Bush Admin Stops Park Service From Telling Geologic Age Of Grand Canyon

[Jcrowley]

Park Service inanity: they won't tell us how old the Grand Canyon is
Posted by Don Hazen on December 28, 2006 at 6:34 PM.

According to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) in a report released this week , Grand Canyon National Park is not permitted to give an official estimate of the geologic age of its principal feature, due to pressure from Bush administration appointees.

Furthermore, a book approved by the Service claiming the Grand Canyon was created by Noah's flood ,rather than by geologic forces, is on sale in the park for more than three years, even though a review was promised to Congress and the press. A Freedom of Information request reveals that no review has ever been requested, nor taken place.

"In order to avoid offending religious fundamentalists, our National Park Service is under orders to suspend its belief in geology," stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. "It is disconcerting that the official position of a national park as to the geologic age of the Grand Canyon is 'no comment.'" PEER urged the new Director of the National Park Service (NPS), Mary Bomar, to end the stalling tactics, remove the book from sale at the park and allow park interpretive rangers to honestly answer questions from the public about the geologic age of the Grand Canyon.

Hard to believe... where is Richard Dawkins when we need him?

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/#46043

[Beetwasher]

1. THIS IS NOT THE ONION

Insane.

[Deep13]

2. Apart from being insane as previously noted,...

...it is a 1st Amendment violation for muzzling the truth.

[Book Lover]

3. Is there a line between tragedy and farce any longer? (nm)

[mcscajun]

19. Yup. Look behind you.

Yeah, we all passed it back in 2001 when Shrub took over.

Ugh.

[Th1onein]

4. Unbelieveable.

Simply unbelieveable. WHAT has this IDIOT done to our country? Every American ought to be absolutely enraged at the damage this nutcase has caused America and Americans. We are LETTING him get away with this if we don't do something. Why don't every one of us write a letter EVERY DAY, to our Senators and Congressmen? God knows, we have enough issues to talk about, to go on, with a different letter, every day, for at least a year.

[Jcrowley]

5. So I'm guessing

you don't believe the Canyon was caused by Noah's flood? Perhaps you simply need some reprogramming. Where the H-E-Double Toothpicks is Moses now.

[OneBlueSky]

6. every time I read something like this, it's like I've fallen down the rabbit hole . . .

and found myself in Wonderland . . .

and there's this damned cat up in a tree, with this really evil grin . . .

[Supersedeas]

10. Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore...

[Marr]

7. This is the sort of thing I'd have expected from the Taliban.

[Garbo 2004]

8. Previous active thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2995921

[Uncle Joe]

9. The dumbing down of America in all it's glory!

How pathetic, these deceivers of the people of faith only reflecting their own lack of faith. The only thing they believe is, if the people are ignorant, they can be manipulated.

[peacetalksforall]

11. So, how many centuries of learning have been reversed. I can't

tolerate these __________________(neanderthals?)

[LSK]

12. dupe thread but still - K&R and WTF!!!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2995921&mesg_id=2995921

[peacetalksforall]

13. So this is buying votes with more lies. Imagine that one of these

radicals who is demanding these distortions has a parent or grandparent or ancestor who is/was a scientist? Do they disown them? Do they take their names out of the lists of sanctified when if they are Mormon? Do they rip a photograph of the scientist-ancestor out of an album?

Do religious nuts refuse to allow their children to major in science?

The Republican Party seems to think it's OK to substitute lies for truth - hard earned truth. Yes, buying votes reverses the development of man.

It's time to split the country. I can't take this crap anymore.

Let them save all their fetuses and fight their own wars with their own kids.

DO NOT FORGET TO REPEAT THESE FACTS - ENDLESSLY - TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT THE ABSURDITY OF THIS ADMINISTRATION AND ITS MARIONETTE PRESIDENT!

