Pacific Spirit Marine Institute
Thursday, June 7, 2007
Yesterday we posted Global Warming censorship by the US government was being investigated as it related to an Exhibit at the Smithsonian.
The acting secretary of the Smithsonian, Chistian Samper has fired back a response. Samper is claiming the AP story was based on an erroneous allegation made by a former Smithsonian employee who was neither a scientist nor a curator.
Samper also claims that at no time did anyone from the Congress or the White House comment on the exhibition.
“Artic: A Friend Acting Strangely” was on display at the National Museum of Natural History for 7 months. (April 15-Nov. 30, 2006)
William Fitzhugh, director of Arctic Studies Center at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History told the Associated Press “We presented exactly what we wanted to present in that exhibit, which was NOT to explore carbon dioxide and the ’cause’ of arctic/global warming, but to look at the environmental socio-cultural changes and impacts.”
Climate Science Watch promoting integrity in the use of Climate science in government have a statement from Robert Sullivan, the now resigned former associate director in charge of exhibitions at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History says “Smithsonian Institution executives ordered a politically motivated rewrite of science in the 2006 exhibit at the center of the controversy.
The AP reported that Sullivan, said among other things, the text of the exhibit was edited to minimize the relationship between global warming and humans.
“Our own review of the exhibit finds that, in fact, it discusses climate change and its impacts on the Arctic but, with evident evasiveness, avoids ANY mention of human-induced global warming as a driver…”
The Smithsonian’s official line seems to be this exhibit was an important one. Apparently the cause of why ‘Our Friend the Artic is Acting Strangely’ …not so much!
The AP stands by it’s original story.
Mr. Sullivan’s claim was Smithsonian executives ordered the rewrite. Not that the White House ordered the rewrite. I think, by now, we’ve all realized the White House knows more than one way to skin a cat.
Labels: Censored, Censorship US Government, Edward J. Markey, Global Warming, Smithsonian
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Smithsonian"No Political Pressure" to Censor Exhibit!
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
“Rep. Edward J. Markey Chairman of The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming has opened an investigation into allegations that the Smithsonian Institute altered an Exhibit on Global warming.
Mounting evidence indicates there has been very real pressure applied to government-affiliated scientific bodies to color, gloss over or in some cases ignore facts being presented to the public as well as Congress regarding Global Warming.
NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen says the government has pressured him to toe the party line on Global Warming “contrary to the evidence”. The EPA also allowed a former oil lobbyist working in the White House to censor Global Warming science from an EPA report. This former lobbyist, come White House employee is as yet un-named.
In our After the downing street memo came the Polar bear memorandum article we told you how the Department of Interior put a gag order on scientists talking about the links between the threatened Polar bears and Global Warming.
The latest slap in the face to the public, who are paying these very government-affiliated scientific bodies, is the revelation that The Smithsonian altered an exhibition on Global Warming.
On May 22, Markey sent to Chistian Samper, Acting Secretary of the Smithsonian, asking for all information pertaining to the exhibit in question including letters, emails, a list of scientific and an non-scientific consultants, and any correspondence with political bodies.
“This administration’s pattern of stifling and censoring Global Warming science is too clear for us to ignore yet another possible example of political influence on Climate science,” said Chairman Markey. “We can no longer allow the ideology of this President and his operatives of climate denial to compromise the reputations of our greatest scientists and proudest scientific institutions.”
Labels: Censored, Censorship US Government, Edward J. Markey, Global Warming
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Global Warming Censorship by US Government Investigated
