Schiff scolds Elon Musk

1739827657917.webp


 
Dear President Smith,

I write to express my dismay at the continued silence and apparent inaction from the Royal Society over the Fellowship awarded in 2018 to Elon Musk.

The Society was made aware of Fellows’ concerns over six months ago about how Musk’s behaviour was in contravention of your Code of Conduct. Clear instances of this, such as his promotion of unfounded conspiracy theories and his malicious accusations towards Anthony Fauci were highlighted in Professor Dorothy Bishop’s resignation statement.

To that we can now add his post on X (Twitter) about the Rt Hon Jess Philips MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, falsely accusing her of being a “rape genocide apologist” who should be jailed, an utterance that placed her in physical danger.

I am at a loss to understand how these actions are consistent with a code of conduct that requires Fellows to have “due regard for the statement of values developed from time to time by Society”, (values that ask Fellows to “act in accordance with the highest standards of public life”, to make a “positive impact”, to “strive for excellence.”).

The Royal Society, as our national science academy, holds a unique and leading position within the UK scientific community, a position that in the Society’s own words “rests upon the reputation of the Fellows and Foreign Members of which the Society is composed”. That reputation has been grievously undermined by the public statements of Mr Musk.

The situation is rendered more serious because Mr Musk now occupies a position within a Trump administration in the USA that has over the past several weeks engaged in an assault on scientific research in the US that has fallen foul of federal courts. It has sought to impose huge cuts in funding and a regime of censorship (particularly with regard to EDI and climate issues) that is a direct threat to freedom of expression and academic freedom.

According to your code of conduct, “Fellows and Foreign Members shall not act or fail to act in any way which would undermine the Society’s mission or bring the Society into disrepute.” Yet not one word of protest has been uttered by Mr Musk over actions that contradict the values the Society demands of its Fellows and that have caused widespread fear and concern within the scientific community in the States.

This is a moment in which leaders and leading institutions need to take a stand. So far, the Royal Society has hidden behind the mantra that “Any issues raised in respect of individual fellows are dealt with in strict confidence.” I understand the need for confidentiality in cases of complaint, but the lack of any other statement in this very public instance, or recognition of its wider implications, increasingly looks like a failure of moral courage. What message does it send about the Society’s commitment to upholding its code, its values and its declarations about the importance of diversity and inclusion? What message of support does it send to our friends and colleagues in the USA, especially women, people from ethnic minorities, and disabled and LGBT researchers who are most exposed to the Trump-led offensive that has recruited Elon Musk FRS as its most enthusiastic general?

I urge you, for the sake of decency and to offer hope in what are very troubling times, to demonstrate that the Royal Society has the courage to stand up for the scientific community and for the values that it claims to believe in.

Yours sincerely

Emeritus Professor Stephen Curry

P.S. Given the widespread public interest in this matter, I will be publishing this as an open letter on my blog.
 

'Hostile Takeover': Adam Schiff Scolds Elon Musk Over Department Of Government Efficiency In Hearing

During his remarks from the Senate floor on the confirmation of Trump's OMB Director nominee, Russell Vought this week, Senator Adam Schiff scolded Elon Musk over the Department of Government Efficiency.


[Schiff] I look at what’s being done in my old department, the Justice Department, by this retribution campaign, this purge, firing top prosecutors, firing top FBI agents, this is going to make us less safe. We have some of the most experienced people fighting crime who are being fired because they’re on Donald Trump’s enemies list. This effort to violate the law, shutter USAID. Elon Musk, the oligarch running, really a rampage, a campaign of vandalism against some of these agencies like USAID, or seeking to get data to, I guess, supplement the data he already owns. To me, it all fits under the rubric of corruption. This is a corrupt regime trying to aggrandize itself, trying to gain more power, trying to make itself richer. And so I think we not only have to identify the most significant things to push back on and use every tool we can. We also have to explain how does this all fit together? It all fits together as part of a corrupt scheme to turn this country into one man rule and to enrich Donald Trump and his wealthy friends like Elon Musk.

Comment:
This is like the Thieves complaining about the Sheriff.
These politicians have been looting the Taxpayers for generations and the greedy corrupt Democrats are shaking in their boots about the new Sheriff in town named Musk.
Musk has exposed the USAID grifting.
Musk should also investigate all of the climate change spending and Ukraine spending
Adam Schiff complaining about Musk draining the swamp and exposing the rats is a self-confession of guilt.
I do not give one damn about anything that comes out of Schiffs mouth he is a lying POS, and a thief, who is simply afraid his gravy train will be exposed! He is s WEF puppet and a traitor
 
Back
Top Bottom