[blueButGlad]

14. Bush tells NASA-dont "discount intelligent design by a creator"

2006: The Times reported that it had been given a copy of a government email telling a worker at NASA that all references to the Big Bang must be followed with the word 'theory'. The directive comes from George Deutsch, a 24-year-old ‘presidential appointee’ and former employee of the Bush-Cheney campaign. Mr. Deutsch instructed the NASA contractor that the Big Bang was “not proven fact; it is opinion” and added “It is not NASA's place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator”. NASA did not deny the authenticity of the emails. The White House did not respond to NY Times’ questions as to why this 24-year-old, lacking a background in science, was overseeing the scientific content of work produced by NASA personnel. Mr. Deutsch would resign the following week after Texas A&M University confirmed that Deutsch was not a graduate, despite a résumé stating that he was.

excerpt from the feb 3rd entry of the daily-proof-bush-is-wacko calendar www.poorGeorgesAlmanac.om

[Nothing Without Hope]

15. ***From Oct 2005: POLITICAL SCREENING FOR ALL PARK SERVICE MANAGERS:***

DU thread on this, Oct 13, 2005 (based on the following PEER press release):
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1847618

The October 13, 2005 PEER press release on this issue:

http://www.peer.org/news/print_detail.php?row_id=598
Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility News Release (www.peer.org)

For Immediate Release: October 13, 2005
Contact: Carol Goldberg [phone]

POLITICAL SCREENING FOR ALL PARK SERVICE MANAGERS

Mid-Level Managers Picked for Fealty to “the President’s Management Agenda”

Washington, DC — The National Park Service has started using a political loyalty test for picking all its top civil service positions, according to an agency directive released today by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Under the new order, all mid-level managers and above must also be approved by a Bush administration political appointee.

The October 11, 2005 order issued by NPS Director Fran Mainella requires that the selection criteria for all civil service management slots (Government Service grades or GS-13, 14 and 15) include the “ability to lead employees in achieving the …Secretary’s 4Cs and the President’s Management Agenda.” In addition, candidates must be screened by Park Service headquarters and “the Assistant Secretary for Fish, and Wildlife, and Parks,” the number three political appointee in the agency.

The order represents a complete centralization of Park Service promotion and hiring in what has traditionally been a decentralized agency. More strikingly, the order is an unprecedented political intrusion into what are supposed to be non-partisan, merit system personnel decisions.

The President’s Management Agenda includes controversial policies and proposals such as aggressive use of outsourcing to replace civil servants, reliance on “faith-based initiatives” and rollbacks of civil service rights. Interior Secretary Gale Norton’s “4Cs” is a slogan she uses to express her management approach: “4 Cs: communication, consultation, cooperation, all in the service of conservation.”

“It is outrageous that park superintendents must swear political loyalty to the Bush agenda and parrot hokey mottos in order to earn a promotion,” stated PEER Executive Director Jeff Ruch. “The merit system is supposed to be about ability, not apple polishing.”

The order applies to all hires for park superintendents, assistant superintendents and program managers, such as chief ranger or the head of interpretive or cultural programs. Overall, the policy applies to more than 1,000 mid-level management and supervisory positions in the Park Service.

“Presidents come and go but the civil service is designed to serve whoever occupies the swivel chair in the Oval Office,” Ruch added. “It is downright creepy that now every museum curator, supervising scientist and chief ranger must be okayed by a high-level political appointee.”

###

Read the October 11 “Revised Procedures for GS-13, GS-14, and GS-15 Selections”:
http://www.peer.org/docs/nps/05_13_10_hiring_directive.pdf

Revisit the President’s Management Agenda
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2002/mgmt.pdf

[Nothing Without Hope]

16. kick for visibility

The earlier post of this story will fall off the greaest page and this one will take its place. Here's the earlier post:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2995921

[drm604]

17. K&R

:crazy:

[mcscajun]

18. Okay, that's IT!

I've had it with this moronic maladministration and their continual kowtowing to the forces of religious intolerance and faith-based ignorance!

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Maybe it will feel better when I stop...if I stop. If I can stop. :(