The Bush Administration doesn't want the government's experts talking about global warming and dying polar bears. Experts will speak of science and facts and that doesn't fit the Bush agenda. So, they can't talk about reality:
Over the past week, biologists and wildlife officials received a cover note and two sample memorandums to be used as a guide in preparing travel requests. Under the heading “Foreign Travel — New Requirement — Please Review and Comply, Importance: High,” the cover note said:The simple translation of the government-speak in this memo is "Keep your scientific mouths shut and let the political team do the spin." Just don't talk about those damn polar bears.
“Please be advised that all foreign travel requests (SF 1175 requests) and any future travel requests involving or potentially involving climate change, sea ice and/or polar bears will also require a memorandum from the regional director to the director indicating who’ll be the official spokesman on the trip and the one responding to questions on these issues, particularly polar bears.”
The sample memorandums, described as to be used in writing travel requests, indicate that the employee seeking permission to travel “understands the administration’s position on climate change, polar bears, and sea ice and will not be speaking on or responding to these issues.”
