The Canadian government in recent years has banned government scientists from talking about a growing list of research topics including: snowflakes, the ozone layer, salmon, and previously published work about a 13,000-year-old flood.
Now it seems the scientists are talking back.
Researchers in 16 Canadian cities have called protests on Monday against science policies introduced under the government of Stephen Harper, which include rules barring government researchers from talking about their own work with journalists and, in some cases, even fellow researchers.
"There a lot of concern in Canada right now about government scientists not being allowed to speak about their research to the public because of the new communications policies being put into place," said Katie Gibbs, director of a new group, Evidence for Democracy, which is organising the protests.
The rallies, on university campuses and central locations in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver as well as other cities, will be the second set of protests in a year by government scientists against the Harper government's science policies.
Like last year, protesters have been asked to wear white lab coats on Monday.
The clashes with the government have been building for some time, as basic science budgets are cut back to divert more funds towards industry-focussed research.
Apparently these protests have been happening since last year. Last year America!
So here is my question.
With Republicans attacking climate science at every turn, a concerted effort to teach Creationism in some of our public schools, and the general dumbing down of the science curriculum happening throughout our education system, where are OUR scientist protests?
I mean certainly in America we have been dealing with scientific censorship and the vilification of scientists FAR longer than Canada so where are the unified voices from OUR great scientific minds yelling "Enough is enough?"
If that happened it would get huge coverage by the media and really go along way toward bringing attention to some of the most destructive policies being implemented today. It would also help to fight the prejudice against science which is being actively promoted by some religious leaders and conservatives.
Personally I am disappointed that we are being shamed by Canada. Not only do they have Universal Health Care, and limits on corporate spending toward elections in place, but now they also have more courageous scientists.
Harper is known here as "Bush Lite."
ReplyDeleteO/T but a real clever ad:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17/carl-sciortino_n_3942005.html?utm_hp_ref=politics
The crazy and demented is strong in this one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/klayman-mr-president-put-quran-down-get-your-knees-and-come-out-your-hands
It appears our scientists are also muzzled - and afraid to stand up and be counted like the Canadian scientists. Government should be funding scientific research, not shutting down knowledge and impeding scientists from sharing their research. Guess this whole idea just slid by my consciousness, but I will watching for scientific information intentionally now.
ReplyDeleteOne reason scientists here aren't protesting in this way is because our government is no longer muzzling scientific reports they way they were in the Bush administration. There was plenty of uproar then, but as nobody in journalism pays attention to science (look, for instance, at how the New York Times abolished its regular science reporter position), and the majority of the public are basically scientifically illiterate, the uproar remained largely known to the scientific community, and those who pay attention to topics such as climate change. But the chief grievance scientists have with our government now is the devastating effects of the sequester, which most people just can't be bothered to try to understand. Scientists appearing in lab coats in public every Monday might bring some awareness, but not enough to change anything. Public apathy is just appalling.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Well stated.
DeleteI think a lot of it has to do with funding dollars, how they're allocated, and the fear of losing even more funding dollars for the research they can do, if they retaliate.
ReplyDelete