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Global Swarming (Are babies the new SUVs?)
Slate ^ | Monday, Sept. 10, 2007 | Daniel Engber

Posted on 09/12/2007 1:52:30 PM PDT by presidio9

Oh, if we all just disappeared. According to The World Without Us, Alan Weisman's strangely comforting vision of human annihilation, the Earth would be a lot better off. In his doomsday scenario, freshwater floods would course through the New York subway system, ailanthus roots would heave up sidewalks, and a parade of coyotes, bears, and deer would eventually trot across the George Washington Bridge and repopulate Manhattan. Nature lovers can take solace in the idea that the planet will thrive once we've finally destroyed ourselves with global warming. But Weisman takes the fantasy one step further: Let's not wait for climate change, he says. Let's start depopulating right now.

Instead of burning down our numbers with oil and gas, we might follow the advice of the founder of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, who tells Weisman that everyone in the world should stop having kids all at once. Weisman isn't up for quite so drastic a measure, but he makes his own pitch, moderate in comparison: Let's cut the birth rate to one child per couple, for a few generations at least. The population would dwindle by about 5 billion people over the next century, he says, ensuring the habitability of the Earth for the 1.6 billion who remained. At that point, they could all reap the rewards of a more spacious planet, sharing in "the growing joy of watching the world daily become more wonderful." It seems like a notion from the fringe, but Weisman's book has become a mainstream best seller. Could population control be the next big thing in green culture?

Nine years ago, Bill McKibben was raked over the coals for making a similar proposal in his vasectomy memoir,

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: abortion; alanweisman; antibreeder; communismkills; contraception; darwinaward; despotism; environment; environmentalism; godcomplex; heterophobia; humanextinction; lifehate; prolife; vhem
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To: Clock King

“Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.”

Orwell just seems so right for this thread.


41 posted on 09/12/2007 4:19:54 PM PDT by cdcdawg
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To: NYer

That is true as it currently stands. Most of Europe is lost. Britain could still be salvaged if they can find ................ Yikes! The vulgarity is so easy here. Let’s just say they need to find them, and (literally) use them. I felt a little like Mark Steyn just now.


42 posted on 09/12/2007 4:23:29 PM PDT by cdcdawg
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To: saganite
You have really good reading skills. /sarcasm

The model I pointed to was Western Europe which does not use forced abortions and leaving female babies to die.

Of course in Western Europe there is voluntary abortion which is still murder, so I am not happy with that either.

But you really need to take a course in reading comprehension.

43 posted on 09/12/2007 4:25:25 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
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To: presidio9

Well, at least to his credit he`s not advocating extinction like the “Voluntary Human Extinction” loons are.


44 posted on 09/12/2007 4:34:05 PM PDT by chessplayer
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To: presidio9

This article is brilliant! We should all do our darndest to convince the “progressives” that they must adopt this reasonning as the only model for sustainable human existence...while we conservative Neanderthals redouble our procreative efforts. Wouldn’t take long before “progressives” could be added to the list of endangered species. I’d even make a donation to establish a small preserve for the remaining libs...hmmm, perhaps in Hyannisport?

:-)


45 posted on 09/12/2007 5:55:41 PM PDT by TrueKnightGalahad (Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Viking Kitties!)
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To: who_would_fardels_bear

There’s no problem with my comprehension. You regard the Chinese model as acceptable except for the unfortunate problem of too many boys. There are consequences of the decision to have only boys that you haven’t fully explored. Your understanding and analysis are extremely shallow.


46 posted on 09/12/2007 5:58:18 PM PDT by saganite
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To: presidio9
Alan Weisman should lead by example.

Remember Alan, it is "Down the road" not "Across the street".

47 posted on 09/12/2007 5:58:40 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes into it.)
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To: Harmless Teddy Bear

> Alan Weisman should lead by example.

Indeed.

A real leader always goes first.

That’s what leading is, by definition.


48 posted on 09/12/2007 6:47:24 PM PDT by Westbrook
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To: presidio9

If the Islamic world were to do this, I could support it. For them, anyway.


49 posted on 09/12/2007 7:17:17 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (Illegal aliens commit crimes that Americans won't commit)
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To: cdcdawg; stevio; Old_Professor; -=SoylentSquirrel=-

Thanks for the laughs and the encouragement. It’s really very hard work, especially for Mama, since she homeschools all of them.

But as the bodybuilders say, no pain, no gain.

You can see from my tag line that we have enjoyed the multiplication of love from our children and grandchildren, even though we have experienced many challenges and trials.

Old Professor is right about the bill, but at least Uncle Sam gives us a break come April 15. We find that a lot of local merchants give us a break, too, even though we never ask for it. They see Mama with all the kids, and they help out with overstocked items and items that have marginal dates but are still plenty good.

And I don’t know what we’d do with out the love and kindness from our brothers and sisters in Christ. As one brother said to me during a really tough time, “When you rejoice, we rejoice, and when you suffer, we suffer, and we learn more from the suffering than from the rejoicing.”

But the joy of the Lord is our strength. We could do none of this without Him!

You know, God’s greatest CURSE against the living in the Bible is, “I will cut off your generations.”

And His biggest blessing is, “I will multiply your seed.”

We’ve got a lot of people volunteering for the curse and rejecting the blessing.

In God’s good time, the meek indeed shall inherit the Earth.


50 posted on 09/12/2007 7:47:42 PM PDT by Westbrook
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To: presidio9
Here are a few "in you face" t-shirts with an opposing viewpoint.

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/quiver%20full/-/cfpt2_/copt_/cfpt_668:_____________Da___HP_FD___ah__dS/source_searchBox/x_0/y_0

51 posted on 09/12/2007 8:08:56 PM PDT by Tuscaloosa Goldfinch (If MY people who are called by MY name -- the ball's in our court, folks.)
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To: Tuscaloosa Goldfinch
Oops, let's try that again. quiverfull t-shirts
52 posted on 09/12/2007 8:14:09 PM PDT by Tuscaloosa Goldfinch (If MY people who are called by MY name -- the ball's in our court, folks.)
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To: presidio9
Pray for and end to
contraception and aobtion
and the conversion of America to life!

53 posted on 09/12/2007 9:59:37 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: NYer

The liberals who come up with these crazy ideas don’t give the concept of churches becoming mosques a second thought. To a liberal, more mosques equals diversity. Ironically however, mosques becoming churches equals repression for some reason. Don’t ask me to explain it.


54 posted on 09/13/2007 6:28:39 AM PDT by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: cdcdawg
If things keep going the way they are, the remaining Christian countries in Europe will be Poland, Portugal, and Ireland. And the white Europeans don’t even need Mohammad's help to make that a reality.
55 posted on 09/13/2007 6:31:25 AM PDT by presidio9 (Islam is as Islam does.)
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To: presidio9
A baby with an SUV (or a motorcycle) is bad news.


56 posted on 09/13/2007 6:34:58 AM PDT by Larry Lucido (Hunter 2008)
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