So now we have an ex-Surgeon General saying the Bush White House pressured him not to talk about stem cell research and other topics not deemed palatable by this troglodyte Administration that is so routinely antiscience that if they said the Sun rises in the West we’d have a hundred slavering "journalists" saying they have been saying that for years, and hardly anyone would notice.
Here’s what the former SG had to say about Bush’s White House:
“Anything that doesn’t fit into the political appointees’ ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried,” Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as the nation’s top doctor from 2002 until 2006, told a House of Representatives committee.
Shocker.
I’m glad he spoke up. But hey, maybe this would have helped a bit more five years ago. He was the frackin’ Surgeon General, the top doctor in this country and in charge of this nation’s health! a spokesman for health in this country!
What makes this worse is that I remember quite well a Surgeon General who spoke her mind, and to heck with the repercussions. Can you imagine any person in this current Administration, let alone the Surgeon General, saying "Condoms will break, but I can assure you that vows of abstinence will break more easily than condoms"?
And why, oh why do we hear about these things long after it’s too late, when lives have been lost, when procedures and laws have been ossified, and we condemn an entire generation to a future that they can’t afford?
I’m looking at you, Colin Powell.
Here’s some advice: speak up. Now. I’ve already contacted my Senators and Rep several times since I’ve moved to Colorado, and I’m not planning on stopping. I’ve got things to say, and I’m going to say them.
Hat tip to Angela Gunn.
July 10th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Bad Astronomer, you are an inspiration. We all need to speak up, and often, demanding accountability (and common sense) from our elected officials. I’m off to contact my elected officials right now.
July 10th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
This former Surgeon General typifies the gutless, unethical twits with which Bush fills his administration. Dr. Carmona should have said something back when what he said would have been relevant. Instead, he cowered and this nation suffered as a result. He acted in the best interests of the administration and NOT in the best interests of the people. That’s pretty much contrary to the definition of his job, and it shows what a coward he really is that he didn’t do anything.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
The applicable phrase is “rats deserting a sinking ship”.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
The fact that Bush still has millions of people loyal to him fills me with despair for my country. There is, literally, nothing he could do that these people would object to. Nothing.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Don’t forget that Americans are exporting their ludicrous ‘abstinence first’ programs to third world countries where hundreds of thousands of people are dying of AIDS.
Of course the Pope, who looks more and more like Hannibal Lecter, is culpable too.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Btw, did anyone read that with the Bushies greedily eyeing the Northwest Passage, Canada has increased their military presence there. Seems as Global Warming (which does not, of course, exist) is melting the polar ice, more oil sites are coming available for potential drilling…and the Bush Administration is trying to lay claim to it all.
Great. Maybe we can go to war with Canada soon.
July 10th, 2007 at 5:26 pm
No need to go to war. Our illustrious Prime Minister Brian Mulroney gave everything to you in the free trade agreement. All you have to do is “need” it!
July 10th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
As to speaking out, yes, it would have been nice, but was there really anything we didn’t already know? If Bush told me pi is less than four and more than three, I would have to double check it, just in case.
It’s all in the title of Al Franken’s book “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right.”
July 10th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Reagan’s Surgeon General was C. Everett Koop. Reagan named Dr. Koop because Reagan was told Dr. Koop was a “conservative,” which Reagan’s gang interpreted as meaning “Dr. Koop will toe the party line.” In fact, Dr. Koop was “conservative,” but he applied a different meaning to the term. He held to the view that the findings of science must be directed not by the politicians and what they wanted the science to show (after all, that was what the backward Russian Commies did!), but by the evidence.
Dr. Koop refused to issue a report that abortions directly caused certain other medical problems, in spite of pressure from Reagan’s gang. Dr. Koop’s position was simple: Although he was personally opposed to abortion, he was not going to put his name on a pack of lies that was unsupported by the evidence. He stuck to his guns.
And there was also the issue of AIDS. While those in the Reagan administration tacitly (and in some cases, overtly) felt that those who contracted AIDS deserved what they got, Dr. Koop felt it was important to publish an information sheet informing the general public about HIV and AIDS. After all, Dr. Koop reasoned, that was his job as Surgeon General. Dr. Koop believed, with good reason, that if he proceeded to create his publication in a straightforward manner, the Reagan gang would step in to squash it or water it down. So Dr. Koop was clever, even devious. When he presented his publication to the Reagan gang, he pretended that the report was a done deal, and that the report couldn’t be changed. It was a bold move, and it worked. Dr. Koop published his report.
