Opinion

FDA is, of course, government shorthand for the Food and Drug Administration or, as Helena Bottemiller-Evich makes crystal clear in a deeply-sourced, richly detailed April 8 exposé, the Food and Drug Administration.

Sunday April 17, 2022 is Easter on western calendars. What do we know of that day?

In 1999 I travelled to China as a member of a bipartisan group of state legislators belonging to an international educational program. One of my most memorable moments was a visit to a school for the children of migrant workers in Shanghai. Unlike in America at the time, the migrant workers in China came from the country to work in the electronics factories in the cities and the government had set up schools for their children. After watching these kids of seven through eleven learning English in front of dated computer consoles in a no-frills school building, we were given the opportunity to mingle with them. I watched as a powerful Assemblyman from New York City fell to his knees, threw his arms wide apart and the Chinese youngsters, running and laughing, flew into his welcoming embrace.

Idaho and Montana’s successful recovery of the gray wolf was a significant achievement in species conservation. In less than 10 years, not only were biological recovery targets for gray wolves met, they were exceeded. Unfortunately, delisting of the wolf has been mired in politics rather than informed by science. Last month, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland authored an editorial, devoid of facts but flushed with alarmist rhetoric, perpetuating the false narrative that Idaho and Montana’s wildlife management policies are driving gray wolves to extinction. What’s more, the Secretary disregarded both the spirit and procedure of the Endangered Species Act by explicitly threatening emergency listing. The Secretary’s editorial demands a response.