Intellectual McCarthyism in the Park Service

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Paul Saffo <pls () well com>
Date: October 15, 2005 10:19:52 AM EDT
To: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Cc: Paul Saffo <psaffo () iftf org>
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
--------------
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. [...]

----------------
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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