Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, it wasn't many years ago that coal miners relied on a small bird, a canary, to signal that conditions were toxic. The canary in the coal mine would become sick before the miners, who would then have a chance to either escape or to put on protective respirators. Today, our ecosystems face dire threats. Toxic gases, chemicals and the exploitation of our natural resources have jeopardized our air, water, lands and the wildlife that inhabit our ecosystems. The telltale sign? The frog, the ``canary in the coal mine'' of our natural environment, is sick. Today, nearly 33 percent of amphibian species are threatened, and estimates of species extinctions over the past several decades number in the hundreds. Losses of these species result from the usual suspects, land-use change, overexploitation and disease. Why all the emphasis on frogs? Aside from the fact that these animals regulate their local ecosystems and control populations of insects that spread disease, they are important to our human health as well. Findings point the way toward new drugs for fighting diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. Scientists have reportedly found chemicals that are naturally produced in the skin of various frog species that can kill the HIV virus. But these medicinal tools are disappearing at astronomical rates. That should tell us something.…”