To the editor:
It’s very gratifying to learn there are people like Mr. Laity who are keenly interested in science and it’s clear that his criticisms of current government policy stem from a genuine concern over the state of scientific research in this country (possibly inspired by an alarmist article in the Globe and Mail in February) rather than just the usual mindless Tory bashing.
And his views on FSA testing are indeed quite logical.
Nevertheless, upon closer examination, the scandal turns out to be much ado about very little. As far as Conservative “muzzling” of scientists goes, well, if true, it’s clear that they’re really not very good at it. There are no late-night visits from men in black and no one-way trips to the gulag for loose-lipped researchers.
In the examples cited of David Tarasick and Kristi Miller, the very fact they published their findings in the independent scientific publications Nature and Science and their findings are readily available online belies the claims of a diabolical conspiracy of suppression.
The only issue is they were not made immediately available for interviews at the whim of the left-leaning mainstream consensus media. There’s hardly an “iron curtain” of silence, as the AAAS and other politicized NGOs would have us believe.
But perhaps their condemnation of the [Prime Minister Stephen] Harper government has more to do with its lack of enthusiasm for the dubious science of anthropogenic global warming than any real or imagined cover-ups.
As for the “wall” between scientists and the public, sadly I rather doubt Canadians are clamouring en masse for detailed information from government scientists and that this “wall” is more imaginary than real.
That said, however, it’s quite true – scientific information is being actively suppressed, but not by this government.
For a fascinating exposé on the subject, I would highly recommend Peter Foster’s recent article in the Financial Post, Who’s muzzling whom over what?
Sincere thanks to Mr. Laity for bringing the serious issue of scientific censorship to light.
I. Schreifels
108 Mile Ranch
