Eugene the Eugenazi
I know this sounds satirical but I assure you that Paul Erlich and Al Gore are very much on the same page about implementing drastic involuntary population reduction.
This is that same Eugenics crowd from the zenith of Naziism, the group which has elected itself to decide how to coerce and forcibly reduce world population, the better to share the wealth with only a very few, and more to the point, the better to decide exactly WHO LIVES and exactly WHO DIES.
Grab your hat and don't forget your reading glasses.
This is far more gripping than anything fictional could ever be.
Rearguards,
MM
_________________________________________________________________________
PART ONE:
How to Control the AMERICAN Population by Paul Ehrlich
The Population Bomb Part 1
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 10, 2007
In 1968, Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich wrote a well publicized book entitled The Population Bomb*. Ehrlich predicted widespread famine and disaster unless population growth was reduced to zero in America and throughout the world by compulsory methods if necessary.
Ehrlich is a Professor of Biology at Stanford University specializing in population biology. He has written many books and scientific papers related to overpopulation and has been well rewarded for his efforts.
"Professor Ehrlich is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Ehrlich has received several honorary degrees, the John Muir Award of the Sierra Club, the Gold Medal Award of the World Wildlife Fund International, a MacArthur Prize Fellowship, the Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (given in lieu of a Nobel Prize in areas where the Nobel is not given), in 1993 the Volvo Environmental Prize, in 1994 the United Nations' Sasakawa Environment Prize, in 1995 the Heinz Award for the Environment, in 1998 the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement and the Dr. A. H. Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences, in 1999 the Blue Planet Prize, in 2001 the Eminent Ecologist Award of the Ecological Society of America and the Distinguished Scientist Award of the American Institute of Biological Sciences." - Stanford University Bio
What is Population Control?
Ehrlich's definition of population control is very telling toward the broader belief system that he holds. As will become clear throughout this article, he believes that the dictates of an all powerful government, supposedly for the benefit of the whole society should trump any and all rights of the individual or family.
From The Population Bomb:
"Population control is the conscious regulation of the number of human beings to meet the needs not just of individual families, but of society as a whole." [emphasis mine] - XI
"...family planning...By stressing the right of parents to have a number of children they want, it evades the basic question of population policy, which is how to give societies the number of children they need... people would still be multiplying like rabbits." [emphasis mine] - 79
How to Fix the Population Explosion?
"We must have population control at home, hopefully through changes in our value system, but by compulsion if voluntary methods fail." - XI
According to Ehrlich the first step to worldwide population control is the control of the American population because:
"We want our propaganda based on "do as we do" - not "do as we say." " - 130
A truly commendable ethical stand indeed.
"So the first task is population control at home. How do we go about it? Many of my colleagues feel that some sort of compulsory birth regulation would be necessary to achieve such control. One plan often mentioned involved the addition of temporary sterilants to water supplies or staple food. Doses of the antidote would be carefully rationed by the government to produce the desired population size." 130
For completeness I will include, below, Ehrlich's description as to why such a population control method would not work. Please note that his reasoning is purely technical, with no ethical or moral objection to this method. Continuing:
"Those of you appalled at such a suggestion can rest easy. The option isn't even open to us, since no such substance exists. If the choice now is either such additive or catastrophe, we shall have catastrophe. It might be possible to develop such population control tools, although the task would not be simple. Either the additive would have to operate equally well and with minimum side effects against both sexes, or some way would have to be found to direct it only to one sex and shield the other. Feeding potent male hormones to the whole population might sterilize and defeminize the women, while the upset in the male population and society as a whole can be well imagined. In addition, care would have to be taken to see to it that the sterilizing substance did not reach livestock, either through water or garbage.
Technical problems aside, I suspect you'll agree with me that society would probably dissolve before sterilants were added to the water supply by the government. Just consider the fluoridation controversy! Some other way will have to be found." - 130
Some More Subtle Methods
Financial coercion is also an effective method to reduce the population. Ehrlich recommends changes to the income tax laws to encourage small families. But his creativity goes beyond just simple income tax.
