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
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Smithsonian"No Political Pressure" to Censor Exhibit!
