"William Sommerwerck" wrote in
:

I'm not buying the idea that humans can have an effect
on global climate. (aside from a major nuclear war...)

Small changes over a long period of time can have a big effect.


then I REALLY get creeped out when people start talking
about lowering the world population. For that, They Go First;
they can set us an example, show us how truly caring they
are about it.

Fact: There are too many people. If population continues to grow
unchecked, "something" will eventually happen to reduce it -- global
war, starvation, economic collapse, perhaps things we haven't
anticipated. THE EARTH DOES NOT HAVE AN UNLIMITED CARRYING CAPACITY.
We can choose to do something rational about it -- or ignore it.

our "carrying capacity" would be better if many countries didn't have bad
governments and waste their nation's wealth and resources.


One way to have fewer people is to give birth to fewer people. This is
generally happening in developed countries -- which is fortunate,
because people with high standards of living tend to use too much
energy and consume too many natural resources.

So what? those people also PRODUCE more.
If you want to lower YOUR standard of living,go right ahead.
Don't expect me to lower mine over your ridiculous assumptions.

Something needs to be done about developing countries. You've seen the
ads asking you to send money to help starving children who have only
feces-laden water to drink. I'm certain most of the agencies trying to
help the poor are sincere and doing the best job they can.

These ads are about "death control" -- keeping people healthy and
alive, when they otherwise might have died. But you never see anything
about "birth control". If poor people want medical assistance, they
should have to pay for it -- by practicing birth control. If they
refuse to, then they don't get help -- and they and their children
die. You can consciously practice birth control with contraception --
or you can let nature do it, with disease and death. Make your choice.

The thing that makes human beings distinct from other animals is that
we can drastically manipulate our environment to provide enough
nutrition to produce a seemingly unlimited number of additional people
-- which is largely what we've done since the invention of agriculture
and animal husbandry. * We KNOW we will eventually reach the point
where there will be too many people to feed. At some point, human
beings -- in all countries, at all economic levels -- need to be
FORCED to have fewer children. Enough fewer, so that global population
begins to decline.

You don't want me to take away people's freedom to destroy themselves?
Fine. On a certain level, I really don't care. The world doesn't need
"the damned human race".

it doesn't need your wacky beliefs either.


* Aboriginal Americans are a good example of people who /did not/ live
this way.




--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com