Posted on 07/26/2007 3:02:27 PM PDT by neverdem
In testimony before Congress last week, former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona said that the Bush administration has an adversarial relationship with science.
"Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is often ignored, marginalized or simply buried," Carmona said. "The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science or marginalizing the voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds."
This is a common criticism of the Bush administration, made most thoroughly in journalist Chris Mooney's 2005 book, "The Republican War on Science." When it comes to issues such as global warming, stem cell research or the teaching of evolution — the argument goes — the White House adopts what you might call a "faith-based" approach to science, not an approach grounded in empiricism.
I'm sympathetic to this charge.
One issue Carmona didn't address is medical marijuana. Last year, the FDA put out a baldly political press release claming that "no sound scientific studies supported medical use of marijuana for treatment in the United States."
This is flatly wrong. A wide-ranging 1999 Institute of Medicine report actually did show medical benefits from smoked marijuana while also finding minimal harmful side effects. The FDA press release was right in one respect: There have been no conclusive studies since. But there's a good reason for that: The federal government won't allow them.
Carmona didn't mention medical marijuana in his list of grievances because Carmona isn't any more interested in actual science on the medical marijuana issue than the Bush administration is. When the New York Times asked him his position on the issue, he gave the odd reply that he was against medical marijuana because, "Smoking is bad for you."
In other interviews...
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
These pro-toking articles are so important they deserve a forum of their own. A “Pro-Legalization” Forum should be created just like the Religion Forum where these articles can get the attention due them.
Why do we have a surgeon general, and why does he not know that we don’t live in a democracy?
This is a slander against the Bush administration.
Jocelyn Elders had the worst grasp of reality of any surgeon general. OTOH the Bush administration has been right about Kyoto, yet unpopular. ... so why the allegations now?
Because there is an attempt by Liberals and Democrats to use politicized science to ‘win arguments’ that they cannot win politically. Like when Gore declared the global warming debate ‘over’. Those who oppose him are ‘anti-scientific’ heretics who are blaspheming the dominant creed.
The charge of ‘anti-science’ is thus truly ironic.
science if getting far more abused by global warming fanatics and by the extremists who push unsupportable environmental-related junk science. This distorts the very meaning of science and turns it into a cudgel for indoctrination and not a tool for discovery.
I get my antidote to this BS here:
one of their blasts: ... “ ... this from the organization that brought us estimates of 8-32 trillion dollars benefit from reduced skin cancers by phasing out CFCs and ‘protecting the ozone’ (no mention of increased cost from skin cancers when it comes to lower tropospheric ozone requirements, even though ozone at 10 feet altitude is as protective against incoming UV as ozone at 10 miles altitude). The EPA is a bunch of agenda-driven zealots who wouldn’t recognize a genuine cost-benefit analysis if it was wearing a sign bearing 6-inch lettering.”
...
Iraq war veteran gets touch of normalcy from bionic hand
FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.
That sums it up, pretty well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Health_Service_Commissioned_Corps
However this bureaucrat is very very obsolete and should be abolished.
Carmona said words to the effect that obesity dwarfs "9/11, or any other terrorist event." He made other outrageous claims about obesity, secondhand smoke, smokeless tobacco and alcohol during pregnancy.
It's not a pro-toking article. It's about a politicized Surgeon General. Only the excerpt mentioned medical marijuana. Why don't you read the story?
This article attacked Carmona in the main, and rightly so, if you read the whole thing.
That would take all of the sport out of posting.
Sorry, I should have been clearer: the claim “the Bush administration has an adversarial relationship with science” is the slander.
It’s like having the dogs playing pool and the dogs playing poker tapestries on your wall in your basement. It’s just something you’re supposed to have.
And he doesn’t know we don’t live in a democracy because he’s ignint.
I hope this helps!
After reading your article, Surgeon General probably shouldn’t be abolished but it is odd that the only stuff they use him for publicly is things like cigarette warnings and use-condom PSAs like C. Everett Coop did years back. It is kind of an odd agency though, bunches of commissioned officers and staff working for HHS. Maybe they should just target his job toward the military.
Keep the cool Naval Uniform and the traditions; the Surgeon General should be placed in charge of the CDC and all the many redundancies of having both agencies doing the same things should be eliminated. The CDC is a out of control money pit and could use some quasi military discipline.
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