The Administration Thinks You’re Stupid
Hard to believe, but they’re at it again.
After 2002, when a National Cancer Institute statement reporting no link between abortion and breast cancer was changed by the Bush administration to say evidence of a link was inconclusive; after the administration cut language on global warming from a 2003 report by the Environmental Protection Agency; after a government scientist was forbidden in 2001 and 2002 from discussing health hazards posed by airborne bacteria emanating from animal waste at large factory farms; after 60 scientists, 20 of them Nobel laureates, signed a statement in 2004 accusing the White House of manipulating and distorting science for political aims; after all that, Team Bush has once again been caught censoring science it dislikes.
I refer you to last week’s testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The committee produced documents demonstrating many dozens of instances in which the former chief of staff of the White House Council on Environmental Quality edited scientific reports on global warming. He cut definitive statements and replaced them with doubtful ones in order to portray climate change as something less than the settled science most experts consider it to be.
And get this: The guy changing the scientific reports is not a scientist. Philip Cooney is an oilman, previously employed by the American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s lobbying arm. When he left the government in 2005, he went to work for ExxonMobil.
Can you say conflict of interest, boys and girls?
Democrats on the committee certainly could. Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont compared Mr. Cooney to the tobacco industry “scientists” who once assured the public that cigarettes were safe.
Republicans struck back, noting that James Hansen, a NASA climatologist who accuses the government of watering down the reports, is the recipient of a $250,000 award for environmental achievement from a foundation run by Teresa Heinz Kerry, wife of Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry. Mr. Hansen, they said, is hardly without political motive.
The charge might stick except for all those prior instances of the administration changing science to fit politics. However one interprets Mr. Hansen’s motives, that pattern is still clear.
As the sins of Team Bush go, this isn’t the biggest. That dishonor goes either to bungling the war, mismanaging the peace or leaving New Orleans to drown. Yet this is, in some ways, the sin that tells you the most about the gang running this country and what they think of you and me.
Reasonable people, faced with facts leading to an unwanted conclusion, might seek to discredit said facts or find competing facts supporting a more palatable conclusion. But the Bush people simply ignore the facts, declaring reality to be whatever they say it is. And if that bespeaks a breathtaking gall, how much more gall, how much more utter contempt for people’s intelligence, is required to keep doing it after you’ve repeatedly been called on it?
I could give you many reasons this makes me angry. I could speak about the people’s right not to be propagandized by their own government. I would point out that this facts-optional approach shreds the government’s credibility.
But here’s what really burns my toast: These people think I’m stupid. And they think you’re stupid, too. What else can we conclude of a government that treats us with such brazen disdain?
They think we’re a bunch of doofuses, dimwits and dolts who will never notice that they’ve placed the interests of their cronies above our own.
For the record, I am not stupid, and I resent being treated as if I am. How about you?
Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for The Miami Herald. His column appears Sundays in The Sun. His e-mail is lpitts@miamiherald.com.
Copyright © 2007,The Baltimore Sun
For years I’ve been calling the people who adhere to all the “catapulted propaganda” from the White House “The Cyborgs.” With the movie about Jim Jones coming out, there’s been a lot about “cults” and how sane, intellegent people end up dying for whatever crazy reasons they’ve been fed. Certainly rings a bell! Big problem for George W. are those of us who aren’t plugged into Limbaugh or Fox, and have refused to drink the kool-aid. Took my ex fifteen years to make me start considering that I might be retarded. Only took me one thought in that direction to do what I should have done fifteen years earlier!
You got it wrong. The adminstration KNOWS you are stupid.
gsemsel, you have it correct. Look how many idiots voted this bunch in in 2004. He was appointed in 2000.
Quoting from a key passage in the above article:
>>Democrats on the committee certainly could. Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont compared Mr. Cooney to the tobacco industry “scientists” who once assured the public that cigarettes were safe.
