In discussing a statewide ban on hydraulic fracturing announced Wednesday, the New York Daily News carried comments made by Howard Zucker, the state's Health Commissioner, about fracking's impact on public health.
Zucker asked two rhetorical questions: "Would I live in a community with (fracking) based on the facts I have now?" and “Would I let my child play in a school field nearby or my family drink the water from the tap or grow their vegetables in the soil?” His answer: “After looking at the plethora of reports ... no." Cuomo reportedly described Zucker's remarks as “very sobering ... because if the state health commissioner doesn’t want his kids living there, I don’t want my kids living there and I don’t want any New Yorkers’ kids living there." Too bad for the truth that Zucker has no children, and is unmarried. Too bad for New Yorkers unaware of what the Daily News found that the rest of the press will pretend that Zucker's false pose as a family man is unimportant, and won't report it.
Here's a more complete excerpt from the Daily News report (HT Instapundit) by Kenneth Lovett (bolds are mine):
Health Commissioner says he wouldn’t want his kids growing near fracking site, but doesn’t have children
Howard Zucker, the acting state health commissioner, referred to a family he doesn’t actually have when he spoke about fracking’s potential risks to public health and the environment. The comments made an impact on Gov. Cuomo, who said they were ‘very sobering.’
In recommending a ban on fracking in New York, acting state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said he wouldn't want his kids growing up near a drilling site.
But Zucker doesn’t have kids, state officials confirmed Thursday.
Zucker made his comments during a Cabinet meeting Wednesday as he announced his long-awaited decision on whether to allow the controversial gas-drilling technique.
... Zucker’s remarks appeared to make an impression on Gov. Cuomo. On Thursday, Cuomo said Zucker’s comments were “very sobering,” and helped to convince him that banning fracking was the right thing to do.
“Frankly, that’s enough for me,” Cuomo said, “because if the state health commissioner doesn’t want his kids living there, I don’t want my kids living there and I don’t want any New Yorkers’ kids living there.”
But questioned by the Daily News, Health Department spokesman Peter Constantakes on Thursday said Zucker was not married and had no children.
“He was speaking as the health commissioner who is overseeing everybody,” Constantakes said.
Zucker simply wanted to make his recommendation more personal by saying how he believes fracking might affect people.
I say we replace "personal" with "dishonest" in the last excerpted sentence, and we're a lot closer to the truth.
The rest of the press is apparently so completely biased, particularly in its environmentalist zealotry, that leftist and Democratic Party officials know they can engage is breathtaking dishonesty such as that just described without being held to account. There isn't a chance in Hades that a Republican or conservative who tried to act as if he or she has a family and children but really doesn't would get the media pass that Zucker thus far has — or that a governor who appears to have relied on such a blatantly dishonest assertion would similarly skate.
Zucker's de facto claim to have a family and kids is consistent with his unscientific attitude. The Daily News reports that he "acknowledged there is no conclusive research that fracking is harmful. Still, he said there are enough uncertainties about the potential risks to public health and the environment to warrant not moving ahead."
By that standard, which essentially means that all uncertainties must be eliminated before anything can happen, there would be no human progress at all. That's really what the environmental movement wants — and it's long past time that the American people take off their blinders and recognize that reality.
Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.
