In testifying and speaking in public, I frequently exposed the misleading references Rachel Carson had cited in her book, presenting her statements from Silent Spring and then reading the truth from the actual publications she was purporting to characterize. This revealed to the audiences just how untruthful and misleading the allegations of Silent Spring really were.
Now, nearly 30 years later, the controversy is still boiling about how truthful Rachel Carson was. I recently learned that a movie honoring Rachel Carson and Silent Spring is being made for television. Because I believe such a movie would further misinform the public, the media, and our legislators, I decided to type up my original rough notes from 1962-1963 and make them available. Here they are, page by page, starting with her dedication.
Dr. J. Gordon Edwards
The Lies of Rachel Carson
[H/T to David for the link.
I remember reading Silent Spring in about 1970. It made quite an impression on me as it did millions of other people. I think the copy of the book I read is still on the bookshelf of my parents house.
Reading Edwards notes I realize her half-truths were the same type of propaganda that the anti-gun people propagate today. What she did was not carelessness, ignorance, or a series of honest mistakes. She pulled tidbits out of references that clearly did not support her conclusions or the impression her book portrayed. She had to be doing that deliberately. The same is true of many of the anti-gun writings. When you check their references you find the source concludes something completely different or (as in the case of Michael A. Bellesiles) does not even exist.
The global warming hoax (H/T to Phil for the link), the ecology hoaxes, the anti-gun material and many others all come from the political left. Why is that? Is their desire for control over people so great they will do nearly anything? Sure we have lots of examples of leftists (Stalin, Pol Pot, China, and Nazi Germany for example) where they will do horrible things to consolidate and keep power political power. But even on a much smaller scale it seems to result in the same sort of thing–total lack of ethics, morality, and respect for human life.
I sometimes can’t help but think that “if it saves just one life” then people advocating leftists political beliefs should be imprisoned or exiled. But that would be using the very same warped ethical behavior as they do.–Joe]
Well, we may be morally superior by not employing their tactic of ‘if it saves just one …’ but they do it because it is effective. Sometimes to win a war, one must employ you adversary’s tactic or turn them against them.
To the communist it does not matter if “research” is factual or not. The Carson book was aimed at helping to destroy American agriculture (a nasty, evil, Capitalist food supply system).
I come from a farm family in Kalifornia originally. My Grandfather used DDT to control a viscious Earwig infestaton. It worked well. No human was ‘poisoned’.
How many people worldwide died from the horrible effects of Malaria due to the banning of DDT?
“Is their desire for control over people so great they will do nearly anything?”
Yes.
Sure we have lots of examples of leftists (Stalin, Pol Pot, China, and Nazi Germany for example) where they will do horrible things to consolidate and keep power political power.”
Don’t forget Jim Jones and Charles Manson. Weren’t the KKK socialists also?
“I sometimes can’t help but think that “if it saves just one life” then people advocating leftists political beliefs should be imprisoned or exiled. But that would be using the very same warped ethical behavior as they do.—Joe”
Aren’t you confusing tactics (imprisonment and exile) with goals and principles (power grabbing using fraud as a tool, verses fighting for freedom using reason as a tool)? I’d say you were on the right track, but we can qualify it further to say that anyone using fraud within the halls of government to perpetrate an erosion of liberty or a confiscation of property should well be imprisoned or exiled. That is nothing like imprisoning or exiling someone for speaking out against such fraud and power grabbing.