"On top of the income tax change, luxury taxes could be placed on layettes, cribs, diapers, diaper services, expensive toys, always with the proviso that the essentials be available without penalty to the poor. There would, of course, have to be considerable experimenting on the level of financial pressure necessary to achieve the population goals. To the penalties could be added some incentives. A governmental "first marriage grant" could be awarded each couple in which the age of both partners was 25 or more. "Responsibility prizes" could be given to each couple for each five years of childless marriage, or to each man who accepted irreversible sterilization (vasectomy) before having more than two children. Or special lotteries might be held - tickets going only to the childless. Adoption could be subsidized and made a simple procedure. Considering the savings in school buildings, pollution control, unemployment compensation, and the like, these grants would be a money-making proposition. But even if they weren't, the price would be a small one to pay for saving our nation." - 132
"In short, the plush life would be difficult to attain for those with large families - which is as it should be, since they are getting their pleasure from their children, who are being supported in part by more responsible members of society." - 131
Abortion
Ehrlich makes his views on the use of abortion to help control the population crystal clear.
"[Japan's] dramatic halving of the birth rate was achieved originally through the sanctioning of abortion. Abortion is highly effective weapon in the armory of population control. It is condemned by many family planning groups, which are notorious for pussyfooting about methodology, despite beginning 60 years ago as revolutionary social pioneers." - 84
"One of the more encouraging signs of progress has been the change in abortion laws [in the US]." - 89
"Biologists must promote understanding of the facts of reproductive biology which relate to matters of abortion and contraception. They must do more than simply reiterate the facts of population dynamics. They must point out the biological absurdity of equating a zygote (the cell created by joining of sperm and egg) or fetus (unborn child) with a human being. As Professor Garrett Hardin of the University of California pointed out, that is like confusing a set of blueprints with a building. People are people because of the interaction of genetic information (stored in a chemical language) with an environment. Clearly, the most "humanizing" element of that environment is the cultural element to which the child is not exposed until after birth. When conception is prevented or a fetus destroyed, the potential for another human being is lost, but that is all. That potential is lost regardless of the reason that conception does not occur - there is no biological difference if the egg is not fertilized because of timing or because of mechanical or other interference.
Biologists must point out that contraception is for many reasons more desirable than abortion. But they must also point out that in many cases abortion is more desirable than childbirth. Above all, biologists must take the side of the hungry billions of living human beings today and tomorrow, not the side of potential human beings. Remember, unless, their numbers are limited, if those potential human beings are born, they will at best lead miserable lives and die young. We can not permit the destruction of humanity to be abetted by a doctrine conceived in total ignorance of the biological facts of life. [emphasis in original] - 138
Conclusion
The next article in this series will examine Ehrlich's desires for the rest of the planet, especially the third world. It will also look at the issue of "optimum" world population size and who should get to decide what that optimum level will be. The third part in this series will discuss the need for altering religion, sex education and the role of women in society. Part four will examine in some detail the different organizations, foundations and individuals involved in population control. Finally, I will compare the arguments for "population explosion" with that of "global warming" by directly comparing The Population Bomb (1968) to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (2006).
*Quotes from: Paul R. Ehrlich. The Population Bomb: Revised & Expanded Edition (1968, 1971). SBN 345-24489-3-150.
_______________________________________________________________________
PART TWO:
How to Control the WORLD Population by Paul Ehrlich
The Population Bomb Part 2
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 17, 2007
Once the American population size is comfortably under control, be it by voluntary or compulsory methods, the rest of the world needs to be "helped." Paul Ehrlich's 1968 The Population Bomb* described a variety of methods for controlling third world population growth and who should be involved in deciding the optimum population levels for the world.
Please read this article for a discussion on Ehrlich's desire for the American population including "addition of temporary sterilants to water supplies or staple food" with an antidote "carefully rationed by the government."
