It sems to me that the crux of this issue is that the researcher in question 
alleges that the chair of the Zoology Department at NMNH made inquiries 
concerning his religious beliefs and political stance. If this allegation is 
true and if the researcher is a Smithsonian employee (and it is not clear 
that, as a "research associate," he is), this is surely a violation of the 
Civil Rights Act and of all Smithsonian employment policies, and even if he 
is not an employee it seems like an improper line of questioning to take 
place in a publicly-funded institution. I'd be interested in hearing the 
List's thoughts on this aspect of the controversy.

Lonn Taylor,
Fort Davis, Texas
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eugene Dillenburg" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 12:18 AM
Subject: Re: Smithsonian in an uproar etc


> OK, did anyone actually go to the site?  It looks like it's an RSS,
> collecting articles from Time, AP, Reuters, and a host of other mainstream
> sources.  I couldn't find all the articles Eric cites.  Of those I could,
> many, like "Indiana Jones of the Right," "Mohammed's Monsters," and "Doing
> Buisness With Gays," turned out to be advertisements.  (The first I found
> rather disturbing; the second, though unfortunately titled, made a point 
> of
> stressing that terrorists are very much a minority in Islam; the third
> required registration.  For all I know, it was advice on serving that
> market.)  Biblical prophecy is beyond the realm of science, so there's not
> much to say on those pieces.  The articles on the UN were pretty much a
> rehash of the reporting Claudia Rosett has been putting in the Wall Street
> Journal for a year now (and now the subject of several investigations). 
> The
> "stright pride" piece was very short and (pardon the expression)
> straight-forward -- nothing I could see to offend anyone.
>
> Meanwhile, the ID uproar has made the mainstream press, and the 
> Smithsonian
> is not coming off looking too good:
>
> http://www.opinionjournal.com/taste/?id=110006220
>
> Personally, I worry more about the left-wing hate machine.  But that's 
> just me.
>
> -- Gene Dillenburg
>
> =========================================================
> Important Subscriber Information:
>
> The Museum-L FAQ file is located at 
> http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed 
> information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail 
> message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should 
> read "help" (without the quotes).
>
> If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to 
> [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read 
> "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
> 

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).