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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Brumar89 who wrote (146765)11/12/2005 4:45:10 PM
From: Brumar89  Read Replies (2) | Respond to of 793955
 
Interesting excerpts from the reply to Sternberg's complaint to the US Office of Special Counsel:

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Our investigation also shows that there is a strong religious and political component to the actions taken after the publication of the Meyer article. Much of the e-mail traffic after the publication of the Meyer article documented a personal investigation of you and tabbed you as a "creationist." One senior SI employee, when discussing the Meyer article stated, "the paper is a sheer disaster… We are evolutionary biologist, and I am sorry to see us made into the laughing stock of the world, even if this kind of rubbish sells well in backwoods, USA… under no circumstances should the Institution support the journal with page-charges, which up to this point has been a mainstay of the Society." After the publication when many in the SI were investigating your background one of the e-mails raised concerns that you had "extensive training as an orthodox priest." Another e-mail stated, "Scientists have been perfectly willing to let these people alone in their churches, but now it looks like these people are coming out and invading our schools, biology classes, museums and now our professional journals. These people to my mind are only a scale up on the fundies of a more destructive kind in other parts of the world. Depressing. Oh, if we only still had Steve Gould to lead the counter-attack."

An e-mail by a NMNH scientist that was sent to your supervisor sums up the sentiment of the e-mails, as it relates to this issue. It reads, "The whole situation sounds like a pain in the... neck. Hopefully, the ID folks will get distracted with something else soon. After spending 4.5 years in the Bible Belt, I have learned how to carefully phrase things in order to avoid the least amount of negative repercussions for the kids. And I have heard many amazing things!! The most fun we had by far was when my son refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance because of the 'under dog' part..." The e-mail concludes by lamenting that the school teacher was "religious" and it was unfortunate that there was "anti-evolution education" in the schools.

Of great import is the fact that these same SI and NMNH employees immediately aligned themselves with the National Center for Science Education (NCSE). Our investigation shows that NCSE is a political advocacy organization dedicated to defeating any introduction of ID, creationism or religion into the American education system. In fact, members of NCSE worked closely with SI and NMNH members in outlining a strategy to have you investigated and discredited within the SI. Members of NCSE, furthermore, e-mailed detailed statements of repudiation of the Meyer article to high level NMNH officials. In turn they sent them to the Society. There are e-mails that are several pages in length that map out their strategy. NCSE recommendations were circulated within the SI and eventually became part of the official public response of the SI to the Meyer article. OSC is not making a statement on whether the SI or NMNH was wrong or right in aligning with the NCSE, although OSC questions the use of appropriated funds to work with an outside advocacy group for this purpose. This is only discussed to show that the actions taken on the part of SI employees clearly had a political and religious component. Therefore, it may lend credence to your allegations that your religious and political affiliations were investigated and made a part of the actions taken against you.
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Your managers are still attempting to find a way to terminate your access. However, they have decided that the politics aren’t right for them to let you go. They wanted to make it clear that you should "do the right thing and resign." This supports your allegation that you were subjected to a hostile work environment. Finally, the last e-mail cited sets forth a troubling summary of events were people had to be investigating your work activities beyond that which is done for other RAs. They are even inspecting what you have been checking out from the library. We are very concerned where this type of scrutiny can lead. Your job as a scientist is to ask the hard questions and make other scientists think about their positions. This type of scrutiny does not engender the correct atmosphere. From the information received by OSC, not a single e-mail shows that a manager attempted to halt this type of retaliatory investigation or admonish those that had already taken place.
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There are many retaliatory comments made by senior scientists of the SI and NMNH noted in the documents and e-mails that we have received. Some are suggestions about how to handle the situation with you and some are directed at changes they want made to prevent scientists like you from being RAs. Many have not been cited in this letter. However, they do support the contention that the managers created a hostile work environment. The most telling of these off-handed comments came after they realized that you could not be discharged for cause and that they could only make, what they consider, minor changes to your work environment. They make the point that you only have a little more than two years left on your RA position with the SI and being that all RAs are required to have a sponsor, your RA will lapse, forcing you to leave. These emails make clear that nobody would be willing to sponsor you two years from now. In fact, your supervisor made this point.

There are disturbing conclusions that can be drawn from this comment. First, it is insightful that it is openly stated between senior managers more than two years before you will be considered for reappointment. Keep in mind that there are scientists who are RA’s at the SI for decades. You could theoretically win many scientific accolades between now and then, and to these managers it may not matter. It seems that the merit of your work may have nothing to do with your position at the SI. It could mean that they will ensure that no one would dare sponsor you for fear that they will receive the same treatment.
This may ultimately mean that, as far as they know, others in the SI who would be in a position to sponsor you are "like minded."

At this point I would normally discuss the legal standards for First Amendment violations and for religious and political affiliation discrimination. Because it seems clear that we now lack jurisdiction, it is not necessary. Other than to say, aside from the jurisdictional argument, there is nothing in our preliminary investigation that would rule out the merit of your claims.
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rsternberg.net

And here is a link to the heretical article which has seemingly ruined a young scientists career:

discovery.org