Plan for the Third World
Once the American population is comfortably under control, be it voluntary or compulsory methods, the "do as we do" propaganda can begin on the rest of the world. From The Population Bomb:
"What about vasectomies? A few years ago, there was talk in India of compulsory sterilization for all males who were fathers of three or more children. Ignore for a moment the socio-political problems that would be raised by such a program. Consider just the logistic problems, as A. S. Parkes did. Even if those eligible could be rounded up, it would take 1,000 surgeons or para-surgeons operating eight hours a day, five days a week, a full eight years to sterilize the candidates who exist today. And the stock of candidates is growing very rapidly. Can you picture the probable results of a government attempt to sterilize 40 million American males? What a problem it would be in our country, with its relatively informed populace and efficient transport and communication system! Imagine such an attempt in India, where the difference between castration and sterilization (still not clear to many Westerners) would be almost impossible to explain. As one might expect, the principal Indian official thinking in such tough-minded terms, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, ended up in a less influential position in a government shuffle." - 82
"When we suggested sterilizing all Indian males with three or more children, he should have encouraged the Indian government to go ahead with the plan. We should have volunteered logistical support in the form of helicopters, vehicles, and surgical instruments. We should have sent doctors to aid in the program by setting up centers for training para-medical personnel to do vasectomies. Coercion? Perhaps, but coercion in a good cause." - 151
"United States, Russia, Great Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, and other ODCs [overdeveloped countries] immediately set up, through the United Nations, a machinery for "area rehabilitation." This plan involved simultaneous population control, agricultural development, and, where resources warrant it, industrialization of selected countries or sections of countries. The bedrock requirement of the program would have to be population control, necessarily including migration control to prevent swamping of aided areas by the less fortunate." - 148
"If we could, somehow, get a program underway in which the ODCs made a genuine attempt to aid the UDCs [underdeveloped countries], what form might that program take? The specific requirements of the program would vary from area to area. Possibly the first step in all areas would be to set up relay stations and distribute small transistorized TV sets to villages for communal viewing of satellite-transmitted programs... TV programs would explain the rehabilitation plan for each area. These programs would have to be produced with the combined skills of people with great expertise in the subject to be presented and intimate knowledge of the target population. The programs could be presented both "straight" and as "entertainment." ... The programs would use the prospect of increased affluence as a major incentive for gaining cooperation. It seems unlikely that the threat of future starvation would have much impact. If necessary, however, the TV channel could be used to make it clear that the continuance of food supplies depends on the cooperation of the people in the area..." - 149
How Many People Get to Live?
"In all areas studies should be initiated to determine how much agricultural and industrial development is feasible. It must be determined how many people, at each stage of development can live reasonably comfortable, secure lives in each area. That is, demographic goals must be set that are reasonable in the light of each country's and the world's resources." - 150
"But with a human population of, say, one-half billion people, some minor changes in technology and some major changes in the rate of use and equity of distribution of the world's resources, there would clearly be no environmental crisis." - 44
"But at a minimum it seems safe to say that a population of one billion people could be sustained in reasonable comfort for perhaps 1000 years if resources were husbanded carefully." - 157
Who Decides How Many People Get to Live?
It should come as little surprise that the individual has little or no say in this. Ehrlich's ideas for America:
"Obviously, such measures should be coordinated by a powerful governmental agency. A federal Bureau of Population and Environment [BPE] should be set up to determine the optimum population size for the US and devise measures to establish it. Of course this should be done within the context of resource and environmental limitations. The BPE should coordinate population policies with those dealing with environmental protection and resource husbandry. This Bureau should give ample funds to support research in the areas of population control and environmental quality. In the first area it would promote intensive investigation and development of new techniques of birth control. This research will not only give us better methods to use at home, which will be essential for helping the UDCs [underdeveloped countries] to control their populations: the BPE also would encourage more research on human sex determination, for if a simple method could be found to guarantee that firstborn children were males, then population control problems in many areas would be somewhat eased. In our country and elsewhere, couples with only female children "keep trying" in hope of a son.
Two other functions of the BPE would be to aid Congress in developing legislation relating to population and environment, and to inform the public of the need for such legislation. Some of these needs are already apparent. The right of any woman to have an abortion if it is approved by a physician should be guaranteed. We need federal legislation affirming the right to voluntary sterilization for adults... We need a federal law requiring sex education in schools - sex education that includes discussion of the need for regulating the birth rate and of the techniques of birth control. Such education should begin at the earliest age recommended by those with professional competence in this area - certainly before junior high school. [emphasis in original] - 132
Ehrlich envisions that these and other world population policies be coordinated from the international level through the United Nations or some other world body.
"A general answer to the question, "What needs to be done?" can be given easily. We must rapidly bring the world population under control, reducing the growth rate to zero and eventually making it go negative. Conscious regulation of human numbers must he [sic] achieved. Simultaneously we must greatly increase our food production. This agricultural program should be carefully monitored to minimize deleterious effects on the environment and should include an effective program of ecosystem restoration. The world's supply of nonrenewable resources must be assessed and plans made for the most economical and beneficial management and use of what remains of them. As these projects are carried out, an international policy research program must be initiated to set optimum population-environment goals for the world and to devise methods for reaching these goals." [emphasis mine] - 127
Conclusion
The next article in this series will examine the role of religion, women and sex education in population control and the changes that Ehrlich believes necessary. Part four of this series will discuss the major organizations, foundations and individuals involved. Finally, the last article will examine the similarities between the arguments for global warming and the population explosion, including a direct comparison between The Population Bomb and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.
*Quotes from: Paul R. Ehrlich. The Population Bomb: Revised & Expanded Edition (1968, 1971). SBN 345-24489-3-150.
_________________________________________________________________________
PART THREE:
Population, Religion and Sex Education
The Population Bomb Part 3
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 24, 2007
"We must have population control at home, hopefully through changes in our value system, but by compulsion if voluntary methods fail." - Paul Ehrlich, 1968 (pXI)
The previous two articles in this series described some of the compulsory techniques for controlling population growth in America and the third world proposed by Paul Ehrlich in his 1968 book, The Population Bomb*. What about changing our value system into something more compatible with Ehrlich's mindset? How do you change a societies value system?
Sex Education and the Role of Women
When trying to institute a change in society, especially a long-term change, the most important and easily manipulated group are children. And there is no better tool than the education system for indoctrination of children.
From The Population Bomb:
"One of the most important roles of sex education must be to impress on everyone that death control in the absence of birth control is self-defeating, to say the least." - 87
"We need a federal law requiring sex education in schools - sex education that includes discussion of the need for regulating the birth rate and of the techniques of birth control. Such education should begin at the earliest age recommended by those with professional competence in this area - certainly before junior high school.
By "sex education" I do not mean course focusing on hygiene or presenting a simple-minded "birds and bees" approach to human sexuality. The reproductive function of sex must be shown as just one of its functions, and one that must be carefully regulated in relation to the needs of the individual and society. Much emphasis must be placed on sex as an interpersonal relationship, as an important and extremely pleasurable aspect of being human, as mankind's major and most enduring recreation, as a fountainhead of humor, as a phenomenon that affects every aspect of human life... In short, sex as we know it, is a peculiarly human activity. It has many complex functions other than the production of offspring. It is now imperative that we restrict the reproductive function of sex while producing a minimum of disruption in the others." - 133
Another obvious group of society that needs to have their values changed, if the population is to be reduced, are women.
"With a rational atmosphere mankind should be able to work out the problems of deemphasizing the reproductive role of sex. These problems include finding substitutes for the satisfaction and rewards that women derive from childbearing and for the ego satisfaction that often accompanies excessive fatherhood. Implicit attitudes and social pressures within our society toward parenthood, especially motherhood, add up to an even more powerful prenatal policy than our legal system represents. Equal opportunities and salaries for women in business and the professions, which are now being sought by the women's liberation movement, would strongly encourage them to seek other outlets for their energy and talents besides motherhood. Society would greatly benefit both from the resulting lowered fertility and the productive contributions of women.
All too often today marriage either provides a "license" for sexual activity or a way of legitimizing the unplanned results of premarital sexual activity. But greater equality between the sexes, reliable contraceptives, and changing attitudes among today's young people are solving the former problem; the greater availability of contraceptives and abortion could solve the latter." - 134
Religion
What about American religious values? Are they in need of change too?
"Somehow we've got to change from a growth-oriented, exploitative system to one focused on stability and conservation. Our entire system of orienting to nature must undergo a revolution. And that revolution is going to be extremely difficult to pull off, since the attitudes of Western culture toward nature are deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian tradition. Unlike people in many other cultures, we see man's basic role as that of dominating nature, rather than as living in harmony with it. This entire problem has been elegantly discussed by Professor Lynn White, Jr., in Science magazine. He points out, for instance, that before the Christian era trees, springs, hills, streams, and other objects of nature had guardian spirits. These spirits had to be approached and placated before one could safely invade their territory. As White says, "By destroying pagan animism, Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects... Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecological crisis can be expected from them alone. Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not." " [emphasis mine] - 155
Spreading the Message of the New Religion: Population Missionaries
Ehrlich finishes his book with a very descriptive answer to the question: How can people spread the new faith?
