Politics and Science
cmooney | October 17, 2007My latest contribution to Science Progress is now up. In essence, this is my final reaction to Hillary's big science speech, which I very much enjoyed--but I did have a number of qualms. One of them was her "crossing the streams," if you will, by implying or stating that restoring scientific integrity to government on the one hand, and supporting U.S. scientific innovation on the other, are somehow the same project. I'd argue that they're quite different things and don't necessarily benefit from being lumped together. An excerpt:
On an intellectual rather than thematic level, however, that…
sheril | October 16, 2007There's sure been a lot of hullabaloo over Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize. For an interesting perspective, take a gander over at nanopublic where you'll find lots of thought-provoking links to explore.
"Meanwhile, European media are gloating about "a public slap in the face" for President Bush by the Norwegian Nobel Committee and "the inconvenient truth for the current administration" that the prize has "brought to light."
What's interesting, of course (and maybe a bad form of karma), is that George H. W. Bush, father of the current U.S. President, ridiculed Al Gore as "Ozone Man" during the…
cmooney | October 11, 2007Well, I guess our first few Hillary posts were pretty positive...but with Sparticus's post, things turned vicious in a hurry!
And now, I'm here to pile on a bit with some slight criticism. Let me explain.
Lots of us here at ScienceBlogs want the once world-renowned Office of Technology Assessment, or a close equivalent, to return to work for the U.S. Congress. And according to her speech, so does Senator Clinton. This, in turn, has led to statements like the following on Wikipedia: "Recently, Hillary Clinton pledged to restore the Office if elected President."
But there's just one problem…
cmooney | October 9, 2007Disclaimer: This series of posts is not an endorsement of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Rather, we are paying attention to Hillary because she has gone farther than any other candidate thus far in injecting science policy issues into the presidential race--and promising, if elected, to address the kinds of problems highlighted in The Republican War on Science and by The Union of Concerned Scientists and other organizations. We sincerely hope other candidates of both parties will follow Hillary's lead. And we already know, thanks to Bora's intrepid reporting, that John Edwards…
sheril | October 9, 2007Politics aside, one aspect of Hillary's speech last Friday really resonated with me. She describes the feeling of looking up at the night sky for Sputnik as a young girl:
And my memory of that, of peering into the sky in our backyard in a suburb of Chicago, I don't think we ever saw it although my friends claim that they had seen it, was so exciting that somehow we were connected to what that meant. And it was not only a thrill for a young girl, but it really did start me thinking.
I expect many of us have experienced that very same rush as children because we humans are born naturally…
cmooney | October 9, 2007I'm planning one or more additional Hillary posts today...as, I believe, is Sheril...but first, some updates.
As I mentioned yesterday, my Seed cover story, entitled "Dr. President"--or, on the cover, "Can Science Save the American Dream?"--is now up. This is an unapologetically idealistic manifesto about what kind of leadership we should have, what kind of leadership we deserve to have, in this country. As I put it:
"Indeed, a new president should embrace the language and values of science not out of idealism, but rather as the highest form of pragmatism. Policies work best when the best…
sheril | October 8, 2007I've already explained I'm nonpartisan. I support R's and D's across the Hill for a myriad of reasons. That said, I've been observing firsthand the way funding for innovative scientific research has been repeatedly cut throughout the current administration's reign. In 2002, I spent months preparing a proposal for the 2002 EPA STAR Fellowship application (the only federally-funded graduate fellowships dedicated to environmental research), only to learn funding had been suspended after submitting my project. I've watched friends struggle to find grants to make it through another semester…
cmooney | October 8, 2007So: Sheril and I have decided to do something special this week.
You see, as the author of a recent Seed cover story on how the presidential candidates need to demonstrate scientific leadership, I was pleasantly surprised to find Hillary Clinton seize this very issue last week, with an inspiring speech and the release of a detailed list of policy proposals. Both bear further analysis...and that's what we're going to be doing here this week. Point by point, if you will.
True, Sheril is still allowed to blog about other stuff, and so am I. But as we swing into full campaign season, we couldn't…
sheril | October 6, 2007New life forms in a test tube might not be science fiction anymore now that Craig Venter has created a synthetic chromosome... but breakthrough or threat to humanity?
This article in the Guardian hints at both potential for solutions to climate change and new weapons for bio-terrorism. Sounds like a topic we'll be hearing more about with regard to political oversight on this kind of research akin to stem cell research and attack of the clones.
