In a generally positive editorial, the February 6, 2017 issue of Chemical and Engineering News included the following comment from its editor-in-chief, Bibliana Campos Seijo, “But the event is not without criticism. Some critics feel that a march would further politicize science and drive a greater separation between scientists and media and the public.”
I would like to ask how is this possible? The country has elected a president who believes that the best solution to information that is inconsistent with his political agenda is to delete the data, who wants to preapprove technical presentations to ensure that they are consistent with his policies, and who wants to subvert the scientific process through selective funding of his preconceived ideas.
So, I will again ask, “How is it possible to drive greater separation between scientists and the media and the public than the separation that now exists?”
Scientists must march, and they must become a political force. The alternative anti-science agenda is simply too scary.
See http://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i6/controversy-goes.html for the complete Chemical and Engineering News editorial.
Science About Politics 