Science was under assault last week by an un-educated President and his staff. They think they can supercede the findings of science. Even if the findings don’t agree with their personal and political views.
Hurricane Harvey inflicted its wrath on Houston and most of East Texas in September 2017. I painted a series of 4 canvases to show that hurricanes cause harm to property, and people. The painting above may be a family or friends wading through flooded streets to find shelter. I believe that science should be in the service of people. The forecasters provide warnings about the storm and its aftermath. It’s what helps people. When narcissistic politicians intrude into the nature science, they corrupt the findings. This leads to the distrust of science and scientists.
Assault on Science
Science has been under assault during the entire period of time Trump has been in office. Scientists in several departments, especially the EPA, and Commerce Dept. are under attack.
It’s not the first time. Republicans have altered the nature of the science. In some cases. administrators have changed findings to agree with findings.
Chris Mooney documented this in his book, The Republican War on Science. In Bush’s assault on science, was to please political and religious groups.
In Trump’s case, not only has politics and religion played a part, but the most egregious sin committed by Trump is his form of narcissism that is of the loud kind. He brags, he boasts, I’m smart, I’m really smart, he insults, and is obsessed with numbers (see Craig Malkin’s chapter, Pathological Narcissism and Politics in The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, edited by Bandy Lee, M.D.). Trump simply can never be wrong or corrected because he’s such an “extremely stable genius.”
The nature of science in the American government is second to none, but when it is tampered with by policy makers, legislators, and the “I’m never wrong” president, then the integrity of science is harmed. In this case, the National Weather Service in Birmingham, Alabama, was rebuked by its own parent administrators. The NOAA leadership has contributed to the erosion of public trust, and supported the lies of Donald Trump, who altered a National Weather Service document, which in itself is illegal. But more importantly, it is one more example of this administration’s attacks on government science.
Science that is published by the government is important to the well-being of American citizens, whether that research is funded by the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Agriculture Department, or in this case the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center.
The Trump administration has instilled a culture of fear across many of these government agencies. In this case, NOAA warned it scientists not to contradict the president’s false weather prediction story. This, when everyone in the room knows that Trump was lying in order to cover up his initial statement that “Alabama would see impacts from hurricane Dorian.” For heaven’s sake, he used a $3 Sharpie to distort the map. Not only were NOAA scientists told to uphold Trump’s false statements, but they rebuked Birmingham National Weather Service meteorologists.
Working conditions in which you have to look over your back to see who’s watching is not a joke these days, but a reality for many women and men who work in the service of science. Weather forecasting is a crucial science whose results impact millions of people day to day.
Science for the people
Scientists in government departments do work that is in the service of citizens of the United States. They need our support in these days of intimidation and attacks, and the fear of losing their jobs, and of simply speaking on the results of their research.
Speak out in their behalf. Call your representative or senator and tell them to speak out against the administration’s attack on science.
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