End the Politicization of Science

[rdean]

How I wish we could use our best knowledge to decide our futures.

Science , History and all higher education are hated by the right.

Only the truly moronic really believe this. Even those on the right don't believe that of the left, although they do believe they will TWIST science for political ends because the ends justify the means.

"Twist" science?

Of course you have examples.

 

[Tom Clancy]

How I wish we could use our best knowledge to decide our futures.

Science , History and all higher education are hated by the right.

How so?

Do you know about History besides American?

 

[rdean]

More irony.

How very, very sad for science.

....

Republicans are the reason we are lagging the rest of the world. They don't defend science with "magical creation". They drag down ALL of science. Even you have to admit that.

I would suggest you don't sign the petition.

You can't possibly be suggesting, even mildly, that Republicans are "pro science". They're not even pro education.

 

[Si modo]

....

Republicans are the reason we are lagging the rest of the world. They don't defend science with "magical creation". They drag down ALL of science. Even you have to admit that.

I would suggest you don't sign the petition.

You can't possibly be suggesting, even mildly, that Republicans are "pro science". They're not even pro education.

Actually, I'm suggesting that you not sign a petition ending the politicization of science. That would be hypocritical of you, as evidenced by what you have said and continued to say in this thread.

 

[Old Rocks]

Said by one of the biggest hypocrites on the board.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

I wonder if the Federation of American Scientists realizes that ending the politicization of science would have to include the end of government funding of research?

I mean really, politicians are not going to fund something they do not expect to get a return off of.

Have they thought about that?

Immie

The decision to send a man to the moon was really a political decision, a decision elucidated in a speech by President John F Kennedy. Was it a poor decision, to set and then accomplish this goal? I suspect that a non-partisan panel of scientists (back in the 1960's) would not have assigned such a high priority to the manned spaceflight program that culminated in a moon landing. They would have directed more funds into basic research.

There was a lot of basic research involved in sending men to the moon.

 

[Si modo]

Said by one of the biggest hypocrites on the board.

Hey, by the way, Dodge, what exactly is my position on global warming? As you keep mentioning that as an apparent source of this hypocricy you imagine, surely you can articulate it.

Or, as this is the third time I've asked you to articulate that, I will bet good money that you will dodge that simple question, yet again.

 

[Big Fitz]

How I wish we could use our best knowledge to decide our futures.

Science , History and all higher education are hated by the right.

Only the truly moronic really believe this. Even those on the right don't believe that of the left, although they do believe they will TWIST science for political ends because the ends justify the means.

"Twist" science?

Of course you have examples.

Climategate.

Game.

Set.

Match.

Oh... and the AIDS crisis. Google "AIDS in heterosexual couples exaggerated" news stories. Was in all the papers for 30 seconds before they quashed it.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney

Bush's War on Science

Published on Monday, July 5, 2004 by the Boulder Daily Camera (Colorado)
Bush's War on Science
by Gov. Howard Dean M.D.

I write this week's column as a physician.

The Bush administration has declared war on science. In the Orwellian world of 21st century America, two plus two no longer equals four where public policy is concerned, and science is no exception. When a right-wing theory is contradicted by an inconvenient scientific fact, the science is not refuted; it is simply discarded or ignored.

Egregious examples abound. Over-the-counter morning-after contraceptive sales are banned, despite the recommendation for approval by an independent panel of the Food and Drug Administration review board. The health risks of mercury were discounted by a White House staffer who simply crossed out the word "confirmed" from a phrase describing mercury as a "confirmed public health risk." A National Cancer Institute fact sheet was doctored to suggest that abortion increases breast-cancer risk, even though the American Cancer Society concluded that the best study discounts that. Reports on the status of minority health and the importance of breast feeding are similarly watered down to appease right-wing ideologies.

