
“I’m a guest of honor this weekend at the Dallas’s Fencon this weekend, and I’ve just learned that some of the other speakers won’t be able to talk, thanks to the government shutdown. They’re government space scientists, and the 143-year-old Antideficiency Act makes it a crime (punishable by fines and imprisonment) for government employees to volunteer to do their own jobs (which, in their cases, includes talking about science to the public). The law dates back to the Lincoln administration, and was aimed at stopping fraudsters who did ‘government’ business, then presented a bill for services that hadn’t been contracted but had nevertheless been performed.”
http://boingboing.net/2013/10/04/during-the-shutdown-some-scie.html
Related posts:
Report Finds “Probably Carcinogenic” Chemicals in All Municipal Water Samples Tested
Insanely Broad Definition of 'Assault Weapon' Moves to Oregon Ballot
Security audit finds developer outsourced his 9-5 job to China to goof off at work
Kaspersky Software Vilified For Catching Classified NSA Malware
Edward Snowden: The Whistleblower Behind The NSA Surveillance Revelations
Amendments To Block Unauthorized U.S. Military Involvement In Syria And Egypt Introduced
There’s a New Nation in Space — and You Can Apply for Citizenship Right Now
California man could face a decade in jail for chalking ‘no thanks big banks’
Chinese Authorities Halt Virtual Credit Card Payments
Ben Swann: NSA Using Copyright Claims to Stop Criticism?
Obama’s Tax Crackdown to Target Foreigners' Accounts in US Banks
Why Is The US Building A Secret $100 Million Underground Facility Outside Tel Aviv?
Bullion Bitcoin to Launch Professional Gold-Bitcoin Exchange
Non-Traditional Retirements, or DIY Sabbaticals
The French surrender to Astronomers – my town likely to be next