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NASA Public-Affairs Appointee Resigns in Disgrace
belmolis writes "George C. Deutsch, who tried to muzzle top NASA climate scientist James Hansen and ordered NASA web designers to add the word 'theory' to every mention of the Big Bang, has resigned. The New York Times reports
that NASA declines to discuss the reasons for his resignation, but that it came the same day that Texas A&M University, from which Deutsch claimed on his resume to have graduated, revealed that he had attended the university but did not complete his degree."
The New York Times reports it today, but as of yesterday, it was the Times that had unquestioningly passed along the falsehood of Deutsch's graduation, and it was the blog Scientific Activist whose investigation revealed he'd left before graduating to work on the Bush reelection campaign. For more on the 24-year-old political appointee's interesting viewpoints, see World O' Crap; on Monday, we covered the anger over his attempts to squelch science -- something that, sadly, Jim Hansen has gotten used to.
Let this be a perfect example of why cronyism is not a good practice.
Now that this guy is found out to be a fraud, it begs the question as to how many other people are holding positions that they neither deserve nor are qualified to hold?
And how many more qualified individuals were passed over because of cronyism?
The US Government should do a resume audit to find out who actually went to college and worked where they say they did.
But, of course, this will never happen.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
I'm not an astrophysicist (I can't even spell it!) and I'm not even an interested amateur, but the blog linked from the previous covererage of this story said that the Big Bang model has been extensively proven out by observation, and while the origin of the bang itself is unknown, what happened during and immediately after the Bang is considered extremely solid and proven.
For as much as I like to harp on the religious right (all religions, not just christianity), it is refreshing to see people who understand that science is science and religion is religion and there is no problem with the two co-existing so long as neither tries to intrude onto the others territory. Though it is interesting to note that religion has asked science to help solve at least one of its mysteries, the shroud of Turin.
Every time I hear someone say, "But it's only a theory, not a fact" I cringe and then immediately ask them if they have a problem with the Theory of Electromagnetism or the Theory of General Relativity since they too are "just theories" and not facts. The usual response is a blank stare as their mind tries to not assplode from having to defend such a ridiculous statement.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
Erwin soon landed a gig as the top Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) official managing the finances of Iraq's civilian security forces...
All this administration needs (and probably wants) are warm bodies it can manipulate. These eager young kids are a dime a dozen, and can be replaced at the drop of a hat once they're exposed. Just look at the amount if work it took to expose and out the NASA guy: one week of intense media pressure. How many hundreds...thousands more are there dispersed through the government?
Coincidentally, this is the quote of the day when I logged into Google -
"In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal time in physics classrooms."
- Stephen Jay Gould
We want some answers and all that we get
Some kind of shit about a terrorist threat
- Ministry
Well, someone deserves to bear the consequences for the dishonesty, that much is true.
But since he didn't interview for the position, it's not like he lied on his resume to get the job -- the job was handed to him.
The cynical bastard in me says that someone lied about his resume and qualifications, but that it is equally likely that the people who gave him the job may have coached him to pad his resume so that if anyone ever asked, he would appear to have more qualifications.
Do you really think that the people appointing him to the friggin' position didn't know he was unqualified? Do you suspect they cared?
I wouldn't be surprised if some senior staffers have been padding a whole bunch of appointees resumes so it sounds like qualified candidates are being appointed to the post. Lets face it, you get a politically appointed job because someone important likes you and either owes you a favour or wants to stack the deck for themselves.
Simply crying foul at the one who's resume was padded might leave out a lot of people who are otherwise culpable. Me, I think Bush should take personal responsibility for every underqualified flunky he's put into jobs.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.