Senator blocks honor for environmental pioneer

A plan to honor environmental pioneer and "Silent Spring" author Rachel Carson on her centennial on Sunday was blocked by a U.S. senator who believes Carson created a climate of "hysteria and misinformation."

Sen. Tom Coburn derailed approval of a Senate resolution honoring the life of Carson, whose 1962 book "Silent Spring" warned of the dangers posed to wildlife and humans by the pesticide DDT and who is credited with inspiring the modern environmental movement.

"Rachel Carson's work both directly and indirectly created a climate of hysteria and misinformation about the impact of DDT on the human populations," said John Hart, a spokesman for Coburn, in explaining why the Oklahoma Republican withheld his support for the plan to honor her.


(snip)
"What Sen. Coburn is doing is basically citing the line of the interest groups ... because they had an economic interest in DDT," Cardin said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070525/pl_nm/carson_dc

Obviously, naked support of interest groups for financial gians trumps honor, intellect, vision and creativity. Many of our so-called leaders in congress are becoming the true bottom of the barrel of our society. It is all upside down...

Coburn is competing with Inhofe as the Senate's biggest Neanderthal.

the effect of ddt on bird populations, particularly the raptors like bald eagles, falcons and kites has been well proven. The man's a throwback......and all the throwbacks seem to be in government at the moment.

GRR

Falcons, Bald Eagles, hawks and many other species took over 20 years to come back after DDT was banned here. Hysteria? Tom afraid of white, male, home grown terrorist that blow up entire buildings? Well DDT has had the same effect on the environment world-wide as Timothy McVeigh's bomb did on Oklahoma City.

DDT wasn't banned for it's effects on humans. It was banned for it's effects on wildlife.

DDT is only "moderately toxic" to humans, the same as many household cleaning chemicals.

DDT WAS extemely toxic to birds, killing them by thinning their eggshells. And also toxic to aquatic animals such as fish, shrimp and daphnids (water fleas).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT