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Administration Threatens Science, Group Says
By Gwendolyn Bradley
Since September 11, 2001, the Bush administration has consistently attacked academic freedom and scientific inquiry, according to a report issued by the American Civil Liberties Union in June. The report, titled Science Under Siege, cites the designation of broad areas of research as "sensitive but unclassified"; censorship and government review of scientific articles before publication; exclusion of foreign students from research projects; suppression of environmental and public health information; and increased restrictions on materials and technology commonly used in basic scientific research. The civil liberties union disputes administration claims that such activities are necessary for national security and describes cases in which the administration has distorted scientific and academic inquiry for political purposes.
"The AAUP heartily endorses the report's conclusions—that these policies are bad for science, bad for freedom, and fundamentally ineffective in advancing our national security. As we pointed out in our 2003 report Academic Freedom and National Security in a Time of Crisis, in these critical times the country needs more freedom, not less," says Mark Smith, AAUP director of government relations.
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