Correcting Pesticide Definition and Exposing Hypocrisy in Letter to Carmel Pine Cone Editor Paul Miller

Pine Cone Editor:

Unfortunately, for your editorial “Wrong again, Ms Kay,” simple facts dismiss your opinion on what is a pesticide.

You claim “a substance that confuses moths … doesn’t come close to qualifying [as a pesticide].”

As one of the world’s authorities on pesticides the US-EPA has unequivocally decided the CHECKMATE chemical cocktail the state Agricultural Dept. sprayed on our community is a pesticide because it is designed, applied and used to exterminate a species.

The trivial studies done so far on CHECKMATE has caused US-EPA to forbid its use where farmworkers are working or where it could contaminate streams or tidepools.

(You can read more about this on HOPE’s amply referenced webpage — www.1hope.org/checkmate.htm)

Limiting the definition of a pesticide to chemicals which instantly kill a creature is a narrow 1950’s view of biochemistry.

Since then, we have created chemicals intended to eliminate or limit subsequent generations, while leaving the current generation alive.

Humans even use one — called “birth control” drugs, used by millions, for decades, and we are still learning about their harmful side effects.

Since there is no man-made chemical or pesticide whose side effects are fully understood, it is reasonable to use caution and analyze the potential impacts of any extermination chemical before spraying it on our community.

And that is precisely the reason Judge O’Farrell ruled in HOPE’s favor and required the Governor to prepare an Environmental Impact Report before he lets his Agricultural Dept aerially spray any more people.

David Dilworth, Executive Director
Helping Our Peninsula’s Environment

References:
http://www.pineconearchive.com/090116-7.htm

PS In an email note to another reader who tried to courteously correct his baseless “fact,” The Pine Cone’s Miller responded with the astonishing

“I am aware that the pheromone spray is classified as a pesticide by numerous government agencies. However, it is not a pesticide.“

With that, lets replay Paul Miller’s last line of his Editorial

“… when you’ve already made up your mind about what a story’s supposed to be, the facts can just get in the way.“

Should we give Miller a Hypocrisy Award or an Irony Medal ? 🙂