A Vision Of Death

A vision accompanied with deductive reasoning, scientific evidence and factual data can be a beacon for grand societal advancement. However, a vision backed with assumptions, agendas, fraud and politics can be deadly. DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) was first synthesized in 1874 with no intended use but years later, in 1939, it was discovered that it contained properties that were effective against warding off several arthropods (insects). It was used extensively in the second half or World War II with great results in controlling mosquitoes from spreading malaria, lice and typhus. After the war, DDT was made available as an agricultural insecticide with tremendous results, virtually eradicating malaria in the free world. In 1970 the National Academy of Sciences stated: “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 Million human deaths due to malaria that would have otherwise have been inevitable.”

Enter the alarmist do gooder. In 1962, Silent Spring, written by Rachel Carson sounded the alarm. It raised concerns about the harm that pesticides may be causing. Most notably, she went after the pesticide DDT. The book suggested that the indiscriminate spraying of DDT may cause cancer and its agricultural use was a threat to wildlife, in particular the thinning of bird eggs. To back her theory, she erroneously represented a study to conform to her pre-conceived conclusion. In other words, the actual facts didn’t matter. It was her twisted vision of the “truth” that guided her conscience to get the word out. The book led to a public outcry by the nitwitted sponge heads. With the 1960’s peace, love and environmental movement, it gave the politicians the opening to come to the rescue.

Enter the alarmist government agency. In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency entered into hearings on the safety and environmental impact of DDT. After all the evidence was presented, the Hearing Examiner Edmund Sweeny concluded: “DDT is not a carcinogenic, mutagenic hazard to man. The uses under regulations involved here do not have deleterious effect on fresh water fish, wild birds, or other wildlife…and… there is a present need for essential use of DDT.” Nonetheless, that conclusion was overruled by the EPA Administrator William Ruckelshaus, who never attended a single day of the seven months of DDT hearings. With that, DDT was officially banned in the U.S and the rest of the world followed suit. The result, a preventable disease, malaria which poses no danger to humans or bird eggs re-emerged with deadly consequences. The carnage in the third world, primarily Africa, has been devastating. It’s estimated that over 30 to 40 million malaria deaths have occurred since the ban. So, let’s recap. A known pesticide that indisputably prevented human death was banned without having any alternative (as good or better) substitute. This is the equivalent of banning brakes in automobiles because they may fail and kill the driver while ignoring the fact that brakes virtually never fail and prevent death.

In September of 2006, the World Health Organization and the U.S Agency for International Development declared “Indoor residual spraying with DDT and other insecticides will again play a major role in [WHO's] efforts to fight the disease." Why, because “DDT has few if any adverse effects in human beings” and “Given the severity of the malaria epidemic now in Africa and parts of Asia, it is reasonable to be using limited amounts of DDT for indoor use” Even so, DDT is still banned in the U.S and Europe.

In conclusion, Rachel Carson is credited with having launched the global environmental movement. She’s considered a hero to the modern day tree huggers and is strongly admired by the current environmental deity, Al Gore. Rachel died in 1964 and was never able to see the carnage she helped unleash. At least she didn’t die from Malaria because the spraying of a safe, effective pesticide, DDT, assured that. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Jimmy Carter. In regards to William Ruckelshaus, it’s far more sinister. He was a member of the Environmental Defense Fund. Along with their environmental agenda several members were ardent population-control advocates. These nuts believed the planet would soon be overpopulated and something needed to be done to curtail this disaster. Therefore, it’s conceivable that Ruckelshaus ideology factored in his decision to ban DDT and he and his brethren viewed this as an effective policy to “control” the population. Heinrich Himmler would be proud!