BUSH GOES GREEN; SIGNS U.N. TREATY TO KILL PEOPLE
Dr. Arthur B. Robinson of the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine saw a hopeful sign in President Bush's decision to reject the global warming treaty. In that decision, Bush chose science, not politics. Robinson expressed the hope that Bush would go further, and reverse the ban on DDT, which is estimated to have saved 500 million lives by preventing the spread of malaria before it was banned. Robinson called the ban on DDT genocide. He said a reversal of the ban on DDT would undermine the radical environmental movement, perhaps resulting in its collapse. "Reversal is difficult," he wrote, "because DDT has been so completely demonized. There is, however, now a chance."
That chance is now gone, after Bush decided to endorse a global ban on DDT through the United Nations "POPS" treaty to ban "Persistent Organic Pollutants." He made the announcement on the eve of Earth Day, in an action widely interpreted as an attempt to make himself look "green." This came after the Administration had been beaten up by the media and the environmentalists on such issues as arsenic in drinking water. Rather than do the right thing -- reverse the ban on DDT -- Bush decided to pander to those attacking him.
In his announcement, Bush said the chemicals banned by the treaty were "dangerous," and that the ban was "based on solid scientific information." That is just not true. The science shows the value of DDT. Dr. Robinson says the campaign against DDT coincided with the rise of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the modern environmental movement. It was a campaign marked by deliberate falsehoods. The EPA itself had concluded that DDT was harmless to he environment and was a beneficial substance. The book that spearheaded the demonization of DDT was Silent Spring by Rachel Carson.
A graph showing the spraying of DDT with cases of malaria demonstrates that as DDT was phased out, malaria has risen dramatically. Malaria now afflicts 250 million adults and kills about 3 million children a year. Robinson said about Bush that he is a decent and well-meaning man, and that if he was just given he facts, he would do the right thing. Robinson said, "Another child's life - every twelve seconds - depends on it."
Well, Bush has now done the wrong thing. He has panicked under the assault of the media and the environmentalists. This sets a dangerous precedent. Now we are even reading that Bush is re-thinking his rejection of the global warming treaty. If Bush can be stampeded into endorsing this measure, perhaps he can be pressured by the left into supporting other dangerous treaties, such as the one creating an International Criminal court.
As usual, media coverage on this issue was terrible. The New York Times called the chemicals outlawed by the treaty "lethal." The Washington Post called them "dangerous." Both the Times and Post highlighted the reaction of the radical environmentalists who had been beating up on the president. They were pleased by what he did. Only the Washington Times featured criticism of Bush from the right -- from Fred Smith of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who said endorsing the treaty was a big mistake. (30)
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