Why Is NASA Hiding James Hansen’s Ethics Records?
In this “Sunshine Week” — amid revelations that the vow of transparency was not, as George Stephanopoulos famously said about Bill Clinton’s truthiness, one of the campaign promises Barack Obama intended to keep — I have just filed an administrative appeal with NASA challenging its thoroughly puzzling refusal to release ethics-related records for its high-profile global warming activist/advocate, the astronomer Dr. James Hansen.
This request and appeal are on behalf of the American Tradition Institute’s Environmental Law Center, for which I am pursuing a transparency project. Other efforts include seeking the same records from the University of Virginia, under the state’s Freedom of Information Act, that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is seeking through a taxpayer protection, anti-fraud statute.
On that front, we have been promised that a rolling production of documents will begin in mere days (which does not mean that we won’t be forced to litigate over claimed exemptions).
NASA rejected our request for records relating to compliance with applicable ethics laws, particularly Hansen’s office, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). Hansen is NASA’s highest-profile, most media-present employee and also very entrepreneurial.
Records? We ain’t got no records. We don’t need no records. I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ records.
Why would anyone be surprised? This is a lawless administration as no administration before it has ever been.
There of course have been lawbreakers in government before but now it is pervasive. Obama flouting the Constitution in exceeding his authority and trampling the separation of powers. The congress for keeping felons in office and whitewashing internal investigations. The Department of Justice refusing to protect the American people equally. Maybe worst of the lot is NASA. Those who worked there in the 60s must cringe every time they hear the name of NASA now.
Mr. Horner.
Perhaps President Bush would be willing to expand on the supposed muzzling of Jim Hansen storyline. Probably a well written email would shed light on why a President or one of his departments would muzzle one of it’s employees without ever following up on that employee’s ethics and disclosure records.
Sort of makes the whole Bush muzzles global warming story look like a media invention.
What are you babbling about, boy? Is this the screed that the psychopath Hansen that was doing 15-20 media interviews weekly was ranting about?
Are you a candidate for the same straight-jacket/rubber room ward as Hansen?
My point exactly. Hansen was never muzzled, but the media narrative was that President Bush, along with the Republican party, was/is anti-science.
So they pushed that story with zero evidence, hoping that without any real media reporting the truth, they could just bluff their way through without being called on it.
Now a verifiable breach of ethic rules for Hansen opens the door, providing an opportunity for President Bush to correct the record. He might be persuaded to expand on the topic.
Personally I think GW was busy with about a thousand other higher priorities during his time in office to even entertain the idea of censoring Hansen, but it would be nice to get that straight from the horse’s mouth.
I will bet you a case of Sam Adams that if NASA releases the records and they do, indeed, show that Hansen was not in compliance, there will be no penalty for Hansen. Further, I will double the bet that DOJ won’t even bother to look at the case. Of course, Hansen is not Scooter Libby.
This needs to be coordinated with Congress in current and future funding. Hansen is NASA’s equivalent of CPB’s Big Bird. He can stand on his own two feet and on his own merits getting off the taxpayer dime.
While they are at it they can also defund the Muslim outreach program.
A private employee would be fired for using his company office and company desk and company computer to work on outside business unless the company gave prior written approval (e.g., good will such as charities, Rotary, Lions, etc.).
“Obviously having punched in and out” while working on outside interests during NASA (MY MONEY!!!!) time is BS. He’s using MY lights, MY capital assets and wasting MY time.
When is anyone going to get serious and file criminal suits on these AHs, not just FOIA bullets of embarrassment fired to a press that won’t print them.
PS: I worked at Goddard in the 60s and Hansen’s actions would have been cause for dismissal then.
Nice to see the use of bureaucratic tools against corrupt bureaucrats.
Since Hansen has been at this since the mid-1980′s, several administrations have been aiding and abetting the corruption of science. Senator Inhofe’s website has information about his attempts to shine a light on this, but he has been rebuffed at every step. Bush I and II, Clinton, and Obama supported this fraud, paid for by the taxpayers, since it was funded in every budget for years.
papertiger, are you insinuating GWB didn’t muzzle Hansen? He must have, because I distinctly remember seeing Hansen on several news and talk shows at the time, telling everyone about global warming and how Bush wasn’t allowing him to tell anyone about global warming.
Poor guy. So thoroughly muzzled he was forced to appear on every major news channel to tell us about it.
Playing the man and not the ball in such a manner goes beyond conduct unbecoming a Republican.
It calls Horner’s judgment into question in that reasonable observers may ask why someone with a scientific case would stoop to harassing scientists ?
Fortunately Horner isn’t harassing scientists, only Jimmy
HoffaHansen.Russell, if “scientists” have been breaking the law why is it harassment to ask that they follow it?
No need to even go into the fact that Democrats have done a very good job of establishing the status quo, which is that the Full Court Press is the only way to go. Why should one side be required to fight with one hand tied behind their back when the other never does?
NASA has been a fat cash cow for many. Hansen is probably just one of many grifters at NASA who have been milking taxpayers for years. So one shouldn’t expect any solutions from NASA, especially since it has gone Jihadist.
Why Is NASA Hiding James Hansen’s Ethics Records? Its not rocket science, please allow me to answer that, it’s a government agency and they have something to hide.