George Deutsch
Encyclopedia
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" and on the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee.
. In his memo to the website designer, Mr. Deutsch wrote that the Big Bang is "not proven fact; it is opinion... 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." The memo also noted that the AP Stylebook
calls for the usage of the phrase "Big Bang theory".
Prior to the 2004 Bush/Cheney presidential campaign, Deutsch had been a student at Texas A&M University
. His NASA résumé falsely asserted that he had a B.A. degree in journalism, but in February 2006 a blogger at The Scientific Activist
discovered that he had never graduated. This was subsequently confirmed by Texas A&M, and Mr. Deutsch resigned from NASA. Deutsch later returned to Texas A&M and completed his degree that year.
Dr. James E. Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies
, and several other career NASA scientists and public affairs officials had been interviewed by The New York Times
in January 2006. In these interviews, they complained about "intensifying efforts by political appointees in NASA, including Mr. Deutsch, to control more closely" the content of their public statements. Deutsch, speaking to the New York Times, gave his opinion that Dr. Hansen had exaggerated the threat of global warming. He denied lying to NASA about his college degree.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
space agency NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. He was appointed to the position by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, having previously worked in the Bush/Cheney 2004 campaign
George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2004
This article is about the presidential campaign of George W. Bush, the former President of the United States and winner of the 2004 Presidential Election. See George W. Bush for a detailed biography and information about his full presidency, and George W. Bush presidential campaign, 2000 for a...
"War Room" and on the 55th Presidential Inaugural Committee.
Biography
Deutsch gained notoriety in late 2005 and early 2006, when it was reported that he had instructed a NASA website designer to add the word "theory" after every occurrence of the phrase Big BangBig Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
. In his memo to the website designer, Mr. Deutsch wrote that the Big Bang is "not proven fact; it is opinion... 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." The memo also noted that the AP Stylebook
AP Stylebook
The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law, usually called the AP Stylebook, is a style and usage guide used by newspapers and in the news industry in the United States...
calls for the usage of the phrase "Big Bang theory".
Prior to the 2004 Bush/Cheney presidential campaign, Deutsch had been a student at Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
. His NASA résumé falsely asserted that he had a B.A. degree in journalism, but in February 2006 a blogger at The Scientific Activist
The Scientific Activist
The Scientific Activist is a blog that covers science, politics, and science policy, run by Nick Anthis, a graduate student in biochemistry and Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. The Scientific Activist gained international recognition in February 2006 when it published information that...
discovered that he had never graduated. This was subsequently confirmed by Texas A&M, and Mr. Deutsch resigned from NASA. Deutsch later returned to Texas A&M and completed his degree that year.
Dr. James E. Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies
Goddard Institute for Space Studies
The NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies , at Columbia University in New York City, is a component laboratory of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Earth-Sun Exploration Division and a unit of The Earth Institute at Columbia University...
, and several other career NASA scientists and public affairs officials had been interviewed by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in January 2006. In these interviews, they complained about "intensifying efforts by political appointees in NASA, including Mr. Deutsch, to control more closely" the content of their public statements. Deutsch, speaking to the New York Times, gave his opinion that Dr. Hansen had exaggerated the threat of global warming. He denied lying to NASA about his college degree.
See also
- Intelligent designIntelligent designIntelligent design is the proposition that "certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection." It is a form of creationism and a contemporary adaptation of the traditional teleological argument for...
- Michael D. BrownMichael D. BrownMichael DeWayne Brown was the first Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response , a division of the Department of Homeland Security . This position is generally referred to as the director or administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency . He was appointed in January 2003 by...
- Teach the controversyTeach the ControversyTeach the Controversy is the name of a Discovery Institute campaign to promote intelligent design, a variant of traditional creationism, while attempting to discredit evolution in United States public high school science courses...
- The Republican War on ScienceThe Republican War on ScienceThe Republican War on Science is a book by Chris C. Mooney, an American journalist who focuses on the politics of science policy. In the book, Mooney discusses the Republican Party leadership's stance on science, and in particular that of the George W...
External links
- George Deutsch's testimony before Rep. Waxman's Government Oversight Committee, alongside James Hansen's, can be seen on a C-SpanC-SPANC-SPAN , an acronym for Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network, is an American cable television network that offers coverage of federal government proceedings and other public affairs programming via its three television channels , one radio station and a group of websites that provide streaming...
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 10, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin
- Squelching effort afoot, climate scientist claims, International Herald TribuneInternational Herald TribuneThe International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
, January 29, 2006, Andrew C. Revkin - George Deutsch, Up and Coming PAO Politico, Nasawatch, February 3, 2006, Keith Cowing
- 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 ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
, 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 ActivistThe Scientific ActivistThe Scientific Activist is a blog that covers science, politics, and science policy, run by Nick Anthis, a graduate student in biochemistry and Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. The Scientific Activist gained international recognition in February 2006 when it published information that...
, February 6, 2006, Nick Anthis - NASA Political Appointee Only Has High School Diploma, DiggDiggDigg is a social news website. Prior to Digg v4, its cornerstone function consisted of letting people vote stories up or down, called digging and burying, respectively. Digg's popularity prompted the creation of copycat social networking sites with story submission and voting systems...
- NASA Science Censor Resigns, The Scientific ActivistThe Scientific ActivistThe Scientific Activist is a blog that covers science, politics, and science policy, run by Nick Anthis, a graduate student in biochemistry and Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford. The Scientific Activist gained international recognition in February 2006 when it published information that...
, 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