Nader Asks Smithsonian Chief: "What About Taxpayers?"

Wed, 20 Mar 2002 13:56:58 -0800

Commercial Alert 				March 20, 2002

The Washington Post reported today that the Smithsonian Institution has
renamed a movie theater in the National Air & Space Museum after the
Lockheed Martin Corp.  Following is Commercial Alert's response.

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:			For More Information Contact:
Wednesday, March 20, 2002		Gary Ruskin (503) 235-8012

Nader Asks Smithsonian Chief: "What About Taxpayers?"

Ralph Nader criticized Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small today for
ignoring the taxpayers who pay most of his salary and selling this
nation's great legacy to a weapons manufacturer whose revenues are
derived heavily from taxpayers.  Nader also denounced the Smithsonian
chief's decision to belittle the contribution of an individual and
promote a big corporation instead.

Nader was responding to news that the Smithsonian has agreed to rename
the movie theater in the popular National Air & Space Museum after the
Lockheed Martin Corp. The company is expected to announce soon a $10
million gift to the Smithsonian.  Until now the Air & Space Museum
theater has borne the name Samuel P. Langley, the aviation pioneer. 

"If they must rename the theater, they should call it Taxpayer Theater,"
Nader said.  "We taxpayers have been paying the freight at the
Smithsonian for years. We pay some 70% of the institution's budget. 
Wouldn't it be nice if Mr. Small showed the taxpayers a little
appreciation and respect for a change?  Why is it that taxpayers carry
the biggest burden but corporations get the recognition?"

The Smithsonian is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents, including
Vice President Dick Cheney and Chief Justice William Rehnquist. "Cheney,
Rehnquist and Small are disrespecting the taxpayers," Nader said.

"Besides, individuals have made this nation great," Nader said.  "The
Smithsonian should honor individual achievement, not corporate
glory-mongering."

"It's pathetic that the Lockheed Martin Corporation would want to push
aside an aviation pioneer just to get its name before the public," Nader
said.  "Why can't it give the old fashioned way -- without expecting a
big PR benefit in return?" 

In recent years, Lockheed Martin has settled several lawsuits related to
the use or release of toxic chemicals. "The Smithsonian's mission is to
promote the increase and diffusion of knowledge, not to honor corporate
polluters," Nader said.  "Just how is Lockheed accounting for this
contribution on its tax returns?"

In December 2000, a Los Angeles County judge approved a $5 million
settlement between Lockheed Martin and more than 300 Burbank, CA
residents who claimed that they were harmed by Lockheed's release of
toxic chemicals, including hexavalent chromium, into the air, soil and
groundwater. 

In 1996, Lockheed Martin agreed to pay approximately $60 million to
1,357 Burbank residents to settle allegations related to the release of
toxic chemicals, including hexavalent chromium.

Lockheed Martin faced heavy criticism in November, 2000 following a Los
Angeles Times report that it was funding probably the first large-scale
human study to test a water pollutant, perchlorate.  Pollutants are
usually tested on lab animals.  "These tests are inherently unethical,"
Richard Wiles of the Environmental Working Group told the Times.

Last month, Commercial Alert demanded that the Smithsonian stop "acting
as an advocacy arm of the oil industry" by distributing a National
Museum of Natural History "museum guide" which promotes oil drilling in
Alaska.   The text of that letter is available at:
<http://www.commercialalert.org/releases/oilrel.html>.

In January, Commercial Alert and a coalition of 170 scholars and
activists sent letters to the Smithsonian Institution's governing Board
of Regents, asking them to protect the Smithsonian from commercialism,
and to fire Smithsonian Secretary Lawrence Small for commercializing the
Smithsonian.  The text of that letter is available at:
<http://www.commercialalert.org/smithsonian/commercialism.html>.

On February 27, 2001, Ralph Nader sent Mr. Small a letter requesting the
Smithsonian's policy regarding where it draws the line that determines
the limits of commercialism within the Smithsonian's operations.  Has
the Smithsonian established lines beyond which commercialism cannot
cross? Mr. Small has refused to reply, despite follow-up calls.    The
text of that letter is available at:
<http://www.commercialalert.org/cityforsale/smithrnlet.html>.

Background materials on commercialism at the Smithsonian are available
at:
<http://www.commercialalert.org/smithsonian/index.html>.

Commercial Alert's mission is to keep the commercial culture within its
proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting children and subverting
the higher values of family, community, environmental integrity and
democracy.  Commercial Alert's website is at
<http://www.commercialalert.org>.

<----news release ends here---->

BACKGROUND:
Today's Washington Post article on the renaming of the Air & Space
Museum theater is available at:
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53230-2002Mar19.html>

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
The Smithsonian is governed by a 17-member Board of Regents. Please
contact the three Regents below.  Ask them to save the Smithsonian from
commercialism, and to fire Secretary Lawrence Small.

* Alan G. Spoon, <aspoon@polarisventures.com>
* Hanna H. Gray, <h-gray@uchicago.edu> 
* Senator Pat Leahy, <senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov>

Detailed contact information for the Regents is available at:
<http://www.commercialalert.org/smithsonian/regents.html>.

Commercial Alert's mission is to keep the commercial culture within its
proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting children and subverting
the higher values of family, community, environmental integrity and
democracy.  Commercial Alert's website is at
<http://www.commercialalert.org>.

Commercial Alert's materials are distributed electronically via our
mailing list <commercial-alert@lists.essential.org>. To subscribe, send
the word "subscribe" to <info@commercialalert.org>, or go to
<http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/commercial-alert>.

This note is posted at:
<http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/commercial-alert/2002/000107.html>.

To join Commercial Alert, go to:
<https://www.egrants.org/donate/index.cfm?ID=2404-0|1236-0>.

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY
-- 
Gary Ruskin | gary@commercialalert.org 
Commercial Alert | http://www.commercialalert.org/
Congressional Accountability Project | http://www.congressproject.org/
phone: 503.235.8012 | fax: 503.235.5073

To subscribe to Commercial Alert's email list, send the message 
"subscribe" to <info@commercialalert.org>.