The War on Science: 2+2=4, Right?
Do You Want to Keep it That Way?
In Washington DC and 31 other cities, the all volunteer Stand Up for Science group (and others) will be hosting rallies Friday, March 7.
Pay attention, people. This is important.
Attendees will hear many personal accounts about why science matters, along with demands for ending government censorship, securing and expanding funding, and defending diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in research, application, and education.
The Trump administration’s executive orders have restricted research, silenced climate scientists and cut funding as part of a systematic targeting of the scientific community.
There are too many examples to list here, but suffice it to say the thrust of the administration’s efforts (as outlined in Project 2025) falls into two categories: Misinformation and Privatization.
The NIH PubMed website, the archive accessed by all global health researchers, “blinked “ last week. Temporarily gone were the indexes of 37 million scientific articles and papers. It appears this resource, maintained by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), based in Bethesda, Maryland is undergoing scrutiny to ensure that the content is in line with the Trump administration perspective.
Given the amount of data, it will take time to verify exactly what’s being altered in some fashion, but given the lack of science knowledge among DOGE technicians, it will undoubtedly damage the results and credibility of research throughout the world.
Speaking of not-credible research, Senator Ted Cruz’ diatribes against “wokeness” provide examples of research compiled by Senate staffers that would be impacted through this government-wide search for words offensive to the MAGA minority.
Propublica did its own search of the database cited by the Texas Senator, asking ChatGPT, which can sift through large amounts of data, to evaluate all 3,500 grant descriptions in the database as if it were an investigative journalist looking for Marxist propaganda, “woke ideology,” or diversity, equity and inclusion.
The committee’s choice of keywords is so sweeping that shutting down the research that uses those terms would end not just diversity programs but also vast fields of research on social science (“Black communities,” “racial inequality,” “LGBT”), climate change (“net zero,” “climate research,” “clean energy”) and medicine (“white women,” “victims,” “trauma”).
If any research related to women or minority populations is under fire, then “we’re talking about maybe 65% of the American population. So at that point, what’s left?” said Dominic Boyer, an anthropology professor at Rice University whose project on reducing flood risk was flagged by the committee. “Under what authority, or according to what philosophy, can a government invalidate or discredit research that’s focusing on two-thirds of the population?”
This anti-woke agenda is not just a matter of searching through research and studies, it has real life impacts.
The new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is likely to reverse the long-standing federal position that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases endanger the public.
Another ProPublica investigation revealed an industry backed congressional push to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from using hundreds of chemical assessments completed by its IRIS program in environmental regulations or enforcement.
Most people don’t know IRIS, as the program is called, but it is the scientific engine of the agency that protects human health and the environment. Its scientists assess the toxicity of chemicals, estimating the amount of each that triggers cancer and other health effects. And these values serve as the independent, nonpartisan basis for the rules, regulations and permits that limit our exposure to toxic chemicals.
Now IRIS faces the gravest threat to its existence since it was created under President Ronald Reagan four decades ago.
Legislation introduced in Congress would prohibit the EPA from using any of IRIS’ hundreds of chemical assessments in environmental rules, regulations, enforcement actions and permits that limit the amount of pollution allowed into air and water. The EPA would also be forbidden from using them to map the health risks from toxic chemicals. The bills, filed in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives earlier this year, are championed by companies that make and use chemicals, along with industry groups that have long opposed environmental rules. If it becomes law, the “No IRIS Act,” as it’s called, would essentially bar the agency from carrying out its mission, experts told ProPublica.
Project 2025 is blatant about a desire to privatize government research, observations, and forecasts regarding climate change and weather.
The Commerce Department has laid off hundreds of NOAA employees, many with specialized skills who work at one of the world's top climate science and weather forecasting agencies.
Why it matters: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is responsible for providing weather watches and warnings, monitoring and studying Earth's climate, as well as operating weather satellites and protecting marine life.
The layoffs of probationary employees that began soon after cuts at the behest of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency occurred at other climate and environment agencies.
The big picture: NOAA's missions require staff to work around the clock to monitor dangerous weather, earthquakes that could cause tsunamis, and other hazards.
