Response to the AAS President's column

My good friend Prof. Jason Wright just wrote an excellent post about the AAS President's column. Did you read the column? You should (PDF here). Basically, Jason (correctly) points out how inappropriate it is for the president of a non-partisan science organization to echo partisan political talking points in that organization's newsletter. You should click the link above and read Jason's full post (and subscribe to his RSS feed), but here's a snippet:

But partisan politics that does not touch on these elements should be left alone, because it would unnecessarily divide our community over non-astronomy topics and tarnish our reputations as objective seekers of truth. The standards of truth in partisan politics are so appallingly low (what will the press print without qualification, what won't get someone convicted of perjury or defamation) that scientists, with ostensibly high standards for truth and persuasion, cannot help but be sullied by the exercise. Individual astronomers can, and in many cases should, dive into the fray as citizens, but the AAS and our other official bodies and organizations should not.

Nice response, Prof. Wright!

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