"The question I am most frequently asked after giving talks about the population explosion is, "What can I do to help?" The obvious first answer is, "Set an example - don't have more than two children." " -159
"First of all, get together with people who share your concerns. It's easier, pleasanter and generally more effective to crusade in a group." [emphasis mine] - 160
The major thrust of this section is to write letters to politician and others.
"Above all, if you really want to survive, start writing!" - 164
"Editors of magazines and newspapers are excellent targets for letters. Complain bitterly about any positive treatment of large families. Attack the publicizing of "mothers of the year" unless they have no more than two children or have adopted the extra ones. Request that the publications you address stop carrying any advertising implying by statement or inference that it is socially acceptable to have more than two children. Point out that any promotion of the idea that a growing population means prosperity is making a contribution to the destruction of America. Television and radio stations should be subjected to similar constant pressure. Series featuring large families should be assailed. More programming about the population crisis should be demanded. Ask for prime time programs on sex education and the use of contraceptives. Raise a fuss whenever programming or commercials promote reproductive irresponsibility." [emphasis mine] - 163
"Another target for your letters is the business community... "Dear Sir: Your company's advertisement was shown in the middle of The Saturday Family, implying your sponsorship of that program. The day is upon us when we can no longer tolerate television programs that feature large families as if they still represented acceptable behaviour on the part of parents." [emphasis mine] - 164
A fair bit of attention was devoted to children, as should be expected with Ehrlich's focus on sex education.
"Give your child an IUD [intrauterine device] to take to "show and tell." " - 166
He also encourages people to "proselytize friends and associates" by giving specific arguments tailor made for different types of people. Under the heading "Target is a Schoolteacher," he suggests that it is:
"easy for you to convince most schoolteachers that the population problem is very real. They have been struggling with overcrowded classrooms and ghetto children for a long time." - 176
Because of the limits placed on individual teachers by school boards:
"Subtle propaganda to the kiddies and letter writing may be all you can ask for [from a teacher]." - 177
Conclusion
The next part in this series will examine the major organizations, foundations and individuals working toward population control. The final article will compare the current arguments for global warming with the arguments for population control, including a direct comparison between The Population Bomb (1968) and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (2006).
_______________________________________________________________________
PART FOUR:
IN FIVE MORE DAYS:
Those Involved in Population Control
The Population Bomb Part 4
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 31, 2007
Article coming December 31, 2007.
http://www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com/Articles/200712/20071231_Bomb_Help.htm
This is that same Eugenics crowd from the zenith of Naziism, the group which has elected itself to decide how to coerce and forcibly reduce world population, the better to share the wealth with only a very few, and more to the point, the better to decide exactly WHO LIVES and exactly WHO DIES.
Grab your hat and don't forget your reading glasses.
This is far more gripping than anything fictional could ever be.
Rearguards,
MM
_________________________________________________________________________
PART ONE:
How to Control the AMERICAN Population by Paul Ehrlich
The Population Bomb Part 1
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 10, 2007
In 1968, Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich wrote a well publicized book entitled The Population Bomb*. Ehrlich predicted widespread famine and disaster unless population growth was reduced to zero in America and throughout the world by compulsory methods if necessary.
Ehrlich is a Professor of Biology at Stanford University specializing in population biology. He has written many books and scientific papers related to overpopulation and has been well rewarded for his efforts.
"Professor Ehrlich is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. Professor Ehrlich has received several honorary degrees, the John Muir Award of the Sierra Club, the Gold Medal Award of the World Wildlife Fund International, a MacArthur Prize Fellowship, the Crafoord Prize of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (given in lieu of a Nobel Prize in areas where the Nobel is not given), in 1993 the Volvo Environmental Prize, in 1994 the United Nations' Sasakawa Environment Prize, in 1995 the Heinz Award for the Environment, in 1998 the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement and the Dr. A. H. Heineken Prize for Environmental Sciences, in 1999 the Blue Planet Prize, in 2001 the Eminent Ecologist Award of the Ecological Society of America and the Distinguished Scientist Award of the American Institute of Biological Sciences." - Stanford University Bio
What is Population Control?
