Macron offers refuge in France to U.S. scientists, entrepreneurs

[LongTomH]

Source: www.reuters.com

French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron on Saturday called on U.S. scientists, academics and entrepreneurs at odds with Donald Trump's administration to move to France.

The former economy minister, one of the frontrunners in the upcoming presidential election, urged U.S.-based scientists working on climate change, renewable energy or health issues who were wary of the new political situation to seek refuge across the Atlantic.

"I want all those who today embody innovation and excellence in the United States to hear what we say: from now on, from next May, you will have a new homeland, France," he said.

Rogue Twitter feeds voicing employee concerns at more than a dozen U.S. government agencies have been launched in defiance of what they say are Trump's attempts to muzzle federal climate change research and other science.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-macron-idUSKBN15J0RQ

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M. Macron took several other digs at Trump, without using the name, including a reference to Trump's proposed wall as the equivalent of France's ill-fated Maginot line.

[riversedge]

1. Love it. suck on that Trumpy!!

[NNadir]

2. A brain drain may well prove the most long term damage the Trumpites...

...do to the United States.

It may prove irreversible, and the idiots with their Ayn Rand "John Galt" fantasies might find their stupidity will come home to roost in a most unpleasant way, when the real people who drive the economy, not the capitalists, but the scientists, either go on strike or depart.

This country could easily slide into the third, or fourth world under these conditions. Every day life in this country is run by products created by scientists and engineers, and without their production, life might be far more miserable.

[Hortensis]

3. Some brain drain is already occurring.

I disagree with Nnadir's dystopian view, but it's very likely that many U.S. scientists previously government employed or working with government grants, both those born here and many from abroad, will find new jobs in other countries. And, of course, it's likely our corporations will be wooing fewer of the world's best new minds to the U.S. for a while.

This is from a site that's already been set up to help those who lose their jobs to trumpism find new positions, but it expanded its call to the world to help scientists stranded abroad by Trump's "immigration" freeze.

"The tweet went out and even before I closed the Twitter page I started getting direct messages from people all over the world saying they wanted to help," said Golbeck, who is also the director of this university's Social Intelligence Lab. "The tweet spread very wide and very fast, and it made me feel better that I was able to help in some way."

Within five days about 1,000 people direct messaged her Twitter account offering beds and lab spaces on six continents, Golbeck said. Canada and the U.K. extended the highest number of offers, while Germany had the third highest number. ... Some people in the U.S. offered to take care of scientists' pets or pick up their cars while they are stuck abroad as well. Four scientists — all from Iran — reached out to the network following Trump's ban, with one needing emergency help to find a new school to transfer to, Golbeck said.