Science > Physics > WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 4 Mar 05 Washington, DC
| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Sam Wormley" |
| Date: |
04 Mar 2005 03:38:13 PM |
| Object: |
WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 4 Mar 05 Washington, DC |
WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 4 Mar 05 Washington, DC
1. SCIENCE BUDGET: TAX REVENUES DOWN, WAR COSTS UP, BIG TROUBLE.
You don't have to be Alan Greenspan to know what happens when
taxes are cut during a costly war. And it's happening. Science,
with no champions in this administration, looks to be one of the
big losers. NASA, alone among science agencies, would get an
increase under the Bush request, but the entire 5%, and more, is
destined for the Moon-Mars Initiative, which has no discernable
science content. Meanwhile, Hubble will be dropped in the ocean.
2. MOON-MARS INITIATIVE: EXPLORING THE OUTER LIMITS OF POLITICS.
So what's really behind "The Vision"? Why is the administration
pushing so hard for a science initiative that scientists scorn,
and which won't take place on Bush's watch? Ah, but that's the
plan. It will be up to the next administration, stuck with a
huge deficit, to decide whether to go ahead with a meaningless
but staggeringly expensive program to see if humans can do what
robots are already doing. As one well-informed NASA watcher put
it, "Moon-Mars is a poison pill. It hangs responsibility for
ending the humans-in-space program on the next administration."
3. FAITH-BASED GOVERNMENT: TOO IMPORTANT TO LEAVE TO CONGRESS?
David Kuo, former deputy director of the White House Office of
Faith-Based Initiatives, complained last month that although the
conservative religious community had delivered the votes for the
Republican landslide, they hadn't seen much faith money. Stung,
the White House called a meeting with 300 religious leaders. "It
is said that faith can move mountains," the President told the
cheering throng, "and I'm here to talk about how to move that
mountain." The mountain, it seems, is Congress. Legislation to
make it easier for religious charities to obtain government cash
was blocked in Bush's first term. Although Kuo complained that
the White House wasn't committed to ending the stalemate, Bush
bypassed Capitol Hill with three executive orders establishing
faith-based offices in 10 federal agencies that passed out $2B in
2004. They pray for more. WN prays for the First Amendment.
4. THE LAW: THOU SHALT SUBJECT EACH CLAIM TO A DOUBLE-BLIND TEST.
The day after the President's meeting with religious leaders, the
Supreme Court debated whether displays of the Ten Commandments on
government property violated the separation of church and state.
The monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol, begins with the
words, "I AM the LORD thy God," followed by the first
commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." That
seems pretty clear, but Justice Kennedy suggested that, "If an
atheist walks by he can avert his eyes." Meanwhile, in Estes
Park, CO, there will be a recall election to decide whether to
unseat a Board member for refusing to say "under God" when
reciting the Pledge of Allegiance before meetings.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
.
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