Ehrlich's definition of population control is very telling toward the broader belief system that he holds. As will become clear throughout this article, he believes that the dictates of an all powerful government, supposedly for the benefit of the whole society should trump any and all rights of the individual or family.
From The Population Bomb:
"Population control is the conscious regulation of the number of human beings to meet the needs not just of individual families, but of society as a whole." [emphasis mine] - XI
"...family planning...By stressing the right of parents to have a number of children they want, it evades the basic question of population policy, which is how to give societies the number of children they need... people would still be multiplying like rabbits." [emphasis mine] - 79
How to Fix the Population Explosion?
"We must have population control at home, hopefully through changes in our value system, but by compulsion if voluntary methods fail." - XI
According to Ehrlich the first step to worldwide population control is the control of the American population because:
"We want our propaganda based on "do as we do" - not "do as we say." " - 130
A truly commendable ethical stand indeed.
"So the first task is population control at home. How do we go about it? Many of my colleagues feel that some sort of compulsory birth regulation would be necessary to achieve such control. One plan often mentioned involved the addition of temporary sterilants to water supplies or staple food. Doses of the antidote would be carefully rationed by the government to produce the desired population size." 130
For completeness I will include, below, Ehrlich's description as to why such a population control method would not work. Please note that his reasoning is purely technical, with no ethical or moral objection to this method. Continuing:
"Those of you appalled at such a suggestion can rest easy. The option isn't even open to us, since no such substance exists. If the choice now is either such additive or catastrophe, we shall have catastrophe. It might be possible to develop such population control tools, although the task would not be simple. Either the additive would have to operate equally well and with minimum side effects against both sexes, or some way would have to be found to direct it only to one sex and shield the other. Feeding potent male hormones to the whole population might sterilize and defeminize the women, while the upset in the male population and society as a whole can be well imagined. In addition, care would have to be taken to see to it that the sterilizing substance did not reach livestock, either through water or garbage.
Technical problems aside, I suspect you'll agree with me that society would probably dissolve before sterilants were added to the water supply by the government. Just consider the fluoridation controversy! Some other way will have to be found." - 130
Some More Subtle Methods
Financial coercion is also an effective method to reduce the population. Ehrlich recommends changes to the income tax laws to encourage small families. But his creativity goes beyond just simple income tax.
"On top of the income tax change, luxury taxes could be placed on layettes, cribs, diapers, diaper services, expensive toys, always with the proviso that the essentials be available without penalty to the poor. There would, of course, have to be considerable experimenting on the level of financial pressure necessary to achieve the population goals. To the penalties could be added some incentives. A governmental "first marriage grant" could be awarded each couple in which the age of both partners was 25 or more. "Responsibility prizes" could be given to each couple for each five years of childless marriage, or to each man who accepted irreversible sterilization (vasectomy) before having more than two children. Or special lotteries might be held - tickets going only to the childless. Adoption could be subsidized and made a simple procedure. Considering the savings in school buildings, pollution control, unemployment compensation, and the like, these grants would be a money-making proposition. But even if they weren't, the price would be a small one to pay for saving our nation." - 132
"In short, the plush life would be difficult to attain for those with large families - which is as it should be, since they are getting their pleasure from their children, who are being supported in part by more responsible members of society." - 131
Abortion
Ehrlich makes his views on the use of abortion to help control the population crystal clear.
"[Japan's] dramatic halving of the birth rate was achieved originally through the sanctioning of abortion. Abortion is highly effective weapon in the armory of population control. It is condemned by many family planning groups, which are notorious for pussyfooting about methodology, despite beginning 60 years ago as revolutionary social pioneers." - 84
"One of the more encouraging signs of progress has been the change in abortion laws [in the US]." - 89
"Biologists must promote understanding of the facts of reproductive biology which relate to matters of abortion and contraception. They must do more than simply reiterate the facts of population dynamics. They must point out the biological absurdity of equating a zygote (the cell created by joining of sperm and egg) or fetus (unborn child) with a human being. As Professor Garrