DDT debate halts Rachel Carson honor

AP via Yahoo ^ | May 23, 2007 | AP Staff

[Lacey]

A senator has delayed submitting a resolution to honor pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson on the 100th anniversary of her birth after a colleague signaled he would block it because of her aggressive fight against pesticides.

Carson's 1962 book "Silent Spring" revealed the harmful effects of DDT and other pesticides and helped launch the environmental movement. The longtime resident of Silver Spring, Md., died in 1964. She would have turned 100 this Sunday.

Sen. Benjamin Cardin (news, bio, voting record)'s resolution had intended to honor Carson for her "legacy of scientific rigor coupled with poetic sensibility." But Susan Sullam, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Democrat, said he delayed the bill because Sen. Tom Coburn (news, bio, voting record), R-Okla., signaled he would use Senate rules to halt it.

In a statement on his Web site Tuesday, Coburn confirmed that he is holding up the bill. He blamed Carson for using "junk science" to turn the public against chemicals such as DDT that could prevent the spread of insect-borne diseases such as malaria.

Coburn, a doctor specializing in family medicine, obstetrics and allergies, said in the statement that 1 million to 2 million people die of malaria every year.

Since Carson's death from cancer, she has been celebrated as a hero by the environmental movement and as the inspiration for aggressive advocacy for nature.

Under Senate rules, any senator may hold up legislation that is scheduled as a "unanimous consent" measure for quicker-than-usual passage.

[Lacey]

Bravo, Senator Coburn!

[marktwain]

Wow! Someone with the guts to speak truth to power and to stand up to the environazis.

[xcamel]

the ban on DDT has cost 250 million lives in developing countries, and the fact that we used DDT in the US is why we don’t have a malaria problem...

[kitkat]

Thank God a Rep. senator is speaking up against this nonsense.

[Red Badger]

Speak truth to power?....That’s H!tlery’s mantra........In this case it’s more like speaking reality to the insane...........

[BlazingArizona]

One place where you don’t ever want to speak of this woman is New Zealand, environmentally minded though the country may be. Carson hated chemicals because they had long scary names, and proposed that pests be fought by introducing natural enemies. In fertile New Zealand the Carsonite opponent species imported to do this tended to proliferate and become a bigger nuisance than the original pest.

[Enterprise]

"Since Carson's death from cancer, she has been celebrated as a hero by the environmental movement and as the inspiration for aggressive advocacy for nature."

Translation: Kill people, not mosquitoes.

[Condor51]

Rachel Carson has killed more people than Adolph Hitler ever dreamed of.

[Red Badger]

Rachel Lied, people died!................

[TheRobb7]

I've found DDT to be quite effective, actually........

[Ditter]

Too bad she died in ‘64 and never saw what she did.

[period end of story]

Rachel Lied, people died!..........

Ka-ching.

[wita]

“Carson’s 1962 book “Silent Spring” revealed the harmful effects of DDT and other pesticides” Typical AP. When I see an outrageous statement in a newspaper, the first place I look, and nine times out of ten, it is AP. Carson should be celebrated for one thing only, putting everything less important than man in a position above man, resulting in more disease death and destruction, than many of the most murderous humans on the face of the earth.

Typical of PC reaction, and Congressional idiocy, in listening to constituents. Now the scene has been set, and we can no longer trust the representative nature of the Republic, and have to jump in at every misstep. So that the voice of reason can be heard above the din of ...Al Gore as an example, or Michael Moore or the Rachael Carson’s of the world.

At a million deaths a year, from mosquito born disease, and I would say that is a conservative number, she appears equal or greater than abortion as a killer. Even if we lay only half of the legacy at her feet she is still a very respectable mass murderer. Some legacy, all from a book based on Junk Science, and a little help from your friends in the media and the stupidity of the average American. Uh oh, that sounds particularly elitist.

[Garvin]

They already have places named after her “The Rachel Carson Estuarine Research Reserve” in North Carolina is one.

http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/northcarolina/preserves/art5623.html

And the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge total approximately 4,700 acres in ten geographic units from Kittery to Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/rachelcarson/descript.html

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/rachelcarson/

[pepperdog]

I’m soooo proud of our Senator! Whata guy!

[wita]

This baby ought to be bumped till the sun rises tomorrow.

[wita]

Do you suppose there is any validity at all to the named places as far as her legacy is concerned. I’m willing to at least listen. If not, there should be a concerted effort to remove her name and replace it with something or someone more appropriate.

[relictele]

Carson is getting feted AGAIN in the ‘Burgh this weekend.

If you can stomach it, read the Amazon.com reviews of Silent Spring - you will see such a perfect recitation of lefty talking points you will wonder if these people have had a chip implanted.

[wita]

You have nailed it, now if we could just reprogram the chip. I guess we would then all be alike, Utopia having been reached, and at least “they” would or should be happy. Isn’t Utopia the leftist dream? Unfortunately they seem to leave a large mess behind requiring mass graves here and there.

[RasterMaster]

ABC radio is spinning it for the DUmmies as well.