That connection to tobacco industry tactics is more than mere style or coincidence. The very people and organizations that were instrumental in the Phillip Morris cover up of second hand smoke’s harmful effects (most prominently: Steve Milloy of JunkScience.com, the P.R. firm APCO, and “The Advancement of Sound Science Coalition” (TASSC) are running virtually the same campaign featuring the same key buzzwords (doubt, uncertainty, junk science, and sound science) in this case. All that has really changed is that ExxonMobil is the prime client and source of funding and the issue is climate destablization due to manmade emissions rather than health ailments due to tobacco emissions. George Monbiot has detailed this connection quite well in an article he wrote for The Guardian last year (see http://environment.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1875762,00.html). Also, MotherJones has a handy chart detailing many of the key players behind this orchestrated attempt to mislead the public into believing that credible climate scientists have arrived at substantial doubts about the notion that manmade pollution is driving feedback loops that are accelerating global warming (see http://www.motherjones.com/news/featurex/2005/05/exxon_chart.html).
gsemsel>According to the latest report’s I’m getting they stold the 2004 in Ohio, so I guess the moron hasn’t been elected yet.
Mr Pitts is right on. I will add a few comments.
SCIENTIFIC BETRAYAL
Never before have Americans experienced such dangerous manipulation of essential scientific data, as used by this administration to derail vital environmental reforms, conservation, family planning– and the list goes on. The resulting long term environmental and social damage are beyond measure, and can only worsen if not curtailed.
Despite their clandestine cloak, or environmental friendly disguises, these sellouts have been evident since Bush first was handed the presidency. They have been exposed by defectors from the EPA, health & human services, etc; and have been documented and chronicled by numerous dedicated environmental organizations including The Union of Concerned Scientists.
The gravity of these unprecedented betrayals eclipses the Monica Lewinski scandal which led to an impeachment, and pose greater dangers than Watergate which terminated a presidency. Blame falls mainly on the populace and our legislators for tolerating this reckless and arrogant occupant of the White House.
And Leonard, this surprises you?
The real point is that many Americans WANT to be lied to so they don’t have to face the truth about their consumer/lifestyle choices, the effects of those choices, and the behavior of the corporations that cater to those choices. It used to be not so long ago, that the lies and obfuscations just had to sound reasonably grounded in something believable, now the corporadoes and their Washington protectors simply say “no it isn’t so, because we say it isn’t” and a large number of people will believe it. You can point out the obvious conflicts of interest and they’ll STILL believe it. The polluters and their Congressional friends are protecting their monetary interests while many people are protecting their inculcated worldview that allows them to sleep at night while doing nothing to stop the degradation of our planet. Its easier that way and let’s face it - nowadays common folk tend to get stepped on rather hard in the real world for speaking against the what the corporate system wants.
I think we really need to understand the denial - its at least a big an obstacle as the politicians and corporatists.
Oh, did you also know that we are winning the war in Iraq? Yuppers, we sure are. Just ask Dick Cheney.
Dear Leonard Pitts:
Imagine: on the same day you and the editors of the New York Times write articles that should incite articles of impeachment — you on the political manipulation of scientific evidence the Times for the immorality and injustice of Guantanimo and the dismissal of council on such — all this with the back drop that political manipulation went on in the “Justice” department.
How is it that all of the editors of all the newspapers in this nation still stand by this Neocon administration when it has in fact become the American Citizen’s greatest threat to their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness — even your Baltimore Sun?
Help stop the Neocon crusade — help spare the Nation and the innocent people of the middle-east the impending Custer’s Last Stand and Wounded Knee to the 10th power. Gold was discovered in the sovereign Indian land of the Black Hills and “the Freedom Trail” was the US response, oil was bubbling to the top of the Iraqi desert with no Russian counter force remaining and “Iraqi Freedom” was the US response.
Pelosi for President, Warner for Vice President, and a Lincoln Cabinet and let’s get ourselves out of this mess. If you and your paper had a shred of human dignity instead of being consumed by fear, not stupidity, you would call for impeachment today and everyday until the threat is contained!
gsemsel & kittylady: also consider that over 50,000,000 did NOT vote for the morons and likely more millions of uncounted votes. That shows that millions of us are NOT stupid. Also, I think ‘lazy’ could be added to the ’stupid’ since they, the sheeple who actually voted for Bush in 2004, did not do their own homework, but drank the koolaid. The lazy and the stupid could be our downfall and we must do something to educate them. We also need to greatly improve our election process.
IMPEACH them now!!
Exactly right Puck Twain and Southern Yankee.
Bush and Cheney should be impeached.
The US government is failing.
I think it isn’t stupidity that is stopping an impeachment. People are afraid of what disrupting the government will mean at a time when there are so many pressing issues.
