yes time will tell ! On Dec 17, 1:24 pm, frankg <[email protected]> wrote: > As someone who is all about science I am pleased to hear Obama take > this position. But what remains to be seen is whether he's talking > about ALL science, or just his brand of science. The objection to Bush > is not so much that he didn't base his policies on science, but that > he based them on his brand of science and prevented the opposition > from being heard. It's easy to name scientifically qualified people to > political posts, but those people must be willing to listen to both > sides of the argument with an open mind, and Obama must be willing to > oppose his own personal opinions if the debate goes that way. If not, > it's just more of the same. Time will tell... > > On Dec 17, 5:31 am, Florida Cracker 532 <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Obama: My Administration Will Value Science instead of Evangelical > > dogma ! > > http://www.truthout.org/121608EA > > With a Nobel physicist and a former EPA chief on board, some expect > > Obama's White House to break from what they see as the Bush > > administration's record of overlooking science in favor of politics. > > > Washington - With the nomination of Nobel Prize-winning physicist > > Steven Chu for Energy secretary, President-elect Barack Obama made > > sure no one missed the message in the resume. > > > "His appointment should send a signal to all that my > > administration will value science," Obama said during a Chicago news > > conference Monday. "We will make decisions based on facts, and we > > understand that the facts demand bold action." > > > Chu, director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, > > headlines a quartet of appointments that includes former > > Environmental > > Protection Agency chief Carol Browner as a coordinator of energy and > > climate policy, former New Jersey environmental protection > > commissioner Lisa Jackson as EPA director, and Los Angeles Deputy > > Mayor Nancy Sutley to run the White House Council on Environmental > > Quality. > > > With this team, some environmentalists and former federal > > research > > scientists expect Obama's White House to break from what they view as > > the Bush administration's record of overlooking science in favor of > > politics. > > > "It's such an incredible contrast, compared to the years of > > darkness under the current administration, to see a scientist in such > > a position of authority and influence in the Cabinet," said Alan > > Nogee, who directs the Clean Energy Program for the Union of > > Concerned > > Scientists, which has accused the administration of silencing and > > overruling scientists in policy-making. "It's night and day." > > > Critics - including Nogee's organization and former EPA > > Administrator Christie Todd Whitman - have complained about the > > influence of industry lobbyists and ideologues on Bush administration > > decision-making. > > > Rep. Henry A. Waxman of Beverly Hills is among the Democrats who > > repeatedly have accused top Bush officials, including Vice President > > Dick Cheney and political adviser Karl Rove, with pressing federal > > agencies to take positions that put them at odds with their own > > scientists on energy, global warming and stem cell research. > > > The critics say many high-ranking scientists have fled federal > > jobs or have been forced from advisory panels in an effort to tilt > > agency decision-making to be more favorable to corporate interests > > or, > > in at least one case, to help secure reelection of Republicans. > > > In 2001, Waxman issued a 40-page report accusing the > > administration of having "manipulated the scientific process and > > distorted or suppressed scientific findings." In 2004, 60 prominent > > scientists accused the administration of "misrepresenting and > > suppressing scientific knowledge for political purposes." > > > In 2006, the top climate scientist at NASA, James Hansen, said > > the > > Bush administration tried to gag him from speaking publicly after he > > gave an academic lecture calling for prompt reductions in greenhouse > > gases. > > > On Monday, the Interior Department's inspector general issued a > > report detailing how one administrator intervened in at least 13 > > decisions under the Endangered Species Act. The official's "zeal to > > advance her agenda has caused considerable harm to the integrity" of > > the Endangered Species Act program, the report said, "as well as > > potential harm to individual species. Her heavy-handedness has cast > > doubt on nearly every ESA decision issued during her tenure." > > > Jeremy Symons, former climate policy adviser at the EPA, was so > > shaken after representing the EPA on Cheney's Energy Task Force in > > 2001 that he left government to become a vice president at the > > National Wildlife Federation. > > > "There was no interest in considering the scientific evidence of > > the impact our energy policy would have on the environment," Symons > > said in an interview on Monday. "When science was brought up for > > discussion, it was dismissed as not important to developing the > > energy > > plan." > > > Obama stressed the importance of energy and climate policy to the > > nation's economy and security on Monday - though he declined to say > > when he plans to grant a waiver for California to begin regulating > > greenhouse gas emissions. > > > Chu, who won his Nobel Prize for developing methods to trap atoms > > with lasers, has oriented the Berkeley lab to focus on renewable > > energy and climate change. On Monday he stressed the Energy > > Department's role in supporting scientists, public and private, and > > innovations that he said "can transform the entire landscape of > > energy > > demand and supply." > > > His appointment has won wide praise across industries and party > > lines. Current Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said in a statement > > that > > Chu "understands the significance of our energy and environmental > > challenges, and more importantly, understands the technical solutions > > necessary to address them.... I hold him in the highest regard." > > > A leading energy lobbyist said he was "cautiously optimistic" > > about Chu and his fellow appointees. "I hope they do welcome science > > first," said Scott Segal of Bracewell and Giuliani in Washington. > > "But > > that means being clear about it when the technology isn't ready to > > solve climate issues. Good science cuts both ways. It also cuts > > against unrealistic policy proposals that could endanger the U.S. > > economy." > > > Environmental groups lauded the appointees for their commitment > > to > > alternative fuels and fighting global warming. They welcomed them as > > symbols of science ascendant. > > > "I'm quite sure we'll have policy disputes with the Obama > > administration," said Michael Hirshfield, chief scientist at Oceana, > > a > > nonprofit organization dedicated to ocean protection. "But we expect > > that the facts of the case, whatever the issue is, will be out there > > more. We expect more transparency. We expect scientists to be able to > > speak more." > > > Reid Detchon, executive director of the nonpartisan Energy Future > > Coalition, which advocates for renewable energy, said he expected Chu > > to be the first in a succession of "first-rate scientists" to advise > > Obama and help restore what he calls eight years of damage to the > > "scientific apparatus" of the federal government. > > > "What political appointments can do," Detchon said, "political > > appointments can undo." > > > -------- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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