Information Manipulation & The Environment

In February, 2004, the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non- political, highly respected organization of scientists in many fields all over the world, published a document called Scientific Integrity in Policymaking: An Investigation into the Bush Administration's Misuse of Science.

Here are the main points about the Bush Administration made in that paper:

It suppresses and distorts certain scientific data
It smothers opinions other than its own
It muzzles certain government scientists
Its manipulation, suppression, and misrepresentation of science is unprecedented in US history

The page where you can read and download the 2004 report and an update, plus find other links of the same sort, can be accesseds here.

During my European years, every chance I got I visited German libraries and read newspapers and magazines published during the days leading up to World War Two. I wanted to know how a people such as the Germans -- with a genetic makeup same as my own and, during the 1930s, surely the most highly educated people on Earth -- could have allowed themselves to sink into the social insanity that enabled them to embrace Nazism and that political party's horrible policies.

Of the many causes, I believe that none was more important than this: The Nazis, with Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels in charge of propaganda, very artfully manipulated public sentiment through systematic, unceasing distortion of information, and outright lying. The Nazis found that if they repeated any lie often enough, loudly enough, in impressive enough surroundings, enough people eventually believed them for the Nazi Party to have its way.

If you download the full UCS report, note that a disproportionate part of the Bush Administration's information manipulation relates to environmental issues, particularly climate research. Distortions of information about mercury emissions from power plants, the Endangered Species Act, forest management, and lead poisoning also are documented. And of course issues of war and peace affect the environment as much as anything, and we all know of the distortions advanced by the Administration there.

The Nazis manipulated public sentiment by distorting the truth, and a horrible Holocaust resulted. It is clear to me that now a much more destructive worldwide ecological holocaust may be in the making, and part of the reason is that powerful people are distorting information for their own political gain.

What is an individual to do?

The part of the answer that I can see is this: Right now each of us must take a fresh look at his or her own life, believe what his or her own intelligence and instincts indicate, and become more self-reliant. The central paradigm around which our everyday working lives is structured must change from that of mindless consumerism, to another model which at least includes conscientious stewardship of the life-sustaining Earth ecosystem.

For, mindless consumerism is the engine powering and perpetuating the self-serving, ecosphere-destroying forces of the military/industrial/information complex. By exercising enlightened self discipline, an individual can at least partly disassociate from the enemy.

If we wear old shoes instead of buying new ones for vanity's sake, we win a little battle. If we grow some or all of our own food, we win a little battle. If we take care of our bodies and reduce our dependence on the bloated medical industry, we win a little battle. If we raise a child free of addictions and self- destructive behavior, we win a wonderful battle. If we triumph over our own destructive addictions and begin living simple lives, we win a big battle indeed.