galiel

<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A26554-2002Sep16?language=printer" target="_blank">http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A26554-2002Sep16?language=printer</a>

"The Bush administration has begun a broad restructuring of the scientific advisory committees that guide federal policy in areas such as patients' rights and public health, eliminating some committees that were coming to conclusions at odds with the president's views and in other cases replacing members with handpicked choices."

Bible Humper

The American Joe Sixpack voted for this, that's what he gets. All For the sake of a friggin extramarital blowjob...
<img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" />

Buffman

<a href="http://www.baltech.org/lederman/809bush.html" target="_blank">http://www.baltech.org/lederman/809bush.html</a>

(Extract)
Many of these SS officials professed strong religious convictions, as did Adolf Hitler himself and as do many of the top scholars associated with the MI.

"Thus inwardly armed with confidence in God and the unshakable stupidity of the voting citizenry, the politicians can begin the fight for the 'remaking' of the Reich as they call it."
[Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf Vol. 2 Chapter 1

While school vouchers and the turning over of public education to religious institutions is being sold by many on the right as a new and very progressive idea, the promotion of religious teachings in public schools was actually a key aspect of the Third Reich.
From:
<a href="http://atheism.about.com/religion/atheism/library/quotes/bl_q_A" target="_blank">http://atheism.about.com/religion/atheism/library/quotes/bl_q_A</a> Hitler.htm

"Secular schools can never be tolerated because such schools have no religious instruction, and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith . . . we need believing people."
Adolf Hitler, April 26, 1933, from a speech made during negotiations leading to the Nazi-Vatican Concordant of 1933

More than simply a violation of the separation of church and state which is an essential part of the Constitution, my concern with Bush's "religious convictions" is that they, like those of the Manhattan Institute, are actually a cover for fascism.

NOTE:
Robert Lederman is an artist, a regular columnist for the Greenwich Village Gazette [See: <a href="http://www.gvny.com/" target="_blank">http://www.gvny.com/</a> for an extensive archive of Lederman columns] The Shadow, The African Sun Times, The Vigo-Examiner [see: <a href="http://www.vigo-examiner.com/archive.htm]" target="_blank">http://www.vigo-examiner.com/archive.htm]</a> and Street News, and is the author of hundreds of published essays concerning Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Lederman has been falsely arrested 41 times to date for his anti-Giuliani activities and has never been convicted of any of the charges. He is best known for creating hundreds of paintings of Mayor Giuliani as a Hitler like dictator.

(End extract)

And for those who enjoy tracking America's "Homeland Security" President (Furher?) from the other side of the barbed wire in order to get some possible insights into what the future may hold for further assaults on Church-State Separation, these can make for interesting reading and research:

<a href="http://www.wage-slave.org/scorecard.html" target="_blank">http://www.wage-slave.org/scorecard.html</a>

<a href="http://www.bushnews.com/" target="_blank">http://www.bushnews.com/</a>

<a href="http://www.fair.org/activism/ownership-comment.html" target="_blank">http://www.fair.org/activism/ownership-comment.html</a>

<a href="http://www.independentjudiciary.com/news/clip.cfm?NewsClipID=48" target="_blank">http://www.independentjudiciary.com/news/clip.cfm?NewsClipID=48</a>

<a href="http://www.crrange.com/bush.html" target="_blank">http://www.crrange.com/bush.html</a>

<a href="http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/home.asp" target="_blank">http://www.publicintegrity.org/dtaweb/home.asp</a>

<a href="http://www.mediawhoresonline.com/" target="_blank">http://www.mediawhoresonline.com/</a>

<a href="http://www.politicalamazon.com/bush-chinese.html" target="_blank">http://www.politicalamazon.com/bush-chinese.html</a>

<a href="http://artcontext.org/activism/politics/bush.php" target="_blank">http://artcontext.org/activism/politics/bush.php</a>

<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/nominations/" target="_blank">http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/nominations/</a>

