Political appointees delayed release of NASA climate and air pollution data in ’04

In the heat of a tight re-election campaign, top Bush political appointees in the NASA press office “exerted strong pressure during the 2004 presidential campaign to cut the flow of news releases on glaciers, climate, pollution and other earth sciences,” according to Andrew C. Revkin of the New York Times.

The more such information emerges, the more willing I am to accept author Chris Mooney’s brash assertion that there is a “Republican war on science.” If the Republican Party wants to convince me otherwise, then they need to declare that the President’s tactics do not reflect those of his party.

Is there a scientific consensus on climate change?

The discussion of my last blog entry on the climate change debate, “Has the Climate Change Debate Reached a Tipping Point?” is interesting enough to bring it forward as a new thread of discussion. One of the readers questioned my assertion that there is a scientific consensus, compared it to other issues in the past where he thought there was consensus, and said he hadn’t heard of any polls on the question. I’ll repeat my reply verbatim here. If you need context, click the link to the previous entry.

When Intelligent Design Advocates Cry “Censorship!”

“Media specialists often defend controversial books. But what if the tables were turned and we were branded as censors for rejecting unworthy books? That’s exactly what happened to us five years ago.” So write Connie and Michael O’Sullivan in a School Library Journal article entitled “Monkey Business.”

Does Ruling in Dover Case Signal New Anti-Evolution Strategy?

Revised due to further news reports. I’m not worried any more. Early version follows:

I’m worried about this from an article in today’s NY Times online:
“Dover Area School Board members violated the Constitution when they ordered that its biology curriculum must include the notion that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent cause, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said. Several members repeatedly lied to cover their motives even while professing religious beliefs, he said.”