In my post 9 Aug 2003 11:49:15-0700 titled "Re: Report on misuse of
science" (Hake 2003) I wrote:
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According to Weiss (2002) "The White House quickly dismissed the
report ["Politics and Science in the Bush Administration" CGRMS
(2003)] as partisan sniping."
In a similar reaction, EvalTalker "X" [who wishes to remain anonymous
to lists other than Evaltalk] wrote:
". . . . all the other stuff in the report [CGRMS (2003)] [other than
the criticism of the Bush administration's handling of
Abstinence-Only Education] looks like a typical pile of garbage."
I join EvalTalker Dawna Phillips (2003) in her question to "X":
". . . Why do you think the rest of the report 'looks like a typical
pile of garbage'? "
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On 9 Aug 2003 17:22:45-0700 "X" responded:
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As to the "pile of garbage" . . . I will respond with pleasure, but a
detailed answer will have to wait few days. The general point is that
much of it looks like subjective accusations of the "he said she
said" type, couched in scientific and/or objective sounding jargon in
which some politicians excel, and Waxman has a long trail of alarmist
but vacuous press releases.
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While EvalTalker's anxiously await "X's" explanation of why he thinks
the report [CGRMS (2003)] is a "typical pile of garbage," some might
find Nicholas Thompson's (2003) "Science Friction" in the Bush (and
earlier) administrations to be of interest.
REFERENCES
CGRMS. 2003. Committee on Government Reform - Minority Staff (Special
Investigations Division), U.S. House of Representatives, "Politics
and Science in the Bush Administration," Prepared for Rep. Henry
Waxman; online as a 587K pdf at
<http://www.house.gov/reform/min/politicsandscience/>.
Unscientifically, the report does not disclose the names of the
authors of the report, but at least the names of the minority members
of Waxman's "Committee on Government Reform" are listed at
<http://www.house.gov/reform/min/members.htm>.
Hake, R.R. 2003. "Re: Report on Misuse of Science," post of 9 Aug
2003 11:49:15 -0700 to EvalTalk, PHYSOC, Phys-L, PhysLrnR, and
Math-Teach; online at
<http://lists.nau.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0308&L=phys-l&F=&S=&P=2833>.
This post was later sent to Chemed-L and Biopi-L.
"George W. Bush embodies the modern GOP's attitude toward science. He
hails from a segment of the energy industry that, when it comes to
global warming, considers science an obstacle to growth. He is
strongly partisan, deeply religious, and also tied to evangelical
supporters. And, like Reagan, he has refused to endorse the
scientific principle of evolution. During the 2000 campaign, a "New
York Times" reporter asked whether he believed in evolution. Bush
equivocated, leading the Times to write that he "BELIEVES THE JURY IS
STILL OUT."
Bush has also learned from his father's experience that SIDING WITH
SCIENTISTS GAINS HIM LITTLE POLITICALLY, and often alienates
conservatives. . . .[Scientists] aren't a big voting bloc. They are
generally affluent, but not enough so to be major donors. They are
capable of organizing under the auspices of a university to lobby for
specific grants, but THEY AREN'T ORGANIZED POLITICALLY IN A GENERAL
WAY. In short, scientists aren't likely to cause the GOP problems if
they are completely alienated. SCIENTISTS HAVE ALMOST NEVER TURNED
THEMSELVES INTO ANYTHING LIKE A POLITICAL FORCE. Even Al Gore, the
apotheosis of many scientists' political hopes, received little
formal support from them during the 2000 campaign." (My CAPS.]
Thanks to PhysLrnR subscriber Paul Camp for alerting me to this article.
Weiss, R. 2003. "Bush Misuses Science, Report Says; Democrats Say
Data Are Distorted to Boost Conservative Policies," Washington Post
of 7 August 2003; online at
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31318-2003Aug7.html>:
"The Bush administration has repeatedly mischaracterized scientific
facts to bolster its political agenda in areas ranging from
abstinence education and condom use to missile defense, according to
a detailed report released yesterday by Rep. Henry A. Waxman
(D-Calif). The White House quickly dismissed the report as partisan
sniping."