After they found they’d been suckered out of making editorial changes to Dr. Koop’s report, the Reagan gang was furious. When Dr. Koop left office, he took with him a world of respect for standing up the political hoodlums.
If Dr. Carmona had shown a little Koop-like cleverness and if he’d had a robust pair of–I’m going to use some doctor talk here–testicles, then maybe he could have done something in office that would make a difference and lift his own stature, as well as the prestige of the Surgeon General’s office.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
And why hasn’t he denounced this while he was still in post? Why is it always AFTER they are out of office?
What does it matter now?
July 10th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
“It takes a special breed to recognize a problem, wait until it’s too late to do something about it, and then express an opinion.†Stephen Colbert, 06/28/07
July 10th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Miranda, “no need to go to war” is hardly a reason not to go to war. Sheesh! Hmm, I was just reading something in New Scientist about Canada developing a nuclear reactor… Granted, it was developed in 1945 and shut down in 1970, but these are just details. How long are we willing to tolerate this sort of thing on our doorstep?
I really think the plan is to wear us down with outrage after outrage until nothing surprises anyone anymore. God, I long for the days of policy wonks, MEGO, and blowjobs in the White House.
July 10th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Haven’t we see the same thing in former generals who served in Iraq? They only speak out after they have retired and secured jobs in the private sector. Does the Surgeon General get a pension after he is out of office? I’m asking because I really don’t know. If so, maybe that has something to do with the extended silences…You know what I mean, tow the party line all the way to the bank?
I don’t know, I’m just speculating here.
July 10th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
[...] Bad Astronomy Blog » Where were these people when they should have spoken up? BA says: So now we have an ex-Surgeon General saying the Bush White House pressured him not to talk about stem cell research and other topics not deemed palatable by this troglodyte Administration… He’s ’seriously ticked at Bush” as am I. (tags: Bush science disbelief) [...]
July 10th, 2007 at 7:51 pm
A person truly devoted to science will say what needs to be said. Dr. Koop showed considerable courage, but on the other hand with Powell and Dr. Richard Carmana (actually never heard of him, if he had the guts to stand up he would at least have achieved a small amount of fame) they did their boss’ bidding which is a less noble attribute but in the case of Powell it is deeply ingrained soldier behavior. As for Bush I’ve despised him since he described Christ as his favorite political philosopher. Hopefully he has severely crippled the religious right, I notice the Republican candidates are moving a bit closer to the center this time around.
July 10th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Off-topic ..
I would like to ask a question…
Today i read that the universe is made up of 4% real matter and 96% dark matter.
So that must mean scientists have calculated 100% of the matter in the universe..right?
so with that number could you not calculate using e=mc2 of the total energy required at the big bang?
So total explosive energy=total matter times the speed of light squared?
I know that might be a dumb question but does anyone here have an answer…or is dark matter not have the same properties as real matter..and if not, how can you calculate dark matter?
July 10th, 2007 at 9:58 pm
The big bang was not an explosion. It was an expansion, an expansion that continues to this day. It was not like a bomb where chemical energy or matter was converted into kinetic energy. Due to certain events, events which physicists have not worked out with any confidence, the universe began to expand. This expansion continues to this day. There was no explosive energy because there was no explosion.
Besides, your calculation leaves out an important component: the energy present in the universe. Determining the amount of energy in the universe is an extremely difficult problem, one scientists are trying hard to solve. The fate of the universe ultimately is determined by the amount of energy present and how it is distributed.
July 10th, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Apparently this has been going on for some time (“Is There A Doctor In The White House?” But it’s worse now.
Dr. Carmona spoke on PBS this evening of his frustration, having to settle for moving forward incrementally. I can see that – a doctor gets the job of a lifetime, and works as best he can within the system. Push too hard, and you’re out. Stay in and get something accomplished.
No, it’s not the best scenario, not the best work environment, but I was convinced watching him this evening that I was watching a frustrated doctor, not a brain-dead politician.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:19 am
DenverAstro Says:
Haven’t we see the same thing in former generals who served in Iraq? They only speak out after they have retired and secured jobs in the private sector.
Ummm…Maybe you haven’t been watching the news closely, but the generals who spoke out have already been fired, or horizontally demoted (ie, shuffled off to middle of nowhere), or forced to retire. Several also resigned because of decisions they did not believe in.
