogus articles from the fringes of science, be they links to abortion and cancer or vaccines and autism. They compared oral contraception to Nazism. They think universal health care of any sort is fascist.

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:GbK48tW_q6sJ:whitecoatunderground.com/2008/03/10/more-jpands-lies-godwin-here-we-come/+JPandS&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=safari


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Association_of_American_Physicians_and_Surgeons

[garybeck]

37. numbers don't lie, don't shoot the messenger

Using the government’s own databases, independent researchers analyzed reports of childhood NDs, including autism, before and after removal of mercury-based preservatives. Authors David A. Geier, B.A. and Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. analyze data from the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the California Department of Developmental Services (CDDS) in “Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines.”

The numbers from California show that reported autism rates hit a high of 800 in May 2003. If that trend had continued, the reports would have skyrocketed to more than 1000 by the beginning of 2006. But in fact, the Geiers report that the number actually went down to only 620, a real decrease of 22%, and a decrease from the projections of 35%.

----

look, i'm not saying one way or the other. I myself, I would not put thimerosal in my own kids bloodstream. I think there's enough questions about it. And I give credit to RFK on raising the issue, exposing it, and showing how the pharm companies colluded in secret on the issue.

[Occam Bandage]

38. Numbers don't lie. People do. And these people are lying about the numbers.

Both the WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics issued statements claiming those people are liars.

http://www.aap.org/profed/thimaut-may03.htm
This paper uses data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) inappropriately and contains numerous conceptual and scientific flaws, omissions of fact, inaccuracies, and misstatements.

http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/topics/thiomersal/statement/en/index.html
The article has a number of limitations which undermine the conclusions drawn by the authors. These include: inaccessibility to the reader of the data on which the analysis was made; lack of clear case definitions for the conditions referred to in the paper; unclear or insufficient description of applied statistical methods; an assumption made by the authors that the toxicity of ethyl-mercury is equivalent to that of methyl-mercury, an assumption that cannot necessarily be made, and against which various authorities have warned; the assumption in the paper that the populations under study are the same (there is every possibility in the methods used of selection bias); and a failure to account for changing reporting patterns for diseases attributed to the vaccines over the years of the study. Published outcomes of the study regarding neurodevelopment and heart disease following administration of thiomersal-containing vaccines do not meet the scientific criteria required to suggest causal relationship. These points, taken together, lead GACVS to conclude that the paper provides insufficient evidence to warrant changes to public health policy.

Who is more likely to be telling the truth: the WHO and AAP, or creationists who claim that "the gay lifestyle" shortens life expectancy by twenty years?

[RFKJrNews]

9. Thanks garybeck

For the link to our website's push for RFK at the EPA...folks who are already 100% sold on this idea should definitely drop the Obama transition team a letter right away!

For those who might not be sure just yet, please take a few minutes to read this article as well:
"What Kind of EPA Director Would RFK Jr. Be?"
http://rfkin2008.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/what-kind-of-epa-head-would-rfk-jr-be/

This in-depth dialogue between Kennedy and former EPA head Christine Todd-Whitman really gets into the specific policy issues.

[H2O Man]

10. Very good.

Robert is very likely to be President Obama's choice to head the EPA.

Nominated.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. I'd rather have a real scientist in that position

[yellowcanine]

23. But I don't want RFK Jr. for the EPA. He is not qualified. I want a bona fide scientist who

understands global climate change, which is the most important environmental issue we are faced with. Someone like Dr. James E. Hanson. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Hansen

[TZ]

25. Thank you!

RFK, jr does not understand basic chemistry/biology. That disqualifies him from ANY scientific organiztion, unless of course you are Bush.

[Junkdrawer]

27. Thanks. I recommended RFK Jr. for the job.

And the Thimerosal apologists can bite me.

[Occam Bandage]

30. Anti-vaccine woo-woo nut. Convicted criminal. No thanks. nt

[anonymous171]

31. lol Wouldn't he need to be confirmed?

[Occam Bandage]

36. Garybeck, would you please delete all links to that ultraconservative quack journal?

From wiki:

The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (JPandS), until 2003 named the Medical Sentinel,<27><28> is the journal of the association. Its mission statement includes "… a commitment to publishing scholarly articles in defense of the practice of private medicine, the pursuit of integrity in medical research … Political correctness, dogmatism and orthodoxy will be challenged with logical reasoning, valid data and the scientific method." The publication policy of the journal states that articles are subject to a double-blind peer-review process.<29>
The Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons is not listed in the major literature databases of MEDLINE/PubMed<30> nor the Web of Science.<31> Articles and commentaries published in the journal have argued:

that the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are unconstitutional,<32>
that "humanists" have conspired to replace the "creation religion of Jehovah" with evolution,<33>
that increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has not caused global warming,<34>
that HIV does not cause AIDS,<35><36>
that the "gay male lifestyle" shortens life expectancy by 20 years.<37>
A series of articles by pro-life authors published in the journal argued for the existence of a link between abortion and breast cancer;<38><39> such a link was rejected by the U.S. National Cancer Institute<40> and is not recognized by major medical organizations such as the American Cancer Society<41> or World Health Organization.<42>
A 2003 paper published in the journal, claiming that vaccination was harmful, was criticized for poor methodology, lack of scientific rigor, and outright errors by the World Health Organization<43> and the American Academy of Pediatrics.<44> A National Public Radio piece cited inaccurate information published in the Journal and wrote: "The journal itself is not considered a leading publication, as it's put out by an advocacy group that opposes most government involvement in medical care."<45>

Quackwatch lists JPandS as an untrustworthy, non-recommended periodical.<46> An editorial in Chemical & Engineering News described JPandS as a "purveyor of utter nonsense."<47> Investigative journalist Brian Deer wrote that the journal is the "house magazine of a right-wing American fringe group " and "is barely credible as an independent forum."<48>

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

40. Why would I want some loony nut for a job that requires critical thinking?

No thanks.

[KoKo]

46. kick...