In reporting on our unauthorized reproduction of Army publications, as noted yesterday, Gabriel Schoenfeld wrote an article entitled “Put Steven Aftergood in the Brig.”
He was way out of line, wrote Robert S. Norris of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“Let’s get our prisons straight. A Brig is a ship’s or Navy/Marine prison and to my knowledge Aftergood has not angered the Navy to that point yet.”
“As for the Army, the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a more logical place. But since Aftergood is a civilian he is not eligible for incarceration there either.”
“As he has done nothing wrong it looks as though he must remain free.”
The public rarely sees the quiet, often messy work that goes into creating, passing, and implementing a major piece of legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act.
If this proposed rule were enacted it would have deleterious effects on government workers in general and federal researchers and scientists, specifically.
When we introduce “at-will” employment to government employees, we also introduce the potential for environments where people are more concerned about self-preservation than service to others.
There is no better time to re-invigorate America’s innovation edge by investing in R&D to create and capture “industries of the future,” re-shoring capital and expertise, and working closely with allies to expand our capabilities while safeguarding those technologies that are critical to our security.