My guess is that the people who really have power (and its pretty obvious now that the US is not a democracy) have decided to whittle away at the Bush administration and replace the people in the White House one by one, until there is some competency.
The best science teacher in our district is taking early retirement. “How can I teach science when the federal government is teaching citizens to regard science as pure politics, and to manipulate data at will?”
It broke my heart. This is someone who has inspired students for years. But what could I say to her? She has it exactly right.
We, as citizens, have the responsibility to demand that our Representatives in Congress perform by demanding the truth in their oversight committees. Thus far, they have not done the job with this administration. If, they do not represent us, then, again, it is our responsibility to nominate and elect new respresentatives to a
Congress that represents the people. We have the machinery. Let’s make it work by recruiting our own representatives so we can have our democracy with checks and balances. . . not the current rubber stamp/dictatorship.
The scariest thing is the corporations are running America and people will settle as long as they have a job.
Life in the USA and all over the world has not gotten better for the average person since globalization and corporate ownership.
The only beneficaries are the corporations, corrupt government and the rich.
People are an imposition upon the corporations and they allow genocide to exist and probally sponsor it.
People cannot see wages have fallen and living conditions are worsening except for the rich.
There just are not enough department store jobs to go around.
Bush dispises the working person.
“The guy changing the scientific reports is not a scientist. Philip Cooney is an oilman, previously employed by the American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s lobbying arm. When he left the government in 2005, he went to work for ExxonMobil.”
Mission accomplished! He finally got the job he wanted for selling-out his fellow citizens.
Imagine all the lies and cover-ups historians and others will find when they can get their hands on the documentation of this presidency….unfortunately, Bush and gang will either be dead or beyond prosecution.
They don’t think were stupid..THEY DON’T CARE WHAT WE THINK.PERIOD!What “WE THE PEOPLE” have to do, is exercise our constitutional right and “IMPEACH”!
That is the only thing I believe will send a clear meassage to the this adminstation and any future adminstation that might think about abusing the power we have given them.
Yes, they do think we’re stupid. And they would be right.
IMPEACHMENT is now the only remedy.
Another final proof that they know we are stupid: while the rest of professional politics jockeys for political advantage over Iraq, no-one yet has been able to stop Bush’s escalating threat against Iran. No-one wants this except an out of control administration and their sociopathic think tanks. Kucinich is correct; we’ve got to somehow shake them awake - Bush is committing a crime right before our eyes. Again.
What all of you fail to understand is not that the American public is stupid or is treated as such but that they just want to be blameless. The American way, as evidenced by our lawyers and courts, is to exonerate oneself by just saying that it just “isn’t my fault”. People accept being lied to because it exonerates them from all blame. People will vote for, or support a liar and then when the lies come out they simply say that “it wasn’t my fault” because I was lied to. As long as they can blame someone else “it’s not their fault”. This is the way politics and businesses run, they know the truth about America. By the time the lie comes out it’s too late. No one wants to find out the truth beforehand because then they can’t be blameless. If you don’t know any better how can you be blamed. Therefore stupidity or ignorance is an asset.
The true Americam motto today should be “IT’S NOT MY FAULT”
Mr Pitts is an excelent writer, that I will saygreatly enjoy his occasional rants publsihed here in Redneck Riviera, Myrtle Beach
but me, we need revolution
violent overthrow of the current stutus quo,
unless these corrupt and seemingly the same Demos initiate IMMEDIATE change,of which i really have no faith, and they have no balls as they are bought, as are most politicians and of course lawyers=fish bait
impeach and hang in public these fool texans and their cronies
NOW!
we are only pissing off the rest of the world and yes you
1. arrogant,2.greedy. 3.ignorant, 4.obese, 5.xenophobic USA/N. American people, you are NOT the only folks on this humble little planet
best to get it together
otherwise maybe the 14/15 year olds will realize their future and take up actions, whatever they may be
but;and as the title of this article staes, you are nothing but sheeple in your cushy fat lives with your cell phones, SUV’s and video games
at least we were made to play outside when I was growing up, in the 50’s,60’s,
who cares you old idiots, just look out for yourselves as it seems to be the norm here, especially HERE in the south
whatever, “eat mo’ fish”
i get to go back to paradise in Central America next week
That makes us even.
It’s time to throw the money changers out of the temple. Flood the offices of your senators, congressman, and speaker of the house with one word over and over again: IMPEACH !!!!!!!!