“Speak No Truth” Now Government Policy
Jack Krebs sent me a link to a Washington Post report on how our government continues its war on inconvenient truth. There are two main instances reported, both based on the administration’s opposition to science concerning global warming and human contributions to that.
The first instance is about an official who edited three reports:
Philip Cooney, former chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, acknowledged at a House hearing that some of the changes he made were “to align these communications with the administration’s stated policy” on climate change.
The extent of Cooney’s editing of government climate reports first surfaced in 2005. Shortly thereafter, Cooney, a former oil industry lobbyist, left the White House to work at Exxon Mobil Corp.
The second instance is an update about Dr. James Hansen and his flapper at NASA, documented liar George C. Deutsch III.
Hansen’s battles with NASA and White House public affairs officials are not new and resulted in an easing of NASA’s policies toward scientists talking to the media about their work.
But that was not always the case.
Hansen said that in 2005 he was told by a 24-year-old NASA public affairs official he could not take part in an interview with National Public Radio on orders from senior NASA public affairs officials. Instead, three other NASA officials were offered for the interview.
The young press officer, George Deutsch, now 26, sat next to Hansen at the witness table Monday and told the committee he had simply been “relaying” the views of higher-ups at NASA that Hansen was not to participate in the interview.
It’s hard to know when to believe Deutsch, but it really wouldn’t be much of a stretch to think that Deutsch did not take on his censorship activities on his own initiative.
I do find it a bit disturbing that the WaPo failed to note Deutsch’s past lapses in truthfulness.
Oh, and a message for Senator Issa: Don’t be such a raving jerk. It’s unseemly for a senator to publicly demonstrate such a pretentious lack of sense.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., suggested that Hansen was not being muzzled at all and that there is nothing wrong with government scientists being subject to some limits in what they say.
“You’re speaking on federal paid time. Your employer happens to be the American taxpayer,” Issa lectured Hansen. He said a Google search had shown Hansen cited on more than 1,400 occasions over a year in interviews and appearances.
Big whoop. “senator issa california” garners 96,800 hits via Google; is Issa being irresponsible because people talk about him or what he has said?
Senators speak on federal paid time, too. Hopefully, Issa’s constituents will provide him with all the negative feedback that he deserves come the next election for his seat.