What about global warming? After withdrawing from the Kyoto Treaty, the Bush administration distanced itself from a climate report the Environmental Protection Agency wrote, because it affirmed the potential worldwide harm of global warming, the existence of which Bush had denied. The global-warming section of the 2003 EPA report on the environment was extensively rewritten, then dropped entirely.

Fighting HIV? Bush's initiative to help fund HIV efforts in Africa was trumpeted by the press, while the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control quietly removed information on the benefits of condoms and safe sex education from domestic HIV Web sites

Not that I really expect any thanks from pointing this out, but Obama is doing the same thing.

The most immediate case of politics allegedly trumping science, some government and outside environmental experts said, was the decision to fight the gulf oil spill with huge quantities of potentially toxic chemical dispersants despite advice to examine the dangers more thoroughly.

Obama’s “War on Science”? | The Intersection | Discover Magazine

Politicians war on science, and everyone, repeat everyone, in Congress is a politician. Not only that, the president of the US is a politician. If you were more honest, and less of a partisan hack, people would take your posts more seriously.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

How I wish we could use our best knowledge to decide our futures.

Science , History and all higher education are hated by the right.

And the left.

 

[Si modo]

The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney

Bush's War on Science

Published on Monday, July 5, 2004 by the Boulder Daily Camera (Colorado)
Bush's War on Science
by Gov. Howard Dean M.D.

I write this week's column as a physician.

The Bush administration has declared war on science. In the Orwellian world of 21st century America, two plus two no longer equals four where public policy is concerned, and science is no exception. When a right-wing theory is contradicted by an inconvenient scientific fact, the science is not refuted; it is simply discarded or ignored.

Egregious examples abound. Over-the-counter morning-after contraceptive sales are banned, despite the recommendation for approval by an independent panel of the Food and Drug Administration review board. The health risks of mercury were discounted by a White House staffer who simply crossed out the word "confirmed" from a phrase describing mercury as a "confirmed public health risk." A National Cancer Institute fact sheet was doctored to suggest that abortion increases breast-cancer risk, even though the American Cancer Society concluded that the best study discounts that. Reports on the status of minority health and the importance of breast feeding are similarly watered down to appease right-wing ideologies.

What about global warming? After withdrawing from the Kyoto Treaty, the Bush administration distanced itself from a climate report the Environmental Protection Agency wrote, because it affirmed the potential worldwide harm of global warming, the existence of which Bush had denied. The global-warming section of the 2003 EPA report on the environment was extensively rewritten, then dropped entirely.

Fighting HIV? Bush's initiative to help fund HIV efforts in Africa was trumpeted by the press, while the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control quietly removed information on the benefits of condoms and safe sex education from domestic HIV Web sites

Not that I really expect any thanks from pointing this out, but Obama is doing the same thing.

The most immediate case of politics allegedly trumping science, some government and outside environmental experts said, was the decision to fight the gulf oil spill with huge quantities of potentially toxic chemical dispersants despite advice to examine the dangers more thoroughly.

Obama’s “War on Science”? | The Intersection | Discover Magazine

Politicians war on science, and everyone, repeat everyone, in Congress is a politician. Not only that, the president of the US is a politician. If you were more honest, and less of a partisan hack, people would take your posts more seriously.

Point is, there is no room for partisanship in guarding the scientific integrity of the technical information given to politicians such that they can decide policy based on science with integrity.

 

[Si modo]

Based on this thread, I wish FAS much luck in tackling this obvious problem.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

From the Web Site of the FAS:



Over the next century the earth’s resilience and adaptive capabilities will be stressed by the demands of global climate change, environmental degradation, a population increase of two billion people, and the accompanying increased resource and energy demand. These stresses will place an additional burden upon the earth’s natural systems and the processes and resources that drive these systems. Future system scarcities and imbalances represent a security concern with the potential to destabilize and weaken existing political, social, and economic structures. And as these natural systems are inherently highly interdependent, it is necessary for them to be analyzed and considered systemically.

