GREEN: Maybe None: Is having a child -- even one -- environmentally destructive?

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 11/16/5 | Gregory Dicum

[SmithL]

"We can't be breeding right now," says Les Knight. "It's obvious that the intentional creation of another [human being] by anyone anywhere can't be justified today."

Knight is the founder of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, an informal network of people dedicated to phasing out the human race in the interest of the health of the Earth. Knight, whose convictions led him to get a vasectomy in the 1970s, when he was 25, believes that the human race is inherently dangerous to the planet and inevitably creates an unsustainable situation.

"As long as there's one breeding couple," he says cheerfully, "we're in danger of being right back here again. Wherever humans live, not much else lives. It isn't that we're evil and want to kill everything -- it's just how we live."

Knight's position might sound extreme at first blush, but there's an undeniable logic to it: . . .

[SmithL]

San Francisco doesn't like breeders. Who knew?

[camle]

speechless...

[2banana]

Why Republicans will eventually take over - we will out breed the liberal-socialists...

[frogjerk]

Wherever humans live, not much else lives. It isn't that we're evil and want to kill everything -- it's just how we live."

Mr. Les Knight, please show us the way and take the gas pipe first...

[fluffy]

*shrug* Survival of the fittest.

[clee1]

Nutball.

'Nuff said.

[YOUGOTIT]

Why is he still around if he made the decision to exterminate all humans in 1970?

[LS]

I notice these people never begin with the obvious. KILL YOURSELF.

[Physicist]

Hey, Les! Lay off of the oxygen! You're still hurting the environment.

[frogjerk]

Animals that eat leaves off of trees and urinate on shrubs are environmentally destructive as well...

[dinoparty]

If the earth is clean and there are no people around to notice it, is it really clean?

[billhilly]

San Francisco is the leading proponent of nonreproduction and has been for a long time. The movement mentioned here is just another feel good undertaking to justify unjustifiable behavior.

[LIConFem]

Only if the kid turns out to be an environmentalist.

I wonder if they can test for that nowadays?

[Minnesoootan]

Knight, whose convictions led him to get a vasectomy in the 1970s,

Thank YOU!

[dirtboy]

Knight's position might sound extreme at first blush, but there's an undeniable logic to it:

Only to a brain-dead liberal.

[rhombus]

Those who don't remember the lesson of the Shakers are doomed to repeat it.

[m3d1um]

Thanks for the article, I need to do a paper on a topic like this. Hopefully I can squeese 4 pages out of this!

[adgirl]

I heard somewhere that the city of San Francisco has more abortions than live births per year. I should check it out on snopes.com, but with knuckleheads like that guy running around it's soooo plausible.

[Godzilla]

Why doesn't this dufus go all the way and do the lemming thing over a cliff into the ocean. I'd be behind him for that.......way behind.

[TChris]

Well, maybe this fellow is correct. Perhaps wacko greenies and SF nutjobs shouldn't reproduce.