It's my pleasure to comment, I just wanted to point that out since you put much of this material up front and center in your article, and that may take a little away from the intellectual rigor of your basic argument. I do certainly agree with you on the substance of your complaint (among others about the current administration ;-))!

I just hope that all of this doesn't cause a lot of decent people to leave the government... or MORE than the ones who have already left. Government today may be incompetent and pursuing the wrong aims, but that doesn't mean it'll always be that way. With science, especially, reaching substantial conclusions requires so many years of research and theoretical work that one can't afford to wait until the bureaucracy is the way one likes it... more efficient in the long run to do one's work when things aren't going well, and then release the results when things improve. Just food for thought insofar as your lady is concerned, despite the insult to her personal liberties.

I would also certainly advocate that these grievances get aired on a local level... such a story involving an agency that employs a significant number of people in one specific area has some chance of garnering some local interest and building up some support that can escalate. On a national level, at least for right now, I don't know if it will get as much attention since there are way too many different problems to cover, not to mention that reporting at that level leaves much to be desired.

Good luck to both of you!