Go read Gore’s Assault on Reason…It will seriously bum you out.
July 11th, 2007 at 3:39 am
Here’s an interview shown in Ireland (a bit old). I guess, after being sheltered from having to answer any important questions at home about his policies, he gets very defensive and in a way rude. Title is a bit ridiculous, but it’s worth watching…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fze2J2Ve9is
July 11th, 2007 at 3:39 am
It’s hard for a serving General to speak out against the President. It goes against everything a soldier is taught, such as “obey your superiors”. Some of them even feel it wold be a betrayal of the principle that the US military is under civilian control. Speaking out against that control would be like a small step in the direction of a military coup.
Of course, none of this applies to civilians, retired officers, or serving Surgeons General!
I’d never heard of Joycelyn Elders before I read up her Wikipedia article just now. While I agree that her views on legalising drugs are way too radical for the current political climate, I was shocked to learn that she was fired for expressing a positive view on masturbation! The backwardsness of the American religious right is just mind-boggling…
July 11th, 2007 at 3:40 am
Here’s an interview shown in Ireland (a bit old). I guess, after being sheltered from having to answer any important questions at home about his policies, he gets very defensive and in a way rude. Title is a bit ridiculous though…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fze2J2Ve9is
July 11th, 2007 at 4:42 am
I long for an interview with Bush by Jeremy Paxman.
July 11th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Complain about the former SG’s actions and words all you want,
but if he got canned while still working during the Bush regime,
which one of you would either get him a new job or pay his bills?
I thought so.
Better he spoke now than never. History doesn’t take care of
those who stand up in the face of evil and still end up losing
their lives. Nobility is for those who can afford it.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:12 am
GREAT commentary!
July 11th, 2007 at 8:54 am
“Nobility is for those who can afford it.”
Uhh, the SG is responsible to the people. He passed on that responsibility for a paycheque that came out of the public’s wallet. He towed the party line for a cushy job. When it comes out that a public official hasn’t been working in the best interest of the public, the public is well within its right to demand to know why. I’d go so far as to say the public should demand its money back. It paid for a service it never received.
If your contractor or mechanic screws you over, you’re not going to shrug it off and go “well, he has to feed himself, too”. So why do it when it’s a political job? You’re just supporting the further corruption of the system.
July 11th, 2007 at 9:10 am
Polititions play to the fears of the lowest common denominator.
Religion does the same.
Science requires the courage to face uncertainty and stand tall.
I think it’s time to have our first, actual impeachment of a sitting president.
Hopefully, there will not be anyone in the White House inclined to pardon him,,,
GAry 7
July 11th, 2007 at 9:31 am
Both pres and vp are or should be targets for impeachment. Period.
And, while we’re at it, we can remind the American people that the GOP enabled their lies and corruption. That party should not be allowed to field a candidate for anything above dogcatcher, IMNH.
July 11th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Karnak, please. Such an action on the part of any public figure would get him on the lecture circuit, a book deal, etc. No one needs to pay his bills.
July 11th, 2007 at 10:46 am
It gets worse. Dr. Elizabeth Wood discusses the anti-science rhetoric of Dr. James Holsinger.
Dr. Holsinger is scheduled for Senate confirmation hearings tomorrow to become the new Surgeon General. Apparently we’re back to “non-heterosexuality is a mental defect”.
Just one more step along the path to the Dark Ages taken by His Holiness The Glorified Houseplant Who Would Be Caesar.
July 11th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Some background on Carmona, from the Arizona Daily Star (yes, he’s from S. AZ):
September 19, 1999 •• 1129 words •• ID: 990919.0919N08
Dr. Richard Carmona, former head of Pima County’s health care system and a sheriff’s deputy, shot and killed an armed man who had attacked a motorist after a collision yesterday, police said. Jean Pierre Lafitte, 27, of the 6300 block of West Huxley, was driving his Toyota pickup truck east on East Grant Road near North Campbell Avenue when he ran into a Dodge Intrepid about 5:45 p.m.
July 5, 2000 •• 613 words •• ID: 000705.05TOPCOP
Dr. Richard Carmona, the SWAT team surgeon famous locally for performing daring rescues and facing down an armed killer on the streets of Tucson, has been named one of the nation’s “top cops.” Carmona, a member of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and former CEO of Kino Hospital, was selected as one of this year’s 10 recipients of the seventh annual Top Cops Awards.
