damn scientists just won't stay bought

February 10, 2005

Fish & Wildlife Service scientists report political pressure, distortion

When two public-interest groups sent a survey on scientific integrity

to 1,400 scientists at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, agency

administrators warned the scientists not to respond -- not even in

their personal time. Now that 414 of them have defied the warnings,

it is clear why the bureaucrats were nervous. More than half of the

respondents reported that agency officials had reversed or withdrawn

scientific conclusions in response to industry pressure. One in five

said that they had been directed to withhold or alter technical

information from reports, and almost half claim they were pressured

to avoid making findings that might lead to greater protections for

endangered species. As to this political interference, an agency

spokesflack responded, " There's nothing inappropriate about people

higher up the chain of command supervising the work of people below

them and reaching different scientific conclusions. " Uh ... there

isn't?

straight to the source: San Francisco Chronicle, Zachary Coile, 10 Feb 2005

straight to the source: Los Angeles Times, Julie Cart, 10 Feb 2005

What you see is what you get

You've made your bed, you better lie in it

You choose your leaders and place your trust

As their lies wash you down and their promises rust

You'll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns

And the public wants what the public gets

But I don't get what this society wants

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