George Deutsch
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George Carlton Deutsch III was a press officer of the United States space agency NASA. He was appointed to the position by George W. Bush, having previously worked in the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign "war room." [2]
Deutsch gained notoriety in February 2006, when it was reported he ordered the adjustment of NASA websites mentioning Big Bang to include the word "theory" afterwards. [1]His comments in the internal NASA email quoted by the New York Times raised concerns because of its religious overtones. Deutsch wrote,
It is not NASA’s place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator... This is more than a science issue, it is a religious issue. And I would hate to think that young people would only be getting one-half of this debate from NASA. That would mean we had failed to properly educate the very people who rely on us for factual information the most.
He was also connected with Dr. James Hansen's allegations of censorship of science reporting within NASA. [3]
On February 6, 2006, an Internet blog revealed that Deutsch had lied on his résumé about earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Texas A&M University in 2003. [4] Deutsch did attend A&M, but left school in 2004 to work for George W. Bush's reelection campaign. Following this revelation, on February 7, 2006, Deutsch resigned from his post at NASA. [5]
On February 8, 2006, officials from Texas A&M University, including the assistant to the registrar Rita Presly, wrote: "George Carlton Deutsch III did attend Texas A&M University but has not completed the requirements for a degree." [6]
On February 10th, 2006, the New York Times reported[7] that Deutsch denied he had lied about his college degree on his résumé. They wrote,
'When I left college,' he said, 'I did not properly update my résumé. As a result, it may appear misleading to some. However, I was up front with NASA about my undergraduate status when they hired me.'
In the same article Deutsch responded to the Big Bang controversy,
'We are both Christians, and I was sharing with him my personal opinions on the Big Bang theory versus intelligent design,' Mr. Deutsch wrote to The Times. 'What I said about intelligent design did not affect the presentation of the Big Bang theory in the subsequent Einstein Web story. This is a very important point, because I have been accused of trying to insert religion into this story, which I was not trying to do.'
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[edit] External links
- George Deutsch's testimony before Rep. Waxman's Government Oversight Committee, alongside James Hansen's, can be seen on a C-Span video at "rtsp://video.c-span.org/project/energy/energy031907_climate.rm" by cutting and pasting what is between the quotes into your browser's address bar.
- Climate expert says NASA tried to silence him, New York Times, January 29, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin
- Ex-Press Aide for NASA Offers Defense, New York Times, February 10th, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin
- Squelching effort afoot, climate scientist claims, International Herald Tribune, January 29, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin
- NASA Chief Backs Agency Openness, New York Times, February 4, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin
- Gagged prophet - The Bush administration continues to ignore climate change while trying to silence government scientists, Houston Chronicle, February 4, 2006
- Has NASA's press office gone too far? One scientist's complaint of censorship has put the spotlight on NASA, news@nature.com, Tony Reichhardt (available only to "premium plus" subscribers)
- "Trust me?" On what conceivable basis?, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Eric Mink
- George Deutsch Did Not Graduate From Texas A & M University, The Scientific Activist, February 6, 2006, Nick Anthis
- NASA Science Censor Resigns, The Scientific Activist, February 8, 2006, Nick Anthis
- A Young Bush Appointee Resigns His Post at NASA, New York Times, February 8, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin
- NASA Aide Who Resigned Over Warming Offers Defense, New York Times, February 10, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin
