Rachel Carson Just May Haunt Donald Trump

Ironic vision: Today in Washington, news reports flooded forth of Donald Trump instituting a media blackout at the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as “temporary suspension” of its business activities. Tonight the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) aired its first “American Experience” episode for 2017: “Rachel Carson”, a profile of the brilliant writer, scientist, and ecologist who ignited the environmental movement.  

Rachel Carson, writer, scientist, ecologist

PBS’s two-hour documentary is everything public educational television should be. It traces Carson’s life from a shy, rural-Pennsylvania child drawn to writing, to a highly intelligent collegian who decides to turn from majoring in English to biology, to an experienced researcher who eventually combines both those talents, effecting major change in the public and political sensitivity to the environment.

Carson’s most vital book Silent Spring was published in 1962. Here’s how the PBS website describes the immediate best seller and its impact:

A passionate and eloquent warning about the long-term dangers of pesticides, the book unleashed an extraordinary national debate and was greeted by vigorous attacks from the chemical industry. But it would also inspire President John F. Kennedy to launch the first-ever investigation into the public health effects of pesticides — an investigation that would eventually result in new laws governing the regulation of these deadly agents.

Trump, a climate-change denier who denies he is, has spent his first week in office not only censoring and freezing the EPA; he also has unfrozen and begun advancing -- through executive orders -- completion of two highly controversial oil pipelines: the Keystone XL and the Dakota Access.

As Reuters reported today:

Trump said on Tuesday in Washington that Keystone XL would create 28,000 jobs, but that figure is at odds with a 2014 U.S. State Department environmental study that said the project would create 3,900 construction jobs and 39 permanent jobs.

The $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline is being constructed by Energy Transfer Partners (ETP). Said Reuters:

Trump owned ETP stock through at least mid-2016, according to financial disclosure forms, and ETP's chief executive Kelcy Warren donated $100,000 to his campaign.

As we’ve seen, Trump has no problem with misstating facts. Nor with making business deals; and advancing a $3.8 billion pipeline for a $100,000 campaign donation from a company in which he owned stock…that sure looks like a business deal.

We, of course, could see this coming when, following the November election, we wrote for The Clyde Fitch Report our column “Prepare to Fight Fascism: 2017 and Beyond”. You might want to read it. You’ll see specifics on how fascism defines Donald Trump, from his beginnings through this week’s continued attacks on our environment and censoring the press and public information.

It leads to visions of Rachel Carson, with her deeply committed care for ecology and humanity’s future, haunting Donald Trump as he signs those executive orders benefitting the dealmakers and their corporate greed, caring not at all for who they sacrifice in the process – including their own and their offspring’s environment.