Remember the 2007 State of the Union? You know, the one where Bush finally 'got' global warming. "America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil," the president said. "And these technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change." Yeah, that one. The one where he talked about vehicles that would 'use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel' produced from 'everything from wood chips to grasses, to agricultural wastes'That was BS. No big surprise there. While many argue that George W. Bush is the worst president in history, few environmentalists would argue if you told them he was one of the most disappointing. In every State of the Union address since 2001, Bush has made noise about fuel efficiency, energy, and the environment. And every year, he's failed to even try to keep those promises. It's the lie he tells us every year.
But the language was stronger this time. The promises less vague. His energy policy initiative tells us he would reduce dependency by 'Increasing The Supply Of Renewable And Alternative Fuels By Setting A Mandatory Fuels Standard To Require 35 Billion Gallons Of Renewable And Alternative Fuels In 2017 – Nearly Five Times The 2012 Target Now In Law.' That was months ago. Haven't heard a lot about that one since, have you?
Given that, this story should come as no surprise.
Reuters:
Polar bears, sea ice and global warming are taboo subjects, at least in public, for some U.S. scientists attending meetings abroad, environmental groups and a top federal wildlife official said on Thursday.
Environmental activists called this scientific censorship, which they said was in line with the Bush administration's history of muzzling dissent over global climate change.
But H. Dale Hall, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said this policy was a long-standing one, meant to honor international protocols for meetings where the topics of discussion are negotiated in advance.
Hall's explanation makes less sense when you when you get to the immediately following paragraph:
Listed as a "new requirement" for foreign travelers on U.S. government business, the memo says that requests for foreign travel "involving or potentially involving climate change, sea ice, and/or polar bears" require special handling, including notice of who will be the official spokesman for the trip.
So only these topics require special permission to talk about, but not any other. If I were going to Norway to talk about erosion in fjords or Jamaica to talk about papaya blight (if there is such a thing), I could say pretty much whatever I wanted, regardless of what had been 'negotiated in advance.' It's polar bears, global warming, and ice that I need to avoid...
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Tags: news | politics | science | environment | global warming | Bush | propaganda | censorship | polar bears
