A quote from former surgeon general Dr. Richard Carmona, on the Bush administration's efforts to politicize his office and "muzzle" him on key issues like embryonic stem cells and abstinence only programs. Carmona served as Surgeon General from 2002-2006.
"Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried... The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science, or marginalizing the voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds. The job of surgeon general is to be the doctor of the nation, not the doctor of a political party."
Regarding stem cell research, Carmona said he was prevented from talking publicly even about the science underpinning the research to enable the U.S. public to have a better understanding of a complicated issue. He said most of the public debate over the matter has been driven by political, ideological or theological motivations.
"I was blocked at every turn. I was told the decision had already been made -- stand down, don't talk about it."Do we really expect anything different? It's just another day in the bizarro world of the Bush White House.
Read the entire story here.
ShareThis
1 comment:
The kicker was that he wasn't allowed to attend the special olympics because the Kennedys started the special olympics!How small minded, petty,and stupid can this administration be?They are a fucking disgrace with everything the do or touch
Post a Comment