I have a mate who regularily goes to the US to lecture. He has often been told, off the record of course, that scientists have to toe the government line, or don't bother ever applying for grant money again. A lot of these guys are in lines of research that only governments support, so if they say anything that contradicts government policy, they wont work again.
I suspect most governments, not just the US, have tight controls over who gets funded. This is an easy way to censor views that are inconvenient, especially if they are true.
I guess Hansen is getting close to retirement, and thus is less scared of reprisals. It is still a brave thing to do.
Perhaps we should only listen to folk who are close to the end of their paid working lives, as they may be more likely to tell the truth without fear or favor.
Slashdot Mirror
I have a mate who regularily goes to the US to lecture. He has often been told, off the record of course, that scientists have to toe the government line, or don't bother ever applying for grant money again. A lot of these guys are in lines of research that only governments support, so if they say anything that contradicts government policy, they wont work again.
I suspect most governments, not just the US, have tight controls over who gets funded. This is an easy way to censor views that are inconvenient, especially if they are true.
I guess Hansen is getting close to retirement, and thus is less scared of reprisals. It is still a brave thing to do.
Perhaps we should only listen to folk who are close to the end of their paid working lives, as they may be more likely to tell the truth without fear or favor.