Conservative Forum — Week of October 14

Reader Disgusted With ‘Baghdad’ McDermott

Rep. James McDermott [D.-Wash.] should be drawn and quartered! ["McDermott Won’t Retract Baghdad Attack on Bush," HUMAN EVENTS, October 7, page 1]. To undermine the President at this difficult time in our country is unforgivable. Brings back memories of Hanoi Jane.

Ann Coulter Strikes Again!

Thanks for the great article ["Democrats Torch Rule of Law, Again," HUMAN EVENTS, October 7, page 1]. Please keep them coming. We must fight these Socialists and keep America free.

I think Ann Coulter is positively GREAT!!!

Fed Up With RINOs Over Illegal Aliens

John Keeley writes ["Open Borders Left Goes After Tancredo," HUMAN EVENTS, September 30, page 20] that Sen. Allard’s (R.-Colo.) spokesman said the senator supported Rep. Tancredo’s position (against illegal immigration), and that Gov. Owens (R.) told the Denver Post that "immigration law must be enforced" in the Apodaca case.

Unfortunately, Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R.-Colo.) authored a bill asking for amnesty for illegal immigrant Apodaca, and both Sen. Allard and Gov. Owens were reported to support the bill.

It is this wishy-washy behavior by RINOs, and even some conservatives, that led this conservative family to change its registration from Republican to Unaffiliated, and why we will vote for Republicans like Tancredo, but no longer for the so-called lesser evil: that, after all, would still be voting for evil. If the GOP wants to commit suicide, it is regrettable but so be it.

Questions Critics of Carson and DDT Ban

Regarding the article on Rachel Carson, Silent Spring and the letter by Ray Hurst on his experience with DDT on Saipan in 1944 ["Article Captures Rachel Carson’s Deadly Legacy," HUMAN EVENTS, September 16, page 22, and "The Destructive Legacy of Rachel Carson," HUMAN EVENTS, August 26, page 11], I would like to comment.

Hurst must not be aware of just how the mosquitoes and flies were killed on that island. What he sprayed was our tent interior, our bedding and clothing and our mess kits for lice, not mosquitoes. I was there in 1944 and 1945, serving in the 9th Troop Carrier Squadron. We flew 13 C-47 cargo planes carrying men and supplies between the many islands.

The ground crews, of which I was part, were held in the ship offshore for two days until the island was secured. Indeed, the flies and mosquitoes were thick. There was no malaria on Saipan but about everybody there early came down with Dengue fever.

We landed in August ’44. In late ’44 or early ’45, one of our planes was equipped with a cabin tank and pipes through the floor. The tank was filled with Diesel fuel and laced with DDT. The plane sprayed the island, doing such a good job that the squadron commander received orders to spray other islands in the area.

On a demonstration mission with observers aboard, the plane crashed, killing all except one crewmember, who was in the tail section. That spraying of Saipan killed the flies and mosquitoes and all the fish in a small lake in the hills on Saipan and some other small creatures.

I have had some experience with DDT. After the war when I came to Nebraska, my employer put me to spraying alfalfa fields with DDT, using a ground rig pulled by a Jeep. Before the end of that summer, I visited a doctor for a serious illness that he could not diagnose for sometime until later when I mentioned working with DDT.

DDT is a slow poison that even kills flies slowly. It took me a long time to recover from that use of DDT, so don’t tell me that DDT is harmless.

On Saddam’s Plot To Assassinate Bush

Very fascinating cover story on Saddam’s assassination attempt, ["How Saddam Tried to Kill Bush I," HUMAN EVENTS, September 30, page 1]. I was unaware that current President Bush’s wife Laura was on the trip as well. No wonder he’s so ticked off. You mention in your story that the evidence for your reporting comes from Madeleine Albright’s speech before the UN, which I’ve read, and that "the Justice Department Inspector General’s Office released a report (on its investigation of alleged misconduct at the FBI laboratory). . . ." I couldn’t find that report on the DOJ’s website. Was that where the Laura Bush information was mentioned? Do you have an electronic copy of the report by any chance? Thanks very much.

Editor’s Note: Information on the Bush assassination attempt is on the Justice Department web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/oig/fbilab1/05bush2.htm.

Justice Owen and The Abortion Issue

The complaints of liberals against Justice Priscilla Owen ["Senate Democrats Abused Justice Owen and Truth," HUMAN EVENTS, September 16, page 5], who upheld a parental notification law, display their hypocrisy. While "pro-choice" advocates claim to have the woman’s interests in mind, they tend to ignore the risks of abortion to women-risks are teenager is going to have trouble evaluating without parental involvement.

Abortion supporters claim that abortion is safer than childbirth and that the rate of serious complications is under 1%. However, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) does not even require the reporting of complications or fatalities from induced abortions so there is no national statistics to provide us with this information.

Furthermore, deaths that occurred because of an abortion are often classified on the death certificate or autopsy report under their secondary condition, such as hemorrhage or infection.

Organizations such as Life Dynamics (www.lifedynamics.com) and the Elliot Institute (www.afterabortion.org) are uncovering incidents of abortion complications and fatalities that have gone unreported. Possible complications include: hemorrhage, infection, perforations of the uterus, disseminated intravascular coagulation (a severe clotting disorder) and injuries to the cervix, intestines, and urinary tract.

While the pro-abortion side insists that they have a monopoly on compassion, the facts indicate otherwise. They claim that we need to keep abortion legal to keep it safe, but they consistently fight against any attempt to regulate the abortion industry or provide accurate information to women.