Los Alamos' approach, as explained by lab director Michael Anastasio at a July meeting of the New Mexico state Legislature's Los Alamos National Laboratory Oversight Committee, looks very different from Sandia's go-go diversification of recent years.
Any fundamental makeover of the lab's mission would require a dramatic change in direction from Washington.
"We don't set policy," he said.
Any fundamental makeover of the lab's mission would require a dramatic change in direction from Washington.
"We don't set policy," he said.
In today's Los Alamos Monitor , this is what Anastasio had to say on the subject, according to Tom Udall. Udall was in town for a series of classified briefings during an overview of LANL’s Weapons Programs to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, of which he is a member.
“I told Mike (Anastasio) he needs to get out there and hustle for the lab like Sandia did – to work with various agencies in the government to grow these areas,” Udall said during an interview Wednesday at the Los Alamos Research Park. “He told me he’s the guy to do that.”
So, which is it going to be, Mike? Either LANL's diversification is totally outside of your control, or you're the guy for the job. Or, maybe there's a third version of your story that we have not yet heard?
If so, should we believe it, or one of the other two versions?
-Gus
16 comments:
Where's a spin doctor when you need one! Where the hell is Roark!
--MA
Well, in all fairness, Mike's lips were moving.
It's the new LANL corporate ethic: "Lie if you think you can get away with it; lie when you get caught."
This, of course, as differentiated from the old LANL UC ethic, which was: "Lie if you think you can get away with it; lie when you get caught."
I personally can't wait to hear Mike's lie explaining his lie.
Oh, come one, what's the big deal? It's not like Mike has lied before.
Oh, wait. Yes it is.
So, why would Anastasio be telling the State Legislature that he has no control over growing WFO at LANL, and then tell Udall that "he's the man" to grow WFO at LANL?
That was a rhetorical question, of course. LANS, DOE, and NNSA don't want WFO at LANL, they want pit production. A year from now LANS can say, "Well, we tried, but we can't find any WFO. Guess we'll just have to do pit production."
And guess what: it's going to work for them, just that easy.
Heh. I tried to reply the empty Comment of the Week. I thought maybe you were quoting Anastasio, as in "No Comment", but you erased it right when I was submitting my response.
Calling the Director a Liar is so harsh and unfrienfdly like.
Let's just say he lapsed into a truth inversion.
Can we impeach Mikey?
Mikey places a high value on the truth and uses it frugally.
Mikey was just speaking from both side of his mouth. Like anyone really believes him anymore
It comes as no surprise to me that Mikey is lying about diversifying our budget. Remember, diversifying LANL’s funding will result in less potential funding sources for Livermore. The occupying army, LANS, does not want LANL to excel because it will endanger Livermore’s existence. I expect LANS to continue to lie about this matter for the reasons listed above, while work for others continues to decline. The only hope of saving LANL is to give LANS the boot. Maybe Udall will have an epiphany one of these days and recognize that LANS must be go back to Livermore.
11/29/07 1:09 PM
Yeah, but there was no difference. Like any truth will pass those lips. I'm surprised they are not stained brown from all of the bullshit and lies.
Udall was obviously talking to Mikey from the parallel universe of Bizarro World.
In that universe, national labs have honest Directors associated with non-profit managements that are very concerned about the morale of the scientific workforce and the health of their labs.
Unfortunately, Bizarro World Mikey lives in a very unstable quantum flux and doesn't stay around for very long.
“He told me he’s the guy to do *that*.”
And what exactly is "that"? Does the word "that" uttered from Mikey's lips require careful and complex analysis of convoluted meanings just like the parsing of the meaning of what "is" is from the Clinton era?
Jeez - everybody is so surprised that 1) politicians lie and 2) Mikey lies to politicians. Specify the world you know of where this doesn't, or hasn't, happened. Do you think you are still in Kansas?
What should any honest, moral, upright individual do when faced with the fact that he/she works for a bunch of liars, prevaricators, and assholes? Any guesses? (HINT: the answer is NOT "complain on a blog"). Take yourself and your family to a more sane environment. Do it now.
"And what exactly is "that"? Does the word "that" uttered from Mikey's lips require careful and complex analysis of convoluted meanings just like the parsing of the meaning of what "is" is from the Clinton era?"
Absolutely. Ask your manager to explain or enforce the "LANS Standards of Conduct Document," and you will get similar double talk. Apparently everyone is entitled to interpret the words in any way they please, so no one is accountable for their behavior. Especially if the offending person is related to someone in management (as they like to remind anyone who will listen, at least once a day, loudly, in the hallway, to make sure everyone hears). Yeesh. It may seem harmless to outsiders, but sometimes these people do real damage. And they do it just because they can, just to amuse themselves, or just because they're feeling cranky. Management is oblivious, all wrapped up in their warm and fuzzy mantra of "I've got mine, so don't upset the boat."
"What should any honest, moral, upright individual do when faced with the fact that he/she works for a bunch of liars, prevaricators, and assholes?"
Who cares about lies and backstabbing? These guys (and gals) just redefine the words. Of course, in their own minds, THEY are the truly moral upright individuals. Complaints are made by whiny little people, you know, the ones that don't matter. Obviously these complainers just haven't grown up and seen what the outside world is like. (But if you point out that no company you have previously worked for would stand for this behavior, you get back, "Well LANL is different; we're special.")
Anyway, there will soon be a lot fewer of these annoying little people with their noisy consciences. That's one problem that LANS is solving. That's why they get the big bucks. And the big bucks are all they care about.
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