WHEN I WAS EIGHT: AN AUSTRALIAN FARMER'S WIFE TELLS OF THE GREENIE IMPACT

A recent email from Helen Mahar (bookabie@bigpond.com):

When I was eight, my parents moved from the city to a farm. In my new school I clearly remember being told that farmers had a moral duty to clear the land to grow food to feed a hungry world. It felt good to know that my parents had a valued place in the wider scheme of things. Of course we were just being fed the official government line, to take home to our parents in case they had not got the message. To clear, develop, and increase production. Most farmers, encouraged by tax concessions, got the message. Those who hesitated to clear everything in sight were thought lazy.

I married a farmer, and my children also went to a country school. But the message from the teachers had changed. Farmers had over-cleared, and were to blame for massive environmental degradation. For my children and their friends, their parents were social undesirables. No pride in their parents’ occupation for them.

We got the message, continually. But when you boiled it down, farmers were being blamed for respecting, trusting and listening, to past advisers. And for failing to foresee the environmental consequences those past advisers had not foreseen. Farmers needed to admit their faults and mend their ways - by listening respectfully to a new generation of experts, authorities and advisers.

Many of my children’s generation have left the farms, in part, seeking occupations with higher social esteem. For those who remain, a plethora of conservation laws have reduced property rights and legal rights (right of appeal), making them second class citizens. The effect of these laws has been to shift the cost of community conservation expectations onto landowners.

From these second class citizens a first class conservation effort is now expected, at their own cost (and without encouraging tax concessions). This is not a sustainable arrangement; economically, socially, or environmentally. Guess who will be blamed for the current bunch of experts and authorities’ failure to foresee the consequences of their policies and conduct? Australian conservation laws are founded on blame-shift and cost-shift.






GREENIES WRONG ABOUT POWERLINES AND LEUKAEMIA

(Post lifted whole from Carpe Bonum)

There is some interesting news about childhood Leukemia. But parents should read the reports very carefully and consult experienced professionals before taking any actions.

Researchers in the UK have completed the world's largest childhood cancer study and have made these findings:

* Leukemia is caused by the combination of two factors: a genetic defect which occurs in one out of 20 children, and an infection which triggers the cancer.
* Leukemia is not caused by power lines or electromagnetic fields
* It is not caused by radiation from nuclear power plants
* Exposure to radon gas does not increase childhood cancer risk
* Leukemia is not caused by vitamin K injections

And very interesting is that it seems to be possible to break the cancer cycle by exposing very young infants to infections. In theory, this strengthens their immune systems and prevents subsequent infections from triggering the cancer. But infections after three months of age do not have the same effect and can even increase the Leukemia risk.

So what should parents do as a result of these reports?

First of all, like any popular media report on scientific findings, there is a lot of room for misinterpretation and inaccuracy. For example, both media reports linked below strongly imply that sending children to day care centers can help save them from Leukemia. This may be true, but only before three months of age. Parents who want to decide for themselves must be sure to read as much of the source material as possible and must not rely solely on popular media reports.

Next, it is very important to let the scientific process play out. Other epidemiologists will look at these studies, their methodologies, data, conclusions and the logic used. They will conduct their own studies to try to duplicate the results. One such study is the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study. If these conclusions are valid, a consensus will form.

This has not happened yet.

Finally, the public must beware of junk science in all its forms, especially regarding children's health. How many of these to you recognize? How many are true?

* Mercury-based preservatives in vaccines cause autism.
* Power lines cause cancer.
* Cell phones cause brain cancer.
* Oats prevent cancer.
* Chicken-pox parties are a good idea.

Don't get me wrong. This is an important result and could be a huge advance. But let's not get too excited too soon. As Professor Pat Buffler, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley comments, the real news is:

For the first time in the long history of research into the causes of childhood leukemia we now have the biological and epidemiological foundations to begin a consideration of preventive measures.

So do your own research, read deeply, and check with a professional before you rush off to day care!

References:

* A very brief overview of the UK Childhood Cancer Study
* Press Release from the Institute of Cancer Research

Hat tip to Joe Gandelman, The Moderate Voice, who points to articles in The Independent and Reuters.

Also covering:

* Outside the Beltway: "Hobbsean choice"
* HealthLawProf Blog: "Good news"
* Childcare by Judy Lyden: "Kids need to get dirty"

UPDATE: Betsy Newmark says, "Just do what I do - have a filthy house." Thanks for the link, and welcome Betsy's page readers! Also, welcome Mudville Gazette open post readers!

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Many people would like to be kind to others so Leftists exploit that with their nonsense about equality. Most people want a clean, green environment so Greenies exploit that by inventing all sorts of far-fetched threats to the environment. But for both, the real motive is to promote themselves as wiser and better than everyone else, truth regardless.

Comments? Email me here. My Home Page is here or here. For times when blogger.com is playing up, there are mirrors of this site here and here.

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