The Earth Systems Program seeks to address these issues by developing and promoting sustainable, scientifically sound, and inclusive solutions, policies, and technological developments. To meet this goal the Earth Systems Program will work in the follow project areas:

1. Communication. Improve dialogue and deliberation over key environmental issues and challenges by building trust and communication between scientists, policy makers, and the public.

2. Research. Better scientific understanding of key socio-environmental and earth systems issues through undertaking and supporting systemic, multidisciplinary research.

3. Tools. Create tools to aid researchers, scientists, and policymakers in analyzing complex issues and systems.

4. Policy. Promote policy to further national and international environmental and energy sustainability and security and advocate for political processes that engage key stakeholders and scientists in deliberations.

5. Partnerships. Develop long term, multidisciplinary collaborations and partnerships between U.S and foreign scientists and engineers to solve key environmental and technical issues.


Now, honestly, which policies best meet these goals: those of Bush&Co and the GOP, or those of Obama&Co and the Democratic Party?.
To suggest politics will not determine our future is naive at best.

To suggest that either party is trustworthy in this area is, at best, a flat out lie.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The only people who would even consider something like this are Democrat.

Facts? Yea, like "magical creation" and "Noah's Ark".

I thought you were a scientist? You don't write like one. I know you think this is an attack, and maybe it is. But you can't seriously believe the Republican Party is pro science? Except perhaps when paying Democrats to create Weapons of Mass Destruction. And even then, they don't call it "science". Instead, they call it, "Technology". See how neat and clean? Kind of leaves out "evolution".

Haw many times have I posted replies to you that prove that Obama and Bush both get panned by scientists who claim that their papers are being suppressed? Why do you refuse to acknowledge that both parties are terrible about science? Do you honestly think that the 6% of sceintist who are Republicans make as many complaints about Obama in two years as the 94% who are not made about Bush in 4?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

How I wish we could use our best knowledge to decide our futures.

Science , History and all higher education are hated by the right.

Only the truly moronic really believe this. Even those on the right don't believe that of the left, although they do believe they will TWIST science for political ends because the ends justify the means.

"Twist" science?

Of course you have examples.

I posted a few, which you are free to ignore.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney

Not that I really expect any thanks from pointing this out, but Obama is doing the same thing.

The most immediate case of politics allegedly trumping science, some government and outside environmental experts said, was the decision to fight the gulf oil spill with huge quantities of potentially toxic chemical dispersants despite advice to examine the dangers more thoroughly.

Obama’s “War on Science”? | The Intersection | Discover Magazine

Politicians war on science, and everyone, repeat everyone, in Congress is a politician. Not only that, the president of the US is a politician. If you were more honest, and less of a partisan hack, people would take your posts more seriously.

Point is, there is no room for partisanship in guarding the scientific integrity of the technical information given to politicians such that they can decide policy based on science with integrity.

I agree, which is why I keep pointing out that both sides do it.

 

[California Girl]

Thanks for sharing (how pathetically sarcastic of me). The question was asked of CG, please don't respond to any of my posts in the future.

I don't see any question addressed to me. Did I miss it?

Please see post #49

I have read it... several times. There is no question in that post. You do know what a question is, do you not?

*Clue: a question usually ends with a "?".

 

[Big Fitz]

How I wish we could use our best knowledge to decide our futures.

Science , History and all higher education are hated by the right.

And the left.

Yes, she's VERY left.

It's funny. She complains that Conservatives hate science, and yet everything she mentions in this post, has been illustrated by her actions to be alien to her.

So why should she care?

 

[Si modo]

Federation of American Scientists :: Five Minutes to End the War on Science

One of the biggest challenges facing our world is the politicization of science and erosion of scientific facts in political debates.

If you are not a political hack and if you want the political war on science to stop, please sign the petition.

Thanks.

 

[Si modo]

I posted this petition a few years ago, and although closed, all should look at what political hackery some scientists must endure to do what they love.