| CHICAGO SUN-TIMES ♦ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2006---------- | -----------------------------------------------------------COMMENTARY 41 |
| Bush's approach to science is anything but scientific |
ROBERTS |
change working for NASA. Hansen's sin: He pointed out that rising tem- peratures are so dangerous, they could create a "different planet." This is not what the White House wants to hear. It has long de- rideed the whole concept of global warming and refused to participate in the Kyoto Treaty aimed at limit- ing greenhouse gases. So NASA's public relations staff monitored Hansen's statements and kept him awat from inquiring reporters. "They feel their job is to be this |
cidents where people have played politics with science," Francesca Grifo, director of the union's Scien- tific Integrity Project, told Times magazine. "What's new is its perva- sive and systematic nature." Many of the complaining scien- tists didn't vote for Bush, some are playing politics themselves, and lib- erals can also deny evidence that contradicts their beliefs. One exam- ple: Pro-choice disciples minimize ________________ |
Most of that research involves the destruction of human embryos, an act of murder to Bush's most- conservative religious supporters. So the president bowed to those supporters, severely restricting fed- eral research support. Even though scientists complain bitterly that their work is being undermined--- aclaim reinforced by Se. Bill Frist, the Republican leader and noted heart surgeon --- the presi- dent has refused to budge. Bush is also at war with science |
conservatives, the Food and Drug Administration rejected the over- whelming opinion of its own scien- tists and berred the over-the- counter sale of Plan B, a "morning after" contraceptive. Religion, however, is not the ad- ministration's only motive for trashing good science. Big corpora- tions, heavy contributors to the Re- publican Party, are the main reason for the administration's refusal to take global warming seriously. The nation's boardrooms are not exactly |
| President Bush talks a good game about science. His new budget proposal includes additional money to fund basic research and to train science and math teachers. But the president could use some instruction in scientific thinking himself. Too often, he takes a theo- logical approach to problems, de- ciding what he believes before the facts are in and ignoring evidence that undermines his prejudices. That is the exact opposite of the scientific method. The latest example is the attempt to silence James E. Hansen, a highly respected researcher on climate |
censor of information going out to the public," Hansen says. This promted Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) to write a letter warning NASA that "good science cannot long persist in an atmos- phere of intimidation." Boehlert's right, and the Hansen case is hardly an isolated incident. As the scientist told the New Youk Times: "The problem is much broader and much deeper, and it goes across agencies." The Union of Concerned Scien- tists has gathered signatures from mone than 8,000 scientists protesting the Bush administration's approach. "There have always been isolated in- |
Too often, he takes a theological approach, deciding what he believes before the facts are in. medical advances that expand fetal viability and diminish the legiti- macy of late-term abortions. But Bush has the power, and he's the one who has been abusing it. Take the issue of stem cell research. While early experiments have been disappointing, many scientists still say it holds enomous promise for aiding sufferers of diabetes, Parkin- son's and other diseases. |
on the subject of the universe's ori- gin. While research data over- whelmingly support the theory of evolution, the president says the idea of "intelligent design," an up- dated version of creationism, should also be taught in public schools. His view was forcefully re- buffed recently by a federal judge in Pennsylvania who ruled that "in- telligent desigh" is purely a reli- gious concept and has no place in a science class. Even the Vatican en- dorsed the judge's ruling. The president and his hard-core supporters are particularly squeam- ish on the subject of sex and sci- ence. Under pressure from religious |
hotbeds of support for the endan- gered-species act, either. This is all part of a disturbing pattern of stubborn ignorance. Re- member, Bush said there was no way of anticipating the collapse of the New Orleans levees, when sci- entists for years had been warning about just such a catastrophe. We applaud the president's sup- port for better research and more science teachers, He's right in say- ing that good science will enhance American competitivness. But the core of the scientific method is to go where the facts lead you. And this president is not all that interested in facts. |