Based on a career of observations in Michigan and Minnesota, this rings true -- government professionals literally terrorized by politicians who don't want the truth about pollution to get out and harm their greedy pals in polluting industries.
Here is another true story. Recently I met a public health specialist employed by the ATSDR [Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry], a small federal agency employing about 400 public-health specialists, with headquarters in Atlanta. We got to talking about the subject of "fear at work" and she told me that a couple of years ago one of her colleagues, as part of a study he was thinking of doing, sent out an Email to everyone in ATSDR asking them if they ever felt afraid to speak openly about their work. She told me he was "astonished" to receive more than 100 emails in response from professionals who said they felt afraid to speak openly within the agency. Furthermore, there were many other people who were so afraid that they would not respond by Email but would only respond one-on-one in the hallways.
http://www.rachel.org/bulletin/index.cfm?St=1
Posted by Dave at April 23, 2005 07:16 PM