US scientist fired for posting Alaska wildlife maps
Looks like Bush and CO. are now trying to erase any internal opposition or posting of facts contrary to their beliefs.
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The US Geological Survey scientist who says he was fired for
posting politically sensitive maps illustrating the
biodiversity of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on the
web has reposted the contentious material.
"I had bad timing!" Ian Thomas, who worked at the Patuxent
Wildlife Research Center in Maryland, part of the Biological
Resources division of the USGS told The Register.
He says the maps in question contained already publicly
available information - as had the 20,000 or so other maps
he'd published on the web, including maps of every refuge in
the lower 48 states.
"The USGS were briefing Gail Norton on new data, data that
isn't public," claims the British-born Thomas. "When all of
a sudden someone puts out these pretty pictures - right in
the middle of a presentation."
President George W Bush wasted little time in talking up the
need for cheaper energy after he got elected, for which he
favours drilling in the Arctic reserve, which until now has
been off-limits to Bozo's Big Oil Texan backers.
Meanwhile, Thomas says he was dismissed without explanation.
The USGS has subsequently told reporters that standard
review procedure 'was not followed'. That's an explanation
Thomas finds hard to believe.
"They could have told me to take the maps off the Internet.
It wasn't like I was going to go out of my way to lose my
job," he told us. He admits that his initial contract was
for work on migratory birds, but subsequent work had been
approved. As a contractor he adds, he isn't in a position
to sue for unfair dismissal.
"I guess there's no way I'm going to get my job back now,"
he says. "but I hope that people become aware of the
political pressure that scientists are under."
It's a dangerous place, the Internet.®
theregister.co.uk
Ian Thomas's Webpage where the "offending" maps that got him fired have been reposted is here;
maptricks.com |