Misinformation on these changes was rampant on the internet, with MAGA-types proudly saying their weather apps were as good or better than official forecasts. (95% of the data used in commercial weather products is gathered through NOAA.)
The nation’s health will suffer, as the impacts of years of dis/mis-information have been accepted as gospel by right-wingers.
Anti-vaxxers were supposedly aghast at HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy’s endorsement of measles vaccines recently. The first measles death in a decade from an outbreak in Texas made it politically necessary for the administration to appear as though they were taking action.
Kennedy has somewhat mitigated anti-vax angst by proclaiming that non-prescription treatments (Vitamin A, Cod Liver Oil) were successful in treating measles patients. The studies documenting vitamin A as a prophylactic or treatment were done on children already suffering from nutritional deficiencies. It had no impact on children who were not malnourished.
These sorts of claims associated with health are rampant today, and the fallen death rate among children is the most potent argument against such nonsense. I should point out that the “medical supplements” industry is chock full of grifters willing to endorse rumors and disinformation. It should surprise nobody that the industry is a source of funding for right wing extremists.
The mistrust of science is part of a global rejection of institutions. People increasingly trust individuals they connect with over organizations and credentials. That's why podcast hosts shape public opinions on science more effectively than PhDs can.
High profile science figures are regularly targeted by extremists with death threats, doxxing, and personal disparagement. JAMA Network Open published the results of a study, aiming to examine the experiences of physicians, biomedical scientists, and trainees who faced online harassment,
The survey study, deemed exempt from review and informed consent, utilized questions from a prior study and recruited participants through Twitter. Inclusion criteria involved US residence and self-reported profession, and participant responses were collected from July 18-August 21, 2022. Demographic information was collected, and comparative statistics were calculated using χ2 analyses.
Out of 1028 survey views, 359 respondents met the inclusion criteria. The majority of respondents fell into the 35-44 age range, with a mix of gender identities. A significant portion (66%) reported experiencing harassment on social media, with advocacy being the primary reason. Gender (45%), race or ethnicity (27%), sexual orientation (13%), disability (6%), and other self-described reasons (31%) were also factors contributing to harassment.
Women (67%) and other genders (58%) reported higher levels of gender-based harassment compared to men (13%). Similarly, individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds reported higher rates of race or ethnicity-based harassment. Broken down, 82% of Black respondents reported harassment directed at their race or ethnicity, compared to 52% of Asian respondents and 15% of White respondents. Among Hispanic participants, 69% reported race- or ethnicity-based harassment, compared to 25% of non-Hispanic respondents.
Science denial is used in creating attacks against transgender people, in particular the assertion by people like Rep. Nancy Mace who seems to think she's being smart by posting “you only have XX or YY chromosomes, those are the options. “
The truth is that 1 in 2,000 babies are born intersex. People with Klinefelter (XXY) or Turner syndrome (XO) exist, for instance.
Denying science (or making stuff up) regarding humans is a basis for otherizing people whose existence is challenging the established social order (patriarchy, racism). Dividing people is a necessary precondition for authoritarian rule.
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The 3.5% Rule: The Power of Small but Mighty Movements
Political scientist Erica Chenoweth studied over 300 uprisings across history and found something remarkable: When just 3.5% of the population actively joins a movement, she says, change becomes inevitable. From the BBC:
Looking at hundreds of campaigns over the last century, Chenoweth found that nonviolent campaigns are twice as likely to achieve their goals as violent campaigns. And although the exact dynamics will depend on many factors, she has shown it takes around 3.5% of the population actively participating in the protests to ensure serious political change.
“There weren’t any campaigns that had failed after they had achieved 3.5% participation during a peak event,” Chenoweth said.
That's not a huge majority. That's not waiting for "everyone else" to wake up. That's a small, determined group of people who decide enough is enough.
And here's what matters: In Chenoweth's extensive data set, every nonviolent movement that reached that 3.5% threshold succeeded – whether toppling dictators, dismantling apartheid, or securing fundamental rights.
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When you look at organizing to achieve a passionate 3.5% of the populace, it’s very achievable. That’s all it takes to non-violently overthrow an authoritarian regime.
