I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. (attributed)

From DarkSyde, who interviews Rep. Miller:

The stories and rumors keep coming: The Bush-Cheney White House, enabled by the Rubber-Stamp Republican Congress, stands accused of reaching deep into tax supported public science organizations and oversight boards and engaging in suppression of any facts or data which their political funding base finds inconvenient. These are our organizations. They are funded by our tax dollars and often times charged with assessing matters of grave importance to each and every one of us. Rep. Miller is determined to return them to their rightful owners: We the People.

It is almost tiresome to again make the libertarian point that it is the tax dollar itself that should be returned to its rightful owner. A call for less government in science will undoubtedly fall on deaf ears, as NOAA, NASA and the like are not the social welfare programs on which most libertarians like to focus. They're full of neat stuff, and have cool websites and press releases.

Representative Miller:

We should be able to rely on impartial scientific research in a variety of policy areas. And we should be able to depend on traditional peer review to reveal any bias or other flaws. Scientific research needs to inform our policy choices, not justify policy decisions already made.

It is impossible to respond intelligently to this without sounding like a cynic. So be it. Representative Miller is right - we should be able to rely on impartial scientific research. And little children should always have loving parents and plenty of food. But that isn't the real world. Scientists have agendas. Grant review boards have agendas. The president and his administration have an agenda. Representative Miller has an agenda. Often the most enlightening aspect of a scientific article or discovery is to see who funded it. And so long as the funding comes from the federal government, there are strings attached. Strings people will try to pull in order to support their particular vision.

Perhaps it would be best if the scientists stuck to science, and let the politicians handle the politics. As was noted on this blog a couple of months ago, the two just don't mix well.