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SOPA Creator Now In Charge of NSF Grants

Posted by Unknown on from the dinosaurs-walked-with-man dept.

sl4shd0rk writes "Remember SOPA? If not, perhaps the name Lamar Smith will ring a bell. The U.S. House Committee on Science, Space and Technology chose Smith to Chair as an overseer for the National Science Foundation's funding process. Smith is preparing a bill (PDF) which will require that every grant must benefit 'national defense,' be of 'utmost importance to society,' and not be 'duplicative of other research.' Duplicating research seems reasonable until you consider that this could also mean the NSF will not provide funding for research once someone has already provided results — manufactured or otherwise. A strange target since there is a process in place which makes an effort to limit duplicate funding already. The first and second requirements, even when read in context, still miss the point of basic research. If we were absolutely without-a-doubt-certain of the results, there would be little point in doing the research in the first place."

1 of 307 comments (clear)

  1. Re:ah the anti-NSF crowd again by VortexCortex · · Score: -1, Troll

    I don't want to fund research on gun violence either.

    The problem ISN'T guns. It's the culture of people. We have a culture of violence in the US as much as we woud like to deny it. We glorify it in so many ways -- in the media, the movies, TV shows and pop music. Without that culture, the interest in guns would decrease with the exception of those who use them as intended -- as tools and defense. And without guns, the violence would change adjust.

    I have to words for you moron: PROVE IT

    Oh, you don't want any research -- you just want to put forth unfounded assertions without a leg to stand on and just claim they're true? Oh, you'd rather just argue back and forth for decades without any progress rather than have a logical way forward based on sound evidence and observation? Fuck You.

    I agree we need guns and that they get an undeservedly bad wrap, but I'm a scientist, not an ignorant ass (operative word there being ignore), so I'd like some research results I can use to back up my claims and actually affect change. Get bent fool.