The Challenge of Our Time

By Rich Kozlovich

Generally speaking society has the tendency to accept whatever appears on the news, or the newspapers, regarding scientific or environmental issues.  It’s a mentality that’s kind of like that commercial where the really pretty girl says they aren’t allowed to lie on the internet, as the “French” boyfriend she met on the internet comes to pick her up….who is not only ugly….he clearly isn’t French.  But she’s just as happy as a clam; because “they can’t lie on the internet”.  The green activists understand that’s how people live their lives and view reality.  Winston Churchill said;

“The Bolsheviks have discovered that truth does not matter so long as there is reiteration. They have no difficulty whatever in countering a fact by a lie which, if repeated often enough and loudly enough, becomes accepted by the people.” 

Illogical you say?  Sure, but so what?  It’s also reality; and that’s the challenge of our time.

The articles I write are devoted to one thing and one thing only: The truth.  To find it, confirm it, analyze it, understand it, publish it, promote it and defend it.  In order to do that we must be willing to question everything! 

Heterodoxy isn’t for the faint of heart, but defending the truth requires a willingness to challenge those who are in prominent positions, who are not only wrong, but may have sold their integrity for 12 pieces of silver; which can be in the form of money, power, privilege, position, prestige or popularity.  In order to defend the truth we can only be interested in following the facts wherever they may lead, and we must be willing to be unliked for long periods of time. 

Winning arguments for ego’s sake is a time waster.  There are so many who’s minds have been clouded from breathing the fumes emanating from the fever swamps environmentalism that nothing said will dissuade them from their insane course and idiotic logic.  But at least they are easily understood!  Ideology has made them stupid.  What may be more difficult to understand is why we have so many people involved with the pest control industry that are equally impaired, especially those with advanced degrees.  Is it true that the Holy Grail of science is no longer truth but grant money? 

Dr. Jay Lehr, a defender of our industry, was one of the founders of the EPA and helped write their first pieces of legislation.  He says he’s now doing penance for that by attempting to educate society.  Michelle Crawley interviewed him for The Standard in February of 2011 asking him:  You have said in your speeches that science follows the government money. How does science following government money have an impact?

He answered: Yes, science is following the government money, and it’s a problem in all industries. We’ve totally distorted science, not all of it, but certainly at the university level. They know they have to say what the government wants to hear in the grant proposal process in order to get their money. U.S. EPA rules the roost, and if they’re not out to prove or say bad things about chemicals of all kinds, they won’t likely get the money. This is all driven by the environmental advocacy groups that control U.S. EPA today. It’s a horrible thing, and what it has done to science mostly at the academic level is bad. But U.S. EPA’s goal is to remove every useful chemical from the environment.

One thing is clear; if the only grant money available was to prove that there was no such thing as IPM in structural pest control or that ‘green’ pest control was nothing more than faith based mysticism, these people would do an about face faster than a color guard in a military parade. 

Then we have the leadership of our industry and the trade journals.  Recently three articles appeared that I thought would be circulating around the industry like a lightning bolt.  The first was, ‘Collapse of bee colonies is latest target for anti-pesticide groups, by Paul Driessen, showing that pesticides aren’t the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder. 

I sent that article to the trades and leaders of our industry and only one trade magazine ran Paul’s article in their online newsletter.   Then recently a startling study about pesticides and human health was released.  Angela Logomasini wrote an article titled, Cancer Rates Low Among Pesticide Workers, outlining how those most heavily exposed to pesticides are longer lived and healthier than the general public.  Was that flashed around the world of pesticide applicators?   As far as I can tell only one trade picked it up also.  Then came the article, Aerial mosquito spraying study finds no immediate public health risks.  I would think someone would make this a headline.  Only one trade picked it up and I saw nothing from our national leaders.  

Finally, three articles belying the outrageous claims of the green movement appear within three weeks of each other and no one seems to care.  Why? The activists have shouted to the roof top, loudly and unendingly, that pesticides cause cancer and aerial spraying is a human health nightmare, and have used that theme to generate legislation at every level of government to end pesticide use.  Apparently some must think publishing and highlighting the truth would be seen as gloating over our enemies; and of course that would be bad manners.

I think the answer can be outlined by paraphrasing Diana West in her book, American Betrayal:  "It’s easier to muffle the truth than act on it!  It is definitely more pleasant if no one has to do anything heroic, or plan, or think confrontationally.  Stifling the occasional and always tiresome voice of dissent is what drives editorials, position platforms, social activism and even pop culture."  Have we become a bunch of head nodders trapped in an echo chamber of self congratulations?  It would appear to me that we are getting what we deserve.  If we don’t demand more from our leaders and our information delivers we deserve what we get.  There is more to come!