Silencing Public Scientists
Last week I received a FOIA request that all of my emails bearing certain terms were going to be obtained and turned over to an activist group. US-RTK, a San Francisco-based activist group, namely Gary Ruskin, wanted to know my ties to Big Ag and their PR arm. The first thing I did was pick up a phone, call Gary Ruskin, and say, "What can I tell you?" We spoke for 10 minutes, he seems like a decent guy, but what's the deal with assuming that I'm guilty of something before even talking? I'm not one to do things the hard way, the expensive way. I'm glad to talk openly about anything. Those closer to the situation tell me I'm naive, and that US-RTK wants nothing more than to see me removed from the discussion on ag biotech. In their estimation, US-RTK does not just want truth, they want words. They want emails. It is not about a scientists and what he or she does-- it is how they can make public records into something they are not. Th