What Mike Griffin Really Thinks About Advice

21 August 2006 Email from Mike Griffin to NASA Advisory Council Members

“More broadly, there has been a view, which in my opinion has been both too widely and too long held, that NASA is somehow responsible to a variety of external constituencies, a list of which is far too long to reproduce here, even if I could remember them all! In fact, the Agency is responsible to the President and to the Congress, in practice through our Congressional oversight committees. It operates within and subject to the dictates of Presidential policy and, most importantly, the appropriations and authorization legislation voted by Congress. We strive very, very hard to meet all of these requirements; this is not an easy task. … There are many, many other groups who enjoy giving, or who believe themselves to be empowered to give, advice to NASA.”

Editor’s note: In addition to his blatant lack of interest in science – and education, there is a troubling, dismissive – and elitist – arrogance in Griffin’s words as he describes who he feels NASA is “responsible” to i.e. who tells him what to do. He clearly seems to miss the point that, as part of the federal government, NASA is responsible to 300 million citizens – not just a handful of people who work in marble office buildings in Washington D.C.

Mike, all citizens are “empowered to give advice” as to how you are running their space agency. Its in the Constitution. Its about time you got used to this. We pay your salary. You work for us.