Posted on 11/10/2005 6:58:15 AM PST by ZGuy
Wealth Does Not Equal Wisdom, Especially When it Comes to Philanthropy
What’s with these billionaires? Ted Turner donates hundreds of millions to the United Nations, which is well known for its incredible corruption. The UN oversaw the diversion of tens of billions in the Iraqi Oil for Food Scandal. This literally took away food, shelter, and clothing from its own men, women and children. The highest UN officials oversaw the multi billion dollar scams. The UN "peace keepers" traded food for sexual favors in Africa. After some 17 resolutions demanding to bring Iraq into compliance, the UN still chose to subvert the formation of a democracy there.
And what’s with the socialist billionaire George Soros who donates tens of millions to some of the most virulent leftwing anti-American anti-capitalist groups to help subvert the duly elected Bush administration. Other billionaires such as Warren Buffett and Peter Lewis are joining in the attacks. One suspects that even these billionaires have not learned the lessons of history, namely, that without their despised capitalism, they would never have acquired their wealth in the first place.
Now along comes Bill Gates, the world’s richest man. His contributions to the world of communications and desktop computers has been world changing, for which we can all be grateful. But even Gates is not exempt from mind-boggling silliness, at a level unbecoming to a high school freshman.
As reported in the Oct. 28, 2005, issue of The Guardian, a British newspaper, Bill Gates donated $258 million dollars to the fight against malaria. Gates correctly describes the rich world’s efforts to fight malaria as "a disgrace". He went on the say, correctly, "For too long malaria has been a forgotten epidemic".
His new funds are to be directed at the Malaria Vaccine Initiative which apparently is attempting to develop a vaccine for this disease. What is clearly apparent and disappointing is that Gates has not done his homework on the history of the control and elimination of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.
The environmental fight against DDT ended in 1972 when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned its production and use. This was in the Nixon Administration under the first EPA administrator William D. Ruckelshaus. This fight and the ultimate DDT ban were the culmination of a years-long environmental struggle. Politically, it put the greens on the political map as a serious influential force. On another level it demonstrated that political success does not depend upon scientific honesty.
The environmental movement used its familiar propaganda methods of exaggerations, fear, and dishonesty. As a direct result millions in the Third World have died since. Hundreds of millions still suffer from the non-fatal aspects of malaria and the other mosquito-borne diseases.
DDT was first discovered by Dr. Othmar Zeidler in 1879, without any obvious uses. Then in 1939 (according to Steve Milloy (at www.junkscience.com)) Dr. Paul Muller independently produced DDT who quickly found that it killed flies, aphids, mosquitoes, walking sticks, and Colorado potato beetles. My first knowledge of DDT came during those famous newsreels in the 1940s when both soldiers and holocaust survivors were sprayed with clouds of DDT to kill body lice, head lice, and crab lice. Muller went on to win the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1948 for his discovery.
Later in 1970 the National Academy of Sciences wrote "To only a few chemicals does man owe as great a debt as to DDT…In little more than two decades, DDT has prevented 500 millions deaths, due to malaria, that otherwise would have been inevitable."
The famous but misleading book Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson has been shown to have misrepresented the risks of DDT in many areas. DDT has never been shown to be a carcinogen in humans even at doses 33,000 times the average daily human intake (at the 1972 levels. See J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol. 1999), 125 (3-4).
Then in 1971 and 1972 EPA administrator Ruckelshaus convened an EPA hearing (not a Congressional hearing) presided over by a Judge Edmund Sweeney for more than 6 months. During that time more than 9300 pages of expert testimony were presented. As a result Judge Sweeney wrote in a 114 page opinion summarizing the hearing findings:
DDT is not a carcinogenic hazard to humans DDT is not a mutagenic or teratogenic hazard to man The uses of DDT under the registrations involved here do not have a deleterious effect on freshwater fish, estuarine organisms, wild birds, or other wildlife. The petitioners have met fully their burden of proof (the harmlessness of DDT at the known doses) There is a present need for the continued use of DDT for the essential uses defined in this case. Remarkably in spite of this recommendation not to ban DDT, Ruckelshaus proceeded to do so. It is no coincidence that William Ruckelshaus was a highly placed official at the time within the Environmental Defense Fund (now renamed Environmental Defense) which led the opposition to DDT. In a better world this would have been called a conflict of interest.
