The National Park Service Refuses to Be Silenced

Dana Hunter, writing for Scientific American on the National Park Service’s resistance against the Trump administration’s gag order:

Not long after Badlands was brought into line, anonymous employees of the NPS went rogue. They created the AltUSNatlParkService account and, after retweeting a particularly provocative image from the Badlands account along with some climate change data, announced their intent in no uncertain terms:

Mr Trump, you may have taken us down officially. But with scientific evidence & the Internet our message will get out.

These federal employees speaking out now understand that science is not subordinate to politics, that truth is essential, and transparency vital to a functioning democracy. They are risking their careers to ensure the public is kept informed. They’re exercising their free speech rights to ensure we know the truth.

I have never been prouder of our National Park Service than I am now.

★ Wednesday, 25 January 2017