Craig Venter, the controversial DNA researcher involved in the race to decipher the human genetic code, has built a synthetic chromosome out of…
cmooney | October 5, 2007
On the fifty year anniversary of Sputnik yesterday, the Center for American Progress launched "Science Progress," a new web and print publication dedicated to science policy. The editor in chief is Jonathan Moreno, a Senior Fellow at CAP and the David and Lyn Silfen University Professor and Professor of Medical Ethics and the History and Sociology of Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His introductory essay is here. It includes a mission statement:
Science Progress proceeds from the propositions that scientific inquiry is among the finest expressions of human excellence, that it is a…
cmooney | October 2, 2007 Yesterday I did an interview with comedian/radio host Faith Salie of the new NPR show "Fair Game" about my Seed cover story calling for a science president in 2008.
Listen here.
It's a good fun conversation--especially when we talk about how to equip the candidates with hi tech science devices, as in the title above.
cmooney | September 24, 2007My Cornell University Provost's series lecture given on September 20 was quite a memorable one. I was only waiting for video to go online to provide more information about the event, and now it has.
So: Follow the link to view my talk (30 minutes plus) and then the responses from expert panelists--Kurt Gottfried of the Union of Concerned Scientists; Steve Hilgartner of Cornell's Science and Technology Studies Program; Ted Lowi, John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions, Government Department, Cornell; Jon Shields, University of Colorado; Ron Herring, Government Department, Cornell;…
sheril | September 24, 2007Flashback to the morning of November 8, 2006. My boss, Senator Bill Nelson, has just been reelected beating Katherine Harris by a huge margin. It's a beautiful morning and we're all quite happy down in the Sunshine State. I receive a call from a dear friend working in the office of a prominent republican committee chair (who shall remain unnamed). His end of the conversation in question goes something like this:
'We're so excited. With a Dem majority that won't be able to do much in two years, come 2008 everyone will claim you guys [Democrats] had your shot and blew it. Our team […
sheril | September 24, 2007
Somehow when it comes to elections, lots of folks seem to get confused into thinking they're watching ESPN. Sure it's fun to feel part of a victory, but what matters politically far outweighs any championship ring, cup, or a trip to Disneyworld - even if the media would have you believe otherwise during Superbowl season. So while it's easy rally around one side depending on where you fall in the old color scheme of things, the truth is that politics aren't so black, Blue, right, white, Red, or left. These kind of delineations are enough to make anyone dizzy.
The myriad of vital issues at…
cmooney | September 24, 2007Dear readers: I'm working on something and could use some research help from any intrepid minds. It seems to me almost indisputable that John Marburger, who assumed his post in 2001 and has continued it now into late 2007, is the longest serving presidential science adviser in history. A quick glance at the terms of previous science advisers--see here--strongly suggests that this is so. However, you know how it goes with government: There are technical details about when the adviser was actually confirmed, when he actually departed, and so forth.
So: Does anyone disagree with me that…
cmooney | August 31, 2007This is pretty troubling. NASA is reportedly requiring longtime career scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Center to go through FBI screening similar to what you need to get a security clearance. The new scrutiny is allegedly pursuant to a Homeland Security directive, but that directive seems to allow considerably more leniency than NASA is in fact applying to these top labs, which do very "little or no" classified work. Employees are, in turn, suing NASA over the new strictures.
I'm just reporting what others have reported--in this case, my source is The…
sheril | August 23, 2007July of 2006: I caught myself behind closed doors with some folks in the State Department and Department of Defense as they discussed the crisis in Lebanon at its peak. The little I got wind of sounded chilling and I remarked I was glad not to have access to that sort of information. Someone then turned to me and said stoically, 'Sheril, I thank God I don't know the kind of things you do.' In short, he found global warming far more frightening than any passing human conflict. I reflected on this analysis and agreed.
More coming tomorrow on public perception of climate change. In the…
cmooney | August 8, 2007I just did an online commentary for The Guardian's science site about just how bad Bush's presidency has been on science, and particularly stem cell and climate policy. It starts out like this....
The presidency of George W Bush is waning and laming. The time has come to think about the future and when it comes to policies for US science and to the use of science in US policy, let's put it bluntly, pretty much anything will be an improvement.
...and it only gets meaner from there. So I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Click here to read the whole thing.
sheril | July 27, 2007Exciting news in the world of climate policy.. a proposal that's not only progressive and practical, it's possible!
You've likely heard a bit lately about carbon caps and carbon trading. These programs set overall authorized caps on emissions and allow the buying and selling of emissions credits. While Europe has been at this for a while, there's talk of establishing a US equivalent to place value on CO2 and other carbon pollutants. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and John Warner (R-Va.) have put together a bill in consultation with the…