An Open Letter to the American People
June 21, 2004

Presidential elections present us with choices about our nation's future. We support John Kerry for President and urge you to join us.

The prosperity, health, environment, and security of Americans depend on Presidential leadership to sustain our vibrant science and technology; to encourage education at home and attract talented scientists and engineers from abroad; and to nurture a business environment that transforms new knowledge into new opportunities for creating quality jobs and reaching shared goals.

President Bush and his administration are compromising our future on each of these counts. By reducing funding for scientific research, they are undermining the foundation of America's future. By setting unwarranted restrictions on stem cell research, they are impeding medical advances. By employing inappropriate immigration practices, they are turning critical scientific talent away from our shores. And by ignoring scientific consensus on critical issues such as global warming, they are threatening the earth's future. Unlike previous administrations, Republican and Democratic alike, the Bush administration has ignored unbiased scientific advice in the policy-making that is so important to our collective welfare.

John Kerry will change all this. He will support strong investments in science and technology as he restores fiscal responsibility. He will stimulate the development and deployment of technologies to meet our economic, energy, environmental, health, and security needs. He will recreate an America that provides opportunity to all at home or abroad who can help us make progress together.

John Kerry will restore science to its appropriate place in government and bring it back into the White House. He is the clear choice for America's next President.

Signed,
 
 
Peter Agre  Chemistry  2003  David H. Hubel Medicine 1981
Sidney Altman  Chemistry  1989 Louis Ignarro Medicine 1998
Philip W. Anderson  Physics  1977  Eric R. Kandel Medicine 2000
David Baltimore Medicine 1975 Walter Kohn Chemistry 1998
Baruj Benacerraf Medicine 1980 Arthur Kornberg Medicine 1959
Paul Berg Chemistry 1980 Leon M. Lederman Physics 1988
Hans A. Bethe Physics 1967 Tsung-Dao Lee Physics 1957
Michael Bishop Medicine 1989 David M. Lee Physics 1996
Gunter Blobel Medicine 1999 William N. Lipscomb Chemistry 1976
N. Bloembergen Physics 1981 Roderick MacKinnon Chemistry 2003
James W. Cronin Physics 1980 Mario J. Molina Chemistry 1995
Johann Diesenhofer Chemistry 1988 Joseph E. Murray Medicine 1990
John B. Fenn Chemistry 2002 Douglas D. Osheroff Physics 1996
Val Fitch Physics 1980 George Palade Medicine 1974
Jerome I. Friedman Physics 1990 Arno Penzias Physics 1978
Walter Gilbert Chemistry 1980 Martin L. Perl Physics 1995
Alfred G. Gilman Medicine 1994 Norman F. Ramsey Physics 1989
Donald A. Glaser Physics 1960 Burton Richter Physics 1976
Sheldon L. Glashow  Physics 1979 Joseph H. Taylor Jr. Physics 1993
Joseph Goldstein Medicine 1985 E. Donnall Thomas Medicine 1990
Roger Guillemin Medicine 1977 Charles H. Townes Physics 1964
Dudley Herschbach Chemistry 1986 Harold Varmus Medicine 1989
Roald Hoffmann Chemistry 1981 Eric Wieschaus Medicine 1995
H. Robert Horvitz Medicine 2002 Robert W. Wilson Physics 1978

The views expressed in this letter represent those of the signers acting as individual citizens.  They do not necessarily represent the views of the institutions with which they are affiliated. The Medicine award is for “Physiology or Medicine.”