6. Carmona sues TMC over firing; seeks damages, reinstatement
April 12, 1994 •• 416 words •• ID: arch_5251
Dr. Richard Carmona, who was director of the trauma center at Tucson Medical Center until he was abruptly dismissed in June, has filed a lawsuit against the hospital claiming he was wrongfully fired. The lengthy lawsuit includes 12 charges against TMC ranging from breach of contract to intentional misrepresentation and defamation that has damaged Carmona’s professional reputation. The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages, costs and attorney fees.
Or scan through the archive results: http://tinyurl.com/2qqk2e
J/P=?
July 11th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
As a life long hoosier I have had Dick Lugar as Senator since as long as I can remember. He’s been a Senator loooooong time. Anyway, he has recently come out against the War in Iraq. He comes out now after having blocked timelines for withdrawal and voting to continue to fund it. Now he says and I quote, ” the costs and risks continuing down the current path outwiegh the potential benefits that might be achieved”.
Colbert recently roasted him for the same cowardice. Did you all of sudden wake and say this is a bad idea. Why vote to keep the war going and come out after you can’t do anything to stop it and say it’s a bad idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE9b49qs5tE ( go to about the 1:30 mark )
July 11th, 2007 at 12:34 pm
While this is off topic somewhat, I think it’s a great place to vent some of my frustration. Unfortunately, my representative is Shelly Moore Capito, from a long line of criminals of course. I hail from the backwards state of West Virginia, where the Unions have done their best to keep the populate uneducated and under control, and science forbid you ever speak up (I refuse to use the word ‘god’ in any manner). For the past few months, I have been very concerned about my state’s school curriculum, specifically the teaching of evolution. When I was in high school some dozen or so years ago, we were simply taught nothing in regards to evolution.
I have tried to get an answer from Mrs. Capito as to her stance on evolution in our schools, yet have been met with nothing but silence, despite having received a letter from her when I inquired as to her stand on the Internet tax fiasco (which was of course full of no actual answer). I am simply frustrated. I have had it with ignorant, backwards people who value a stupid, poorly written conglomeration of texts (the bible) as opposed to valuing education, learning, reflection, critical thinking, and all of those things which make this world so damn fascinating.
I was recently mocked by some individuals when they discovered I was soon to graduate with my PhD (IT Leadership, social sciences); they laughed and called it a “pretty high diploma”; we weren’t even discussing this and I can’t recall how it even came up.
There is a reason some of us prefer to live in ivory towers; we don’t have to deal with the peons and their superstition.
Science bless you Phil, your ivory tower is more like a light house.
July 11th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
An important point here, the surgeon general is neither the top doctor nor in charge of the nation’s health, in any context other than a national health emergency. He’s a spokesperson appointed by a politician. He is not responsible for policy. Administrations may or may not heed the SG’s advice (I gather few have), and may or may not restrict the SG’s pet message (no policy so the stakes are -usually- low for the politician). If we foolishly give the SG some sort of power over our health care, then our health care will in fact be at the mercy of the politician who appoints him. Think this can be solved by electing better politicians? How did we get here then? Why bother giving them the power to begin with?
July 11th, 2007 at 1:13 pm
Yeah, yeah… it’s real easy to be brave on someone else’s behalf. Yawn.
>>> Go read Gore’s Assault on Reason…
I didn’t know Gore wrote an autobiography.
Great! Read what the American Sunni has to say against the American Shi’ite. Or is Bush the Sunni? Anyway, I can think of more productive uses of my time than the ramblings of yet another lunatic politician.
Our system is currently designed to put sociopaths into power, be it political or a position of media celebrityhood, so rushing off to contact your representatives is mug’s game at best.
Just follow my lead: work hard, keep your head down and retire to Belize.
July 11th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Quiet_Desperation, did you vote for Bush? If so, and with all respect, let’s not pretend the system is at fault, shall we?
Yes, the system is corrupt and designed to keep the powerful in power…but we don’t HAVE to fall for it.
July 11th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
>
There’s a solid legal precedent that applies to this defense – it was used in Nuremburg shortly after WWII, when defendants used to say, “I was only following orders”
As I recall, it didn’t work out too well for them….
July 11th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
Oh well, it’s your blog…you can rant about politics if you want. I used to come here for lively astronomy-related topics. Sadly, those are fewer between in favor of the same shrill commentary that can be found all over the web.