<a href="http://www.bushwatch.net/jebwatch.htm" target="_blank">http://www.bushwatch.net/jebwatch.htm</a>

galiel

Those are all interesting sources, Buffman, but I am not sure if they relate directly to the report which spurred this topic. The specific subject of the article is not homeland security or restrictions on individual civil rights or religion in public schools, it is the issues of

a) moving from the traditional role of advisory committees, that of giving expert unbiased accurate analysis of complex issues, from which a leader can chose to act as he or she sees fit, to a model where analysis seems geared more to rationalize and justify-after-the-fact decisions made according to irrational, and probably theistic criteria; and

b) the specific mention of bowing to extreme pressure from the religious right on the issue of federal protections for human research subject. I posted this in CSS because it is an example of sacrificing secular scientific input for the sake of appeasing the Radical Right, and an example of why CSS matters. As Christopher Reeve pointed out, the hold-up in genetic reseach using stem cells has put that research back a good four years. This is an even more disturbing example - not only because of the effect on the Bush administration, but because a fundamental structural change in the role of science advisory committees will contain its own interita and runs the danger of becoming institutionalized, to the detriment and literal danger of us all.

[ September 22, 2002: Message edited by: galiel ]</p>

Buffman

I attempt to provide "all" readers of these forums with an overview of the issues under discussion. In this case, I thought it might be helpful to list some of the anti-Bush sites and present their views about the entire gamut of actions that have been undertaken, or which have been proposed(being taken), by this current administration.

If a person takes the time to review them, keeping in mind that they, also, are catering to their own vested interest goals, I believe it would help to explain how you arrived at the analysis you have in your latest post. It is not based on just one, or even two, actions by the Bush Posse. It is based on a series of moves that they have made since taking office. There is a script/Ops Plan. IMHO, weakening/destroying C-SS is a major item in that plan. (Which explains one reason why I am so strident in its support.) If they are successful, which they have certainly been so far, it opens the public money trough to be plundered and pillaged by the religious vultures while simultaneously paying back all the corporate investors in the GWB I & II political campaigns.

Naturally much of what I post will be "old hat" to those that have been closely following these trends over many years. But for some, this may be the first time that they were made aware of the scope of this assault on the U.S. Constitution and American freedoms. If just one more mind is enlightened, or shaken out of lathargy, I will consider that my time has not been wasted. If our discussions contribute to that enlightenment, all the better.

I screwed up responding to 'dk'. I should have stuck by my opinion that his posts belong in a different forum. I was very interested in the info being provided by 'doubtingt'. Separating religion (creationism) from science in the public school classrooms is a significant C-SS issue. However, that does not mean that the manner in which religion (creationism) is identified and considered in the science classroom does not merit constant review and fair consideration. The aim/goal should be to teach accurate science knowledge through critical thinking and the scientific method. I always welcome new, and quite possibly better, methods of doing exactly that. 'doubtingt' was offering a fine opportunity to discuss a new possibility...until the discussion was interrupted...with my help. I'm more upset with me than 'dk'. I should know better.

ex-idaho

I am not surprised by this move by Bush and his cabinet. Afterall, we all know how fundies handle information that conflicts with their personal dogma, they ignore it. This is just Bush ignoring things that conflict him.

galiel

I understand, and agree with your analysis. Since I consider this to be not stricly a Bush Posse issue as much as a Radical Right issue (seeing Bush as more of an idiot pawn rather than a mover-shaker), I think an additional element in all this is the educational-hijacking and science-subverting that is going on in order to institutionalize ignorance and superstition to pave the way in popular opinion for a theocratic reshaping of America.

[ September 23, 2002: Message edited by: galiel ]</p>

Oresta

God forbid that Bush might be confused by also getting information from experts who don't share his "philosphical sensibilities".
Sheesh.

Buffman

Philosophical "dogma." "Sensibilities" is an oxymoron.

galiel

My use of "Bush Posse" was intended to convey the image of all those around Bush armed with the legal authority of the offices to which they have been "appointed."

Berenger Sauniere

I'm not yet convinced that George W. Bush has any views on anything. At least not on any serious issue. He just seems to be half-ass parroting what he's been told or scripted to say.