Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
I have something else (partly) written, but it will keep. I fell into a story this morning which is important, and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License, so it can be quoted.
Incidentally, I have been predicting since the 1980’s that the US would be seeing a dumbing down of citizens due in part to children being exposed to “stuff.” Of course there are many other contributors, such as exponentially increased home schooling for all the wrong reasons (yes, there are some good reasons, but that’s not what we’re seeing, and in any case, good reasons would not account for the numbers), and yes, there are many people who grew up in the eighties and since, and who are growing up now, who are pretty clearly not impaired, but with so many Americans, there is clearly something going on. Naturally, Republicans not only don’t mind the existing conditions, but want to worsen them (I assume to ensure a steady supply of Republican voters.)
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Published on
Friday, July 19, 2019
by Common Dreams
‘A Total Disgrace’: Outrage as Trump EPA Says It Won’t Ban Pesticide Linked to Brain Damage in Children
“The EPA is endangering the lives of children to protect pesticide industry profits.”
by Jake Johnson, staff writer
In a move environmentalists denounced as yet another case of the Trump administration putting industry profits over public health, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday that it will not ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide linked to brain damage in children.
“By allowing chlorpyrifos to stay in our fruits and vegetables, Trump’s EPA is breaking the law and neglecting the overwhelming scientific evidence that this pesticide harms children’s brains,” Patti Goldman, attorney with Earthjustice said in a statement. “It is a tragedy that this administration sides with corporations instead of children’s health.”
EPA chief Andrew Wheeler’s decision to reject a petition by environmental groups calling for a ban on the neurotoxic chemical ignores the assessments of his agency’s own scientists, said Tiffany Finck-Haynes, pesticides and pollinators program manager for Friends of the Earth.
“The EPA’s refusal to ban chlorpyrifos ignores decades of science showing that this pesticide has irrevocable effects on human health and the environment,” said Finck-Haynes. “The EPA is endangering the lives of children to protect pesticide industry profits.”
Chlorpyrifos has been banned for household use since 2000, but the pesticide is still used by farmers on “more than 50 fruit, nut, cereal, and vegetable crops,” according to the New York Times.
“In 2016,” the Times reported, “more than 640,000 acres were treated with chlorpyrifos in California alone.”
The Obama administration in 2015 proposed banning use of the pesticide on food crops, but former EPA administrator Scott Pruitt authorized its continued use in 2017.
“This is a total disgrace,” Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.) tweeted in response to the EPA’s decision on Thursday.
Finck-Haynes of Friends of the Earth said that as the federal government continues to work on behalf of chemical interests, states must take immediate action to protect the public and the environment.
“While the federal government refuses to act, we urge states to step in, ban chlorpyrifos, and demonstrate that they will safeguard public health and the environment,” said Finck-Haynes. “We call on [New York] Governor [Andrew] Cuomo to sign the chlorpyrifos ban bill sitting on his desk and protect New Yorkers from this toxic pesticide.”
In a statement on Thursday, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) highlighted the Trump administration’s ties to Dow Chemical, the largest producer of chlorpyrifos in the United States.
“The relationship between President Trump and Dow Chemical… has been called into question,” the group said. “Among other things, the chemical manufacturing giant reportedly donated $1 million for Trump’s inauguration, and its CEO previously played a chief advisory role to the president, heading up his now defunct American Manufacturing Council.”
Erik Olson, senior director of health and food at NRDC, said the effort to achieve a ban on chlorpyrifos will continue.
“Until EPA gets this stuff out of our fields and off our food,” said Olson, “this fight is not over.”
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Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, I despair of the current national regime. But maybe you could help the states pass legislation of their own. Some are already doing so, but more are needed.
The Furies and I will be back.
Cross posted to Care2 HERE.
10 Responses to “Everyday Erinyes #175”
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But…but….it’s the vaccines that are the danger!!!!! What a mess.
Boy, this is really sickening. To think that the masses are being affected by use of this pesticide(s), and dt’s way of thinking, is downright horrible. Defying the scientists is bad too, under this administration. Pretty soon, with all the sick/ill folks AND children, animals and bees. (beneficial insects), etc., inhaling and being exposed to chlorpyrifos he can declare doomsday, with it being true. Money and corporate greed for themselves, while mounting medical bills ico: your health. Of course, Texas, stands by this,and dt, instead of looking for safer options, they look the other way.
Thanks, Joanne for post, (and Furies).
As a Board Certified pediatrician (ret.) I would like to share a small part of the work that the Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has done to try to prevent this travesty.
This is the joint letter that the AAP and the Environmental Working Group sent to Pruitt at the EPA back in June, 2017:
https://www.ewg.org/testimony-official-correspondence/nation-s-pediatricians-ewg-urge-epa-ban-pesticide-harms-kids
http://www.smarthealthtalk.com/uploads/5/8/6/5/5865198/aap_ewg_chlorpyrifos_letter.pdf
This is the Position Paper of the AAP WRT pesticide exposure:
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/130/6/e1765.full.pdf
And this partially explains how Dow Chemical influenced the EPA to ignore $olid $cience in pur$uit of profit$ – even though it put$ kid$ at great ri$k.
https://www.ucsusa.org/ignoring-scientific-evidence-dangerous-pesticide-chlorpyrifos
I certainly would have expected no less. The AAP is one of many organizations (perhaps the most knowledgeable one) which are horrified at this as well as at other moves to increase chemical companies’ profits at the expense of citizens (and non citizens, equally important.) But Republicans don’t care. I’m reminded of the nurse who told a Flint, MI mother not to get so excited about her child’s lead exposure because he had lost “maybe 3 IQ point” and she felt that was “no big deal.” In fact, I will go farther than saying they don’t care, and say they do care – they love it – since cruelty is the point.
Unfortunately, if we started shooting them, which sometimes seems to be the only way to stop them, we would not be helping our cause (and would likely lose our own lives.)
Thanks for all the links.
Good catch, JD!
Chlorpyrifos is also used in residential pest control, where it’s called Dursban.
The Republican Party approves of damaging kids’ brains, as it makes them more likely to vote Republican.
When you consider that a causal relationship between environmental toxins such as Chlorpyrifos (but many more) and dementias is being actively investigated and very much thought to be the case, is it any wonder that dementias are dramatically on the rise.
What a bloody mess and all in the name of Republican power and greed. Send the bastards packing in 2020!!!
What Lynn said!
The immoral, and criminal nature of the Orange Bastard’s administration is beyond words.
In the US, and sadly other countries too, it is coming down to each man, woman and child for themselves, and hopefully some state or other for all.
Would Republicans know which fruit and veggies are sprayed with chlorpyrifos and prevent their kids from digesting them, or can they all afford organic produce?
I assume the question is rhetorical, since it has “Republicans” and “know” in the same sentence.
👌😘