The former US Surgeon-General (2002-2006) says he was "muzzled" by the Bush administration on certain issues like embryonic stem cell research. Disgusting, despicable, but not really a surprise:
"'Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried,' Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as the nation's top doctor from 2002 until 2006, told a House of Representatives committee.
'The problem with this approach is that in public health, as in a democracy, there is nothing worse than ignoring science, or marginalizing the voice of science for reasons driven by changing political winds. The job of surgeon general is to be the doctor of the nation, not the doctor of a political party,' Carmona added." (...)
"Carmona said Bush administration political appointees censored his speeches and kept him from talking out publicly about certain issues, including the science on embryonic stem cell research, contraceptives and his misgivings about the administration's embrace of "abstinence-only" sex education." (emphasis mine)
This comes just two days before the Senate hearing on Bush's nomination of Dr. James Holsinger as the new Surgeon-General. The same Dr. James Holsinger who opposes contraception, let alone abortion. Who thinks homosexuality is "curable", and rails against it in speeches comparing the human anatomy to pipe fittings. And another choice item on his resume is that as Chief Medical Director for veterans under Bush 41, he had to take responsibility for six vets who died. This fucking nitwit shouldn't even be allowed to sweep the floors in a medical building, much less be Surgeon-General.
But that's not why Holsinger was nominated: he's just there to save the adminstration the trouble of having to censor all those surgeon-general speeches. I mean, why waste time censoring speeches when you can just give the job to a guy who you know will say what you want?
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