Q.: What Does "Science, in Consideration With Community Standards and Wishes" Actually Look Like? A: Nothing.

The erstwhile staffers at the US Center for Disease Control (the CDC) in Atlanta -- a purely science-driven agency -- were apparently told this week by Trump Administration officials that seven words and phrases are now "prohibited". That's positively. . . Orwellian.

It would be laughable -- for its massively stupid and ineffectual approach -- if some of 45's people didn't genuinely believe it would work.

But I guess (in their pointy little heads) outlawing the word "evolution", means per force that Darwin never lived -- and only "Creation Science" explains the natural world. Uh-huh. My view is that we ought to let them waste their time on this -- and the real life science experts will just get on -- with doing more science. [Go play in the corner 45.]

To my headline though, science cannot (a priori) be constrained by the "standards and wishes" of a community. And attempts to control the language used to describe science. . . are like trying to hold moonbeams in your hand. Can't be done.

I take it 45's people here mean they don't want to read about the evolution of diseases -- in certain "communities" where it is widely-held that only a bearded white male God "creates" new pathogens. And they don't want to read of the biological basis for gender identity, or of climate change affecting disease severity, or of anything that might suggest that even a 16 cell embryo is anything short of a fully-developed human "baby" (i.e., banning "fetus", in favor of baby).

Here is a bit of it -- do go read it all at the Washington Post (subs. req.):

. . . .CDC policy analysts were reportedly informed of the forbidden words in a 90-minute meeting in Atlanta on Thursday with senior CDC officials. The other banned words are “vulnerable,” "transgender," "diversity," “entitlement,” “evidence-based,” according to the Post, citing an unnamed policy analyst. The meeting was led by a senior member of the CDC’s Office of Financial Services. She didn’t know why the words were forbidden and said she was merely relaying information, the Post reported. . . .

The truth it seems -- is once again, far stranger. I suppose the best news here is that while 45's minions tie themselves up in knots outlawing an ever expanding list of words and phrases in science documents published by various US agencies, we all may go about the business. . . of just doing science.

Just do it -- no need to use the 45-endorsed rhetoric -- we real life scientists will discern your meaning, just as we might hold a candle to a mirror, at night -- we will see you. But as to 45's people? Crazy is. . . as crazy does. Onward with a sweet babe in tow, this early Saturday morning -- onward.

नमस्ते