Obama"s Science "Czar"

John P. Holdren was recently named as President Barack Obama's 'Science Czar." Holdren's official titles are: Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Assistant to the President for Science and Technology; and Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The longtime Teresa and John Heinz Professor of Environmental Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Holdren is no stranger to controversy. Holdren's radicalism dates back to the late 1960s. (Remember William Ayers and the Weather Undergound?) In 1969 Holdren wrote that it was imperative “to convince society and its leaders that there is no alternative but the cessation of our irresponsible, all-demanding, and all-consuming population growth.” That same year, he and (the now largely discredited) professor of population studies Paul Ehrlich jointly predicted: “If population control measures are not initiated immediately and effectively, all the technology man can bring to bear will not fend off the misery to come.” In 1971 Holdren and Ehrlich warned that “some form of ecocatastrophe, if not thermonuclear war, seems almost certain to overtake us before the end of the century.” Viewing capitalism as an economic system that is inherently harmful to the natural environment, Holdren and Ehrlich in 1973 called for “a massive campaign … to de-develop the United States” and other Western nations in order to conserve energy and facilitate growth in underdeveloped countries. “De-development,” they said, “means bringing our economic system into line with the realities of ecology and the world resource situation.” “By de-development,” they elaborated, “we mean lower per-capita energy consumption, fewer gadgets, and the abolition of planned obsolescence.” " In a new report “inspired by this article in FrontPage,” undercover videoblogger “Zombietime” (known for his “candid camera”-style exposes of leftist activists and protesters) got hold of a copy of Holdren & Ehrlich’s 1977 book, entitled Ecoscience, and verified the quotations and page citations provided in the FrontPage Magazine article, by scanning and posting them on the Internet. To this day, Holdren lists the book on his resume. Among other things, Holdren and Ehrlich wrote in Ecosystems: "Indeed, it has been concluded that compulsory population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution if the population crisis became sufficiently severe to endanger the society." "It would even be possible to require pregnant single women to marry or have abortions, perhaps as an alternative to placement for adoption, depending on the society." "Adding a sterilant to drinking water or staple foods is a suggestion that seems to horrify people more than most proposals for involuntary fertility control. Indeed, this would pose some very difficult political, legal, and social questions, to say nothing of the technical problems. No such sterilant exists today, nor does one appear to be under development. To be acceptable, such a substance would have to meet some rather stiff requirements: it must be uniformly effective, despite widely varying doses received by individuals, and despite varying degrees of fertility and sensitivity among individuals; it must be free of dangerous or unpleasant side effects; and it must have no effect on members of the opposite sex, children, old people, pets, or livestock." I realize the above words were written by Holdren over 30 years ago, but if you or I were to run for local elected office with this type of background, we would be crucified! Of course Holdren's post is not an elected one but just the same, our President's choice of administration appointments (and friends) is beginning to scare me! Due diligence requires that I also post that pior to his appointment as Science Czar earlier his year Mr. Holdren was questioned by Senator David Vitter (very briefly) about the policies he put forth in book and he responded... "I no longer think it's productive, Senator, to focus on the optimum population of the United States. I don't think any of us know what the right answer is. When I wrote those lines in 1973, uh, I was preoccupied with the fact that many problems the United States faced appeared to be being made more difficult by the greater population growth that then prevailed. I think everyone who studies these matters understands that population growth brings some benefits and some liabilities; it's a tough question to determine which will prevail in a given time period." Vitter then asked, "You think determining optimal population is a proper role of government?" To which Holdren replied, "No, Senator, I do not." I really don't care a whit that Mr. Holdren now states he doesn't believe in his previously recommended policies for the control of population growth. I have a very big problem with Obama's appointment of an individual who, for whatever reason(s), thought that the United States Constitution would allow for forced abortions, forced marriages, large scale sterilization of the population, and an accompanying massive campaign to "de-develop" the United States! Mr. Holdren stated that his previous espoused policies back in 1977 were a result of his being "preocupied" with the problem of population growth in the United States. In light of the Obama administration's continuing grab for power via nationalization of our health care system, I ask the following question...What if Mr. Holdren suddenly becomes preoccupied with "population control" again?

Peter J. Mahon