2/24/2004: Pesticide spraying in Java

[Undertoad]

I was struck by this recent MSNBC pick. In our modern world, this would be a terrible violation of our rights. In Java, in poverty, getting rid of a disease means getting rid of the insects that spread it, and it looks like there's little choice in the matter.

I guess sometimes the firm hand of an authority is needed to prevent a spreading pestilence, even if it seems on the face of it to be a violation. This woman's grandchildren may get cancer in 20 years, but she and her family won't be wiped out this year.