Richard Carmona served as President Bush’s first Surgeon General from 2002-2006. Today spoke before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and revealed that political appointees in the Bush administration muzzled him on key issues such as “stem cell research, contraceptives and his misgivings about the administration’s embrace of ‘abstinence-only’ sex education”. Two other surgeon generals were at his side giving similar testimony.
From the NYT's
The administration, Dr. Carmona said, would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues. Top officials delayed for years and tried to “water down” a landmark report on secondhand smoke, he said. Released last year, the report concluded that even brief exposure to cigarette smoke could cause immediate harm.
And then what seems to be the main theme to this blog:
He described attending a meeting of top officials in which the subject of global warming was discussed. The officials concluded that global warming was a liberal cause and dismissed it, he said.
“And I said to myself, ‘I realize why I’ve been invited. They want me to discuss the science because they obviously don’t understand the science,’ ” he said. “I was never invited back.”
It looks like the petition that states:
Other administrations have, on occasion, engaged in such practices, but not so systematically nor on so wide a front.
Is becoming more and more accurate by the day.
Source:
New York Times, Surgeon General Sees 4-Year Term as Compromised, GARDINER HARRIS, July 11, 2007
Thinkprogress.org, Former Surgeon General Was Muzzled, Censored By Bush Administration, Amanda July 10, 2007 1:32 pm
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