Prologue:  In George Orwell’s dystopian novel, “1984”, he introduced words that held opposite meanings to truth and facts.  Big Brother ran the state and the entire government.  Language was the fundamental tool that exerted control over citizens’ minds.

Department of Health & Human Services, 20l7:  The Trump presidency is continuing the policy of dismantling the federal government that has been in effect in full force in The Environmental Protection Agency, The State Department, The Education Department and The Interior Department.  President Trump has used executive orders,and department secretaries have carried out his overall policy of lifting regulations in all areas that were put into effect during the two Obama terms.  Certain cabinet ministers were chosen because of their past records of opposing the Obama regulations. They have been vigorous in making changes as rapidly as possible.  Scott Pruitt, E.P.A. secretary stands out for the numbers of regulations he has dismantled since being confirmed.

On December 16, a report leaked at Health and Human Services , that the department had banned officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from using seven words or phrases in their documents.  They were: “science based”, “fetus”, “transgender”, “entitlement”, “vulnerable”, “diversity”, and “evidence based”.  The Washinton Post reported that instead of “science based” or “evidence based”, “the suggested phrase is “C. D.C. bases its recommendations on science in consideration with community standards and wishes.”

The bombshell announcement on Saturday set off a firestorm among Democratic officials and free speech advocacy groups across the country.  Dr. Vivek Murthy, former surgeon general, said, “Whether this is a directive from above is not clear. But for C.D.C. or any agency to be censored or passively made to feel they have to self-censor to avoid retribution, that’s dangerous and not acceptable. The purpose of science is to search for truth, and when science is censored, the truth is censored.”  The New York Times reported that a former federal officer , who asked not to be named, said, “It’s absurd and Orwellian, It’s stupid and Orwellian, but they are not saying to not use the words in reports or articles or anything else the C.D.C. does.  They’re saying not to use it in your request for money because it will hurt you. It’s not about censoring what C.D.C. can say to the American public. It’s about a budget strategy to get funded.”

During the first year of Trump’s presidency, attacking the news media as “ the enemy of the people”  and all factual reports as “fake news” have become standards in his daily tweets.  He has used Twitter as the new presidential communication system reaching millions of women and men in his political base daily. At this time, Trump has made no comment on the leak of  “banned words” at the C.D.C.   It is also unclear if the ban started at the parent agency of Health and Human Services or within the C.D.C. itself.   The Food and Drug Admimistration made known, it had not received the “banned words and phrases” report.  Jennifer Rodriguez, an agency spokeswoman said, “We haven’t received nor implemented any directives with respect to the language used at F.D.A. to describe our policy or budget issues.”

Epilogue:  Trump and his lawyers have been concentrating on attacking Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.  Certain Republican Congressmen have also been urging appointment of a second special counsel to investigate Robert Mueller and his team.  This bizarre full court press against The Federal Bureau of Investigation and our entire Department of Justice was started by Sean Hannity on Fox News.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein testified at length to the House Judiciary Committee.  He answered their sharp critical questions with a firm support of Counsel Mueller and his team’s integrity and professional dedication.  He also said he could not appoint a special counsel without a “credible allegation of a potential crime to investigate.”

Experienced commentators on CNN and MSNBC , including former federal prosecutors from the Watergate era, said that the president and his lawyers were attacking Mueller because he is moving closer to Trump and his family members who serve as advisers at the White House.  They hope this will divert attention from the four  members of the transition team who have already been indicted.  Retired General Michael Flynn, the last to be indicted, was very close to Trump during the campaign. He then served as National Security Adviser after Trump was elected.  He pled guilty and is “cooperating” with the Mueller Investigation. There is heavy speculation regarding the information he knows and will share with Mueller’s team.

…………………………………………………………………….Joyce S. Anderson