So, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) planned to introduce a bill to honor Rachel Carson -- author of the seminal Silent Spring -- on the 100th anniversary of her birth. Carson is, as non-psychotics know, a hero who did about as much as any human being in history to raise awareness, not only of toxic chemicals in the environment, but of our symbiotic and delicate relationship to the ecosystems we inhabit.
Cardin has since decided not to introduce the bill. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said he would block it.
Block it, you ask? Who would bother to block a piece of symbolism like this, especially one dedicated to someone like Carson?
Beware! You are now entering the fever swamps of the far right. You see, conservatives have convinced one another that Carson is responsible for a ban of the insecticide DDT in Africa, and that the DDT ban is responsible for an epidemic of malaria, and the epidemic is responsible for thousands -- millions! -- of deaths. Thus, "Rachel Carson killed more people than Hitler." Thus, a new website from CEI (the brain trust behind "CO2: We call it life") called "Rachel Was Wrong."
You'll not be surprised to learn that every part of this conspiracy theory is wrong -- badly wrong, repeatedly debunked, yet still staggering forward like a hysterical zombie with Tourette's. (Remind you of anything else? Shocked that virtually the same roster of "thinkers" is involved in both?)
Anyway, I don't want to spend much time on this. Don't feed the trolls and all. But if you want the details, your man on the front lines is the indefatigable Tim Lambert. Start with this post and then peruse this section. Have fun.
And raise a glass in Carson's memory. Obviously her work is not done.