Wisconsin Environmentalists Restore 'Eden Again' In Iraq

WISC TV ^ | July 18, 2005 | Staff Writer

[pointsal]

By a gallon of DDT....... works wonders on skeeters

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I see you're just a tad passionate on the subject, LOL! :)

"I will bet that those who champion this wetlands restoration know nothing of insect-borne disease."

Wisconsin has it's share of mosquitoes and the diseases they spread; heartworm to our dogs & cats, encephylitis (sp?), etc. But you're probably right. They're not thinking ahead. They never really do.

*SIGH* Oh, well. I was trying to give them some credit, but you're right...I should always go with my gut where EnviroWackos are concerned. Lesson learned.

[elli1]

Then you know that it isn't just mosquitoes that breed in the swamps. But, point taken about the enviro-crowd & DDT. However, it is possible to be a conservationist & not be party to the wackos.

[45Auto]

Enviro-wackos are not conservationists. They are merely Marxists who hide behind the "Green" banner in order to fool school children and those among us who are of low intelligence. Their real goal is to reduce humans to the suffering creatures we were before the industrial revolution eased our burdens. The latter has created problems of its own, but the mere fact of the increased life expectancy that we enjoy relative to even our ancestors of recent vintage (say, at the turn of the 20th century, when most lived an agrarian lifestyle) tells me we as a species have been doing something right. So now, these idiots want to "turn back the clock" to the 'good old days' when there was nearly 50,000 cases of malaria in Iraq. If we let the greenies have their way we will all be living in teepees and crapping in a hole in the ground. These nuts can have my flush toilet when they can pry it from my cold, dead hands.

[elli1]

...what did Saddam have against the Marsh Arabs?

From the Eden link:

Following the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the marsh dwellers were important elements in the uprising against Saddam Hussein’s regime. To end the rebellion, the regime implemented an intensive system of drainage and water diversion structures that desiccated over 90% of the marshes.

[45Auto]

it is possible to be a conservationist & not be party to the wackos.

Yes, it is. I come from a long line of outdoors men who were just that. Yet they were not so stupid that they eschewed the liberal (clever use of the word) use of insecticides and swamp draining when it served to reduce the possibility of disease. Restoration of these wetlands requires a heck of a lot more planning (and maintenance)then these morons are capable of.

[45Auto]

What was the rate and incidence of malaria (and related illness) among the Marsh Arabs?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"If we let the greenies have their way we will all be living in teepees and crapping in a hole in the ground."

Stop! You're giving me Army flashbacks, LOL! Viva la Industrial Revolution!

Am I a bad person for planning on having a composting toilet in my (eventual) cabin in the woods, though? I plan on self-generated electrical and solar power, too. Pumped water from the well, yada, yada, yada.

See, I don't mind "roughing it" one bit; I was born 100 years too late, actually. But as you point out, it should be MY choice to do so...or not.

[elli1]

Found this:

http://www.ipmofalaska.com/Iraq.html

Quote: "The former regime in Iraq applied DDT to control disease vectors here twice a year, but the military does not allow DDT since it is outlawed by the US. The local Iraqi health authorities have asked us to use DDT after we have ineffectively expended several thousands of pounds of low risk active ingredient pesticides and distributing thousands of units of personal insect repellents containing DEET. Both they and I have noticed that our supposedly low-risk pesticides used in Iraq don't work due to weather conditions, heat and the low persistence of our insecticides in this environment."

"Because of this ineffectiveness, there have been nearly a thousand cases of Leishmaniasis among US troops and untold numbers of Malaria, which incidentally, killed over 9 million people in the world since 1999."