Go get ‘em, Phil. I very much doubt that you will miss me when I am gone.
July 11th, 2007 at 7:23 pm
Hmmm…
1) I should have mentioned Koop as well.
2) I should not have said he is in charge of our health care; that was wrong. But he does speak for the Administration on medical matters, and should therefore not be a slave to the religious fundamentalists or the breezes of political ideology.
3) People, if you want to leave when I discuss matters about the abuse of science by politics, feel free. As I have said over and over again, I will talk politics when it overlaps with science and skepticism. This is not just an astronomy blog, as much as I am not just an astronomer.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:46 pm
Don’t worry Phil. One dimensional people will find their own deep hole,,,to fall into.
GAry 7
July 11th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
I have little sympathy for this particular surgeon general as he wildly exaggerated the dangers of second-hand smoke and obesity because it was for our own good.
Distortion of science is bad, no matter what your motives or political orientation.
July 12th, 2007 at 1:55 am
>>> Quiet_Desperation, did you vote for Bush?
Would I have compared him to a Shi’ite extremist if I had? Not to be snarky, but, duh?
>>> If so, and with all respect, let’s not pretend the
>>> system is at fault, shall we?
In many cases it is thanks to gerrymandering. That’s the main reason there’s so little tunover despite sub 30% approval ratings. And by “the system” I also include the media and the special interest and the whole kaboodle. If you wanted to design a system expressly for electing complete sociopaths, you could not do better than what the real world has given us.
>>> Yes, the system is corrupt and designed to keep
>>> the powerful in power…but we don’t HAVE to fall for it.
Yes you do, because your districts are all carved up to make you powerless. And, anyway, by the time you get to actually vote, any sane people have already been winnowed out.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:19 am
QD, I agree with much of what you say…this country was bought and paid for by the Global Corporations a long time ago. Still, let’s all stop voting for major party candidates and see what happens! To me, the real danger is party loyalty, especially among Republicans; although many Democrats can be just as bad (in my experience they just tend to be more questioning than republican voters).
Party first, country second is what is allowing all the corruption to flourish.
July 13th, 2007 at 12:26 am
“Anything that doesn’t fit into the political appointees’ ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried,â€
You are either incredibly naive, stupid, or just plain pigheaded. The above statement DESCRIBES politics! Since you’re a liberal, you have to make it a quasi-moral issue when the other guys are in power (quasi because morals are so, well, religious-y). When your idealogues are at the helm, it’s “courageous resistance of special interest groups”.
July 13th, 2007 at 2:12 am
The stem cell lobby’s wallet isn’t as deep, apparently…?
July 13th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
How is this news about the surgeon general a surprise. If someone would talk, chances are they would walk. That’s your reason for those in a position of authority to do something, ending up not doing anything until they’re safe from harm. Censoring scientistists wanting to tell the public their findings and projections on global warming is just the tip of the iceberg. The White House routinely controls the media and the public’s perception of what reality is. Typical politics, especially for this administration. Ignore the issue, downplay it, or cover it up to protect your career, ratings and increase your power. Let the next administration and generation sort out the problems you helped create. The ultimate victims of anti-science, will be those who have to live with and suffer the consequences of the current administrations apathy and indifference to important national and world issues.
July 13th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Hey Phil,
Congratulations on the interesting blog. I enjoyed your discussion about the “Face on Mars” stuff. Fascinating! And your posting on Dr. Carmona is an interesting discussion of the intersection of politics and science.
I don’t know if you have discussed this elsewhere but another “hot topic” in that intersection is “Anthropogenic Global Warming” (AGW). I am curious as to your thoughts on that matter.
Specifically, I would like to know what you think about the recent comments of Robert F. Kennedy. He recently said that those who disagree with the consensus opinion on the subject (which as you know is that it is true and action must be taken) are “fascists” and “traitors” and should be treated as such. The penalty for treason is imprisonment or death.
What do you think about that? Should people who say that they do not believe in the AGW hypothesis be imprisoned or executed?
Keep up the good work on the blog!
Regards,
Guillermo
July 25th, 2007 at 8:13 am
I did speak out against the Bush administration. In fact, more generally, I even issued a fatwa for those in need.
May 26th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
[...] Bad Astronomy comes news that the United States government is pulling a “Catholic Church” by [...]