Posted by
Arnie on Friday, May 25, 2007 9:35:08 PM
A democratic senator, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, wants to honor the memory of Rachael Carson who alone was instrumental in the banning of the pesticide DDT for environmental reasons. Carson had her controversial book, The Silent Spring, published long ago in 1962. The beginnings of the modern day environmental movement.
However, Senator Coburn of Oklahoma has come out against the wishes of Cardin saying that the ban of DDT was irresponsible. "DDT
originally was used during World War II in Europe to delouse troops and
in South Pacific islands to kill insects causing malaria."
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. |
"Critics
of Carson cite the 500 million saved lives the National Academy of
Sciences attributed to DDT before it was banned and note the World
Health Organization's affirmation that no substance had ever proved
more beneficial to man." WND has the rest of the story.
And I'll add this. The rise of malaria in African nations can be directly attributed to the lack of a safe means to combat the mosquitoes that carry the malaria virus. Millions have died of Malaria since, but that has been one of those unintended consequences of the banning of just one pesticide. How many other EPA bans and restrictions have had similar consequences. All in the name of protecting animals or the environment, but at the expense of protecting humans. It just does not make sense.
Anyway, kudos to Senator Coburn, one of the last remaining true conservatives in the Senate.
Coburn was also instrumental in creating "The Sunlight Foundation" "The Sunlight Foundation was founded in
2006 with the goal of using technology to enable citizens to learn more
about what their elected representatives are doing, to help reduce
corruption, ensure greater transparency and accountability by government, and foster public trust in the vital
institutions of democracy. We are unique in that technology and the
power of the Internet are at the core of every one of our efforts."