What are you waiting for?
Via the folks with Change Begins With Me, here are some upcoming events that may be of interest. I’ll be doing my best to alert readers to events as fast as I learn of them.
3/07 – WE RISE FOR JUSTICE with Leah Greenberg & Susan Crawford
3/07 – Stand Up For Science Rally -UCSD Geisel Library, Noon
3/07 - 50501 Stand Up for Science Rally & March - City Hall 2pm to Waterfront Park 4pm
3/07 - 3/14 – Amazon Blackout
From March 7 – March 14, we do not make a single purchase from:
Amazon.com – No Prime orders, no impulse buys.
Kindle & Audible – No eBook or audiobook purchases.
Whole Foods & Amazon Fresh – Buy groceries elsewhere.
Twitch, Ring, MGM, and all Amazon-owned brands – No support.
3/07 - Issa Hold A Town Hall Rally, 10:30-11:30am WEEKLY, 221 W Crest St #110, Escondido
3/08 - International Women's Day,
Playground Edition & Rally- 9:30-11am Waterfront Park Playground, Pacific Highway,
3/08 – International Women's Day,11am, Unite & Resist County Administration Bldg, 1600 Pacific Hwy
3/08- International Women’s Day Indivisible North County is organizing a sign-waving protest/rally in Oceanside from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the corner of Oceanside and College Blvds.
3/09 - Stand With Ukraine Rally - 2-4pm, Balboa Park at El Cid Statue, 1450 El Prado
3/10 – SD350 Climate March and Rally - 11am, US District Court, 333 West Broadway
3/10 – Public Power Meeting - RSVP by sending an email to info@publicpowersd.org
3/15 – Tesla Take Down Encinitas, 1PM
3/21-3/28 – Nestle Blackout, details tba
4/07-4/14 – Walmart Blackout, details tba
4/18 – Total Blackout 2, details tba
Click HERE for more upcoming events.
Before Taxpayers Association CEO Quit, School District Leaders Soured on Bond Endorsement Process by Joe Hong at Voice of San Diego
The course, taught by Hong and featuring guest speakers from across the school construction industry, costs districts $1,200 for each attendee. Lani Lutar, who served as the president and CEO of the Taxpayers Association from 2006 to 2013, said this course used to cost less than $200 per person during her tenure.
Mark Nelson, a former board member of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, said he had concerns that Hong and his staff were unfairly judging administrators who did not take the class.
“That was a growing concern for me,” Nelson said. “I think as it went on, there was increasing discussion about who didn’t show, as if that was somewhat of an indictment of their ability to carry out their duties.”
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GOP must cut Medicaid or Medicare to achieve budget goals, CBO finds by Jacob Bogage at the Washington Post
But the House GOP’s budget, which passed last week in a hairline vote, asks the committee responsible for federal health-care spending to find at least $880 billion in savings over 10 years. And the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday that reducing costs that much won’t be possible without cuts to Medicare, Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Without those programs, funding within the Energy and Commerce Committee’s jurisdiction totals $381 billion, and of that amount, more than half is already paid for by collection programs or user fees. That means that even if the committee eliminated every program besides those safety net benefits, it would be able to save a maximum of $135 billion — far less than the $880 billion the budget calls for.
“This analysis from the nonpartisan CBO confirms what we’ve been saying all along: Republicans are lying about their budget,” said Rep. Brendan Boyle (Pennsylvania), the top Democrat on the Budget Committee. His office requested the CBO report. “Their plan would force the largest Medicaid cuts in American history — all to pay for more tax giveaways to billionaires. This is a complete betrayal of the middle class, and Democrats will keep fighting to stop them.”
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Exclusive-Trump plans to revoke legal status of Ukrainians who fled to US, sources say by Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke at Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation.
The move, expected as soon as April, would be a stunning reversal of the welcome Ukrainians received under President Joe Biden's administration.
The planned rollback of protections for Ukrainians was underway before Trump publicly feuded with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy last week. It is part of a broader Trump administration effort to strip legal status from more than 1.8 million migrants allowed to enter the U.S. under temporary humanitarian parole programs launched under the Biden administration, the sources said.
