MOLLY IVINS: Secrecy and fear take over White House

[kpete]

Published on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 by Working For Change
Small Things With Grave Consequences
Secrecy and fear take over White House

by Molly Ivins

In a happy harmonic convergence, Groundhog Day falls only two days after the State of the Union Address this year. Some days, I'd feel better with Punxsutawney Phil in the Oval Office -- at least he doesn't lie about the weather. The Bush administration is now trying to stop NASA's top climate scientist from speaking out on the need for prompt action on global warming. As far as we know, the groundhog isn't suppressing anyone, he just calls it as he sees it.

James E. Hansen, longtime head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, gave a speech last month calling for immediate reduction in emissions of greenhouse gases because global warming is so pressing. He says since then NASA has reviewed his coming lectures, papers, postings and requests for interviews from journalists. "They feel their job is to be this censor of information going out to the public," said Hansen. The top P.R. guy denies it, saying, "It's about coordination."

Yep, it sure is about coordination. According to the Environmental Working Group's Website, there's a coordinated, multimillion-dollar campaign funded by polluters to convince us that global warming doesn't exist -- or if it exists, it's not serious, or if it's serious, it's not an immediate threat. And so we get into another one of those weird debates where something as clear as elementary addition suddenly becomes, "Well, some say ... but then, others say."

For instance, some call it domestic spying, whereas others call it a terrorist surveillance program. Actually, it's a domestic spying program being conducted without warrants.

more at:

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0131-34.htm