[IP] Intellectual McCarthyism in the Park Service
Begin forwarded message:
From: Paul Saffo <pls@xxxxxxxx>
Date: October 15, 2005 10:19:52 AM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Paul Saffo <psaffo@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: Intellectual McCarthyism in the Park Service
Dave_
Below is a new Park Service policy, requiring senior level civil
servants to in effect, take a loyalty oath. It is followed by
analysis from a personal friend who was a senior official in the
Interior Dept in a previous administration. The obvious question is
when scientists and others will be required to do the same in order
to secure Federal grants, etc.
-p
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Washington, DC -- The National Park Service has started using a
political loyalty test for picking all its top civil service
positions, according to an agency directive released today by Public
Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). Under the new
order, all mid-level managers and above must also be approved by a
Bush administration political appointee.
The October 11, 2005 order issued by NPS Director Fran Mainella
requires that the selection criteria for all civil service management
slots (Government Service grades or GS-13, 14 and 15) include the
"ability to lead employees in achieving the ... Secretary's 4Cs and
the President's Management Agenda." In addition, candidates must be
screened by Park Service headquarters and "the Assistant Secretary
[of Interior] for Fish, and Wildlife, and Parks," the number three
political appointee in the agency. [...]
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And expert commentary:
The essence of the 4Cs is an insistence upon “consultation” and
“cooperation” with the powerful interests abutting upon parks, such
as the Cody Wyoming Chamber of Commerce which employed Paul Hoffman
before he became the person assigned by Secretary Norton to
eviscerate the conservation and preservation responsibilities of park
managers, and to open the National Parks to commercial signage and
other forms of “recognition.”
Never, in any previous administration, including that represented
by James Watt, was there any similar attempt to require every museum
curator, supervising scientist and chief ranger to pass a test as to
how that prospective employee would accommodate “the President’s
Management Agenda.” Nor was there ever before a political appointee
whose job was to be the enforcer, empowered to prevent promotions or
appointments if the politics of the civil servant did not please the
Administration. Jeff Ruch of Public Employees for Environmental
Responsibility (PEER) is right that “it is outrageous that park
superintendents must swear political loyalty to the Bush agenda and
parrot hokey mottos in order to earn a promotion. The merit system is
supposed to be about ability, not apple polishing."
This one ought to go forth and be noted for what it is –
institutionalized thought control. Not quite McCarthyism, but getting
close.
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