When free discourse and availability of research is subjected to political whims, we have taken one more step in our descent from intellectual grace into the cesspool of totalitarianism. Hitler and book burning comes to mind. But ultimately the problem isn’t with the admins, it’s with politicians who attempt by force to control and shape knowledge to their philosophical whims. At least in this case the university admins knew what was right.
Overreaction to Bush Administration Complaint Prompted Block on ‘Abortion’ Searches
University administrators of the world’s largest scientific database on reproductive health blocked the word “abortion” as a search term after receiving a complaint from the Bush administration over two abortion-related articles listed in the database.
“The items in question had to do with abortion advocacy — the two items dealing with abortion were removed following this inquiry, and the administrators made a decision to restrict abortion as a search term,” said Tim Parsons, a spokesman for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
The blocking of the keyword “is a decision that the dean does not support in any way,” he added, and the administrators are unblocking the search for the term right now.
It’s good that someone blew the whistle on this. We must fight this fascist shit at every opportunity.
Why is this guy still in office? How stooopid are we?
The Republipukes continue to dismiss this as liberal nonsense.
How easy these sheep wrap themselves around the flag when they send teenage boys to slaughter for American Freedoms yet they look the other way when the American freedoms are taken away right here in our backyard.
Why? It must be about “Team GOP” or something. I don’t get it.
Where does the line between the 1st Amendment cross the line for editorial discretion?
We all accept that any site or publication has the Constitutional right to publish or not publish, based on whatever rules or judgment they decide to follow. This is why certain sites might monitor their comments section and remove any comments they wish for whatever reason they wish.
However, Political pressures through grants and other donations is a long held right for any purveyor of information, scientific or otherwise. Let’s face it, the people that write the checks get to make the rules. That’s the way it’s always been. That’s the way it always will be.
The real question, however, is how many times do things like this happen that don’t ever get reported? What if, say, the search term was not such the hot-button issue of abortion but, say, “Mating rituals of Dingbats”? Would the outcry be as swift or loud? Or, more importantly, would anyone even notice?
The Bush Administration made no demand whatsoever to block the term ‘abortion’ from the university’s search. That is entirely misleading blog post. The administrators completely overreacted in response to the Bush administration questioning a couple of articles. Ok. Question all you like, but that is a far cry from scientific dispute. The blame for yanking the search term should lie entirely with the university administrators.
Frankly, the real issue with the Bush Administration here ought to be USAID’s ridiculous stance on abortion.
#1, #2, #3 – So angry, yet so powerless. Watching the left these days is pretty entertaining.
#4 – You’re wasting your time with logic. The lefties around here can’t handle it, and won’t modify their blog entries to respond to it. Your best bet is to take my tact and harass them at every turn: They don’t have the balls to do anything about it.
Uncle Dave once again sacrifices the truth upon the altar of his world-view.
Nice try. Clearly the only group to get any mileage out of this were abortion supporters & assorted DU lap dogs.
Sandra Jordan, director of communications of USAID: “We’re glad they’re restoring the search function to the site”
RBG
I wonder which it is the neocon nutballs enjoy the most: self-delusion or self-flagellation.
Both capture that little stereopticon view still imprinted so clearly on their genes. Both fear and revile the freedom to disagree with the latest chieftain.
Sadly, inevitably, sycophants like these will never be invited to share the lockstep power they admire. At best, they get to chant and parade.
Wow… remember the Bush Jr. appointee in the NASA public relations department that tried to get a NASA scientist’s report suppressed because it supported global warming theory? When was that? 2006? 2007?
Wow !!! A photo of George’s highest achievement in Grade School !!! He achieved the DUNCE CAP WITH OAK LEAF CLUSTERS !!!
Meanwhile it’s actually the left that encourages book burning. Most recently it was for the book ‘Liberal Fascism.’ What irony.
>>So angry, yet so powerless. Watching the
>>left these days is pretty entertaining.
Powerless? Haw haw, Jimbo. We are the champions of the world. Stay tuned over the next decade, and take that oversized duncecap off of your head.
>>Your best bet is to take my tact and harass
>>them at every turn: they don’t have the balls
>>to do anything about it.
It’s not a lack of balls, Jimmie, it’s tact. We don’t want to hurt your feelings for being such an ignoramous. What you take is a “tack”. What we use is “tact”.
I guess you’re not a sailor, huh?
The article says “Jordan says that the Johns Hopkins database administrators blocked the word “abortion” on their own, and had misunderstood USAID’s request”
So just what was USAID’s request then?
Sounds like they want articles included in the data base that mention abortion to be allowed only if the article also gives the opposing point of view? Fair and balanced as they say?
I think I only heard one person “kinda” refute the latest hub-bub about Obama not wanting his daughters “punished” by an unwanted birth. You can actually see that USA really is a religious country when that notion goes unchallenged===along with USAIDS position.
Maybe we will be able to join the 20th century before the ice all melts.
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