Science!!!

From the 12/14/06 Progress Report:

SCIENCE -- UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS RELEASES 'A TO Z GUIDE TO POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN SCIENCE': "Some 10,000 US researchers have signed a statement protesting about political interference in the scientific process," BBC reports today. "The statement, which includes the backing of 52 Nobel Laureates, demands a restoration of scientific integrity in government policy." Along with the statement, the Union of Concerned Scientists have released their "A to Z Guide to Political Interference in Science." The report, laid out in the style of the periodic table, "documents dozens of recent allegations involving censorship and political interference in federal science, covering issues ranging from global warming to sex education." "In recent years," UCS writes, "scientists who work for and advise the federal government have seen their work manipulated, suppressed, distorted, while agencies have systematically limited public and policy maker access to critical scientific information." "It's very difficult to make good public policy without good science, and it's even harder to make good public policy with bad science," said Dr Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security. "In the last several years, we've seen an increase in both the misuse of science and I would say an increase of bad science in a number of very important issues; for example, in global climate change, international peace and security, and water resources."