In the 1977 book Ecological Sanity by George Klaus and Karen Bolander there are more than 300 pages documenting the science behind DDT and the intrigue which led to the ban. Other science texts carry many similar analyses, and Mr. Gates should have availed himself of these. As a consequence of the ban more than 1 million people have died each year since the 1972 ban and tens of millions suffer from the permanent, non-fatal effects. This loss of human life now exceeds those lost in the Nazi holocaust.
The greens were actively involved with orchestrating the ban of an extraordinarily effective weapon against DDT, which resulted in the deaths and debilitation to hundreds of millions. Those millions have died (and continue to die) as a direct result of their environmental exaggerations and their sympathizers in government agencies. Their claims of concern for human health are empty.
Remarkably, African leaders are now catching on to the greens and their 30 year history of destroying lives. Roger Bates and Richard Tren of Africa Fighting Malaria (AFM), Nov. 1, 2005, report quote Uganda’s Minister of Health, Jim Muhwezi, "DDT has been proven over and over again, to be the most effective and least expensive method of fighting malaria".
See the full report here: http://www.cei.org
Klaus and Bolander provide an appropriate quote from Jonathan Swift’s The Art of Political Lying, The Examiner", (Collected Works, Vol. V, 22-38, (1738), 1711):
"Few lies carry the inventor’s mark, and the most prostitute enemy to truth may spread a thousand without being known for the author: besides, as the vilest writer has his readers, so the greatest liar has his believers; and it often happens that, if a lie be believed only for an hour, it has done its work, and there is no farther occasion for it..Considering the natural disposition in many men to lie, and in multitudes to believe, I have been perplexed what to do with that maxim so frequent in everybody’s mouth, that truth will at last prevail."
Before Gates throws another $258 million dollars pursuing a problem already solved, he should learn such history and seek the counsel of those scientists who still believe in the honest practice and pursuit of science.
Can anyone tell me: Has Ted Turner ever written the check to cover his pledge of a half billion dollars to the UN?
Protect your own wealth by keeping everyone possible as dependent as possible. The more are wealthy like you, the less your wealth means!
Not to get to technical, but wealth (particularly great wealth) not only encourages a sense of superiority but it also brings with it a sense of guilt (similar to "sole survivor" syndrome). The sense of superiority works against the innate need for closeness with (dependence on) God...leaving only one outlet for the pressure of guilt...secular-humanism (i.e. liberalism).
"What is Wrong With These Billionaires?"
that's easy.
fear. guilt. atheism. not living in reality.
I can't, but that's because I simply don't care about what Ted Turner does, nor do I think the UN is worth giving a single penny.
Care to cite any evidence for this ridiculous accusation?
I had to check to make sure FR hadn't been taken hostage by the DU with all this talk of taking money away from people because we don't like the way they spend it.
It is just silly to compare Gates with these other two.
My hunch is that if the author of this piece actaully sat down to discuss DDT with Gates, he'd get an education on not just the history and political problems surrounding it, but also on the chemical effects of it, and computer models of how expected impact in Africa without the poltical issues.
Gates is about as studied on his philanthropy efforts as any bazillionaire in history.
He isn't throwing fortunes down the toilet to UN beurocracies or to domestic political grudges.
He appears to be doing his best to use his fortune to alleviate what he sees as the most tragic part of humanity today - the disparity in health between rich and poor nations.
Gates should be commended for his efforts and hailed as the greatest philanthropist of our time...Because frankly, nobody else comes close to his level of giving, and independent analysis of how to use a fortune for effective philanthropy.
Ahhh, my bad. I didn't pick up on the sarcasm. There are enough neo-fascists on FR to keep me from getting too comfortable with guessing at anti-capitalist sarcasm. :-/
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