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Surgeon General Describes Censorship From Bush Administration
UniversalVM writes "The NY Times is reporting that the former Surgeon General in damaging testimony given to the senate describes how he was repeatedly censored by the Bush administration while speaking out about topics such as global warming, Stem cell research and so on. The effort was to 'water down' or weaken reports on important issues to suit Republican Agenda. He describes how he attended one meeting where Global Warming was being described as a 'Liberal Agenda' and being dismissed. He tried to intervene thinking that the people there did not understand the science so he set about explaining it to them, the result? He was never invited back."
Science should never bow to political pressures. Bush is guilty of this, obviously...This is hardly the first evidence.
But, especially in the area of health care, he's far from the only one who has gotten involved in a negative manner. Reagan tried to squash talk about AIDS, Clinton poo poo'd needle exchange programs, Bush Jr. jumped on everything just as part of the administrations obsession about managing information.
This stuff really needs to be separate and non-partisan...I am so freaking tired of this or that issue being batted around because of peoples inborn prejudices. A reputable expert with actual facts puts together a well thought-out, scientific report, and they get defunded, their speeches are edited and pre-reviewed. People from within the administration work to discredit their testimony. It's just ridiculous, and there is no way good science or good policy is coming out of it.
Hell, while they're at it, they should add a scientist general, and do the same damn thing. This stuff isn't about opinion. There is a right answer.
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
If this is true, and it seems pretty likely it is, it's a pretty serious matter in my opinion.
From the article:
The administration, Dr. Carmona said, would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues.
That's quite a list of important issues he wasn't allowed to speak about. Things like this shouldn't be allowed to happen. It's the guy's job to discuss these things.
I used to be furious that our soldiers were dying for a lie in the desert...then I learned that the military voted Bush in 2004...88%...and they kept spouting the usual lies on TV. I quit caring about them.
Then, amazingly, I just quit caring about Iraq. Nobody I care about is over there fighting that honor-less conflict.
*shrug*
Patriotism is for suckers. Citizenship is a business relationship, and that is IT! It's give and take. What can the country do for me, in return for my support.
Blar.
I will assume you mean our illicit drug laws (as opposed to the law about importing prescription meds which I largely agree with).
I have to think that if most illegal drugs were treated like alcohol (specifically relating to public intoxication, DUI, coming to work drunk earns a pink slip) then the black market economy would collapse (a good thing), and we could focus on treatment for those who want it (a good thing), and better enforce the few remaining drugs that are genuinely bad. While I personally would tan my kids' hides if I caught them doing X or speed (and related) I see that as my right (and responsibility) as a parent.
Back on topic though,
I am really saddened by my government's actions, and it's not really the president's fault (sure he's complicit), it is our system's fault. If either we had both parties agree that social support programs were necessary and the only difference of opinion was how to implement the programs, or if both parties were focused on private charity and support being the way to go, this country would be vastly improved. Fact is, that career politicians look after their career first and the public second. That is the root of the problem. One of my co-workers said he felt that every term in office should be followed by a term in jail, I'm almost inclined to agree.
-nB
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This is what really irks me about Americans. Why aren't you Americans revolting over things like this? In Canada, the Liberal party lost an election because a few bad Liberals stole a mere $1 million. Dick Cheney lets Haliburton steal BILLIONS from the American tax payers, and Bush got re-elected. Suppressing the words of the Surgeon General for political purposes is detrimental for every single American. This is quite scandalous. I suppose it doesn't help that the mainstream news (CNN, Fox, etc) is reluctant to exposing things like this.
What happened to the Republicans of old? When exactly did they turn into what is in power now?
Is this seriously not really fucking obvious to you?
It was 1980 when the Republicans rejected Barry Goldwater (Republican) in favor of Ronald Reagan (fascist). They'd already fallen pretty far (Nixon's treason and Ford's folly), but that was their chance to save their party. They chose instead to brutally rape it in the ass until it was dead.
There's really nothing particularly complicated or even non-obvious about it.
I like cutting of taxes, but, it has to go with smaller govt. spending too!! I want a candidate that is for that, that fiscally conservative, slightly liberal socially....and most of all, respects and honors the Constitution.
Vote Libertarian then. They're the only party that believes in anything of the sort.
Seriously, if you're asking these sorts of questions now then you've obviously never put any thought into it at all.
This shit ain't new and it ain't difficult to figure out with an hour of research tops.
Ron Paul is a Libertarian who runs as a Republican, but I personally wouldn't vote for him if he did win the Republican nomination (ha! the douchebag republicans booed him at the debate for stating simple facts and cheered Giuliani for spouting idiotic lies. That's the state of that party in a nutshell right there) as that would lend support to the Republicans. As I'm not a fan of big government I'm certainly not voting for the party of biggest government. However, if you can stand to vote Republican, Ron Paul is the only one who believes in *any* of the things you say you do.
Disclaimer: I am an Australian and I don't hate the US, this is just an honest observation. Most of the Americans I meet are good people.
Maybe not the bully in the revolution, although some of the things you yanks lumped on the British were exaggerated.
The problem is that you essentially became bullies, victims of your own success in your revolution and as a result you are unable to untie your nation from war and violence. We hear volumes of about the great America at war, but next to nothing about the great America at peace. Like I said this is due to being victims of your own success early on, up to and including WWII, then you made the worst mistake possible, you believed your own marketing and got into a few unwinable wars at it has cost the US. A great many social and political problems would be greatly diminished (some would disappear completely) if US society stopped glorifying violence.
As I said I don't hate the US, I was and still am a staunch supporter of the ANZUS treaty despite the quagmire you got us involved with in Iraq and the terrible trade policies the US has against us (Australia).
Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
180 degree double take. A Prison Nation where we are highly controled through fear? How on earth can you blame liberals for the things the Bush administration is working like mad to implement right now? Have you not been paying attention to the play by play? Need proof? Try taking a walk through downtown New York wearing a head scarf and take a bunch of tourist photos sometime. Try lighting up in a public place and see what happens. Try preventing your kids from being immunized in some states. Try owning a gun in others. Try getting an abortion for your girlfriend. Try wearing a teeshirt which says "Impeach Bush" to the Whitehouse. Heck, try buying Organic food, (the Bush government just made it legal for non-organic food producers to use the Organic label.) Try taking a book out of the library about how to blow stuff up. Try making a phone call through AT&T and expecting privacy. And on and on.
In this case the Surgeon General took money from the pro-global warming lobbyists [. .
Give me a break. You can't back that up. The Surgeon General doesn't even have the power to do anything about fossil fuel emissions. Heck, the major sticking point had more to do with Stem Cell research than anything else.
I don't think Wester Medicine is all too great, and I'm not even a liberal. (I don't play the tweedle dee and tweedle dum political division game.) --But I have noticed that people who cleave to the conservative side often exist in a state of perpetual delusion and anger.
Take a deep breath and rethink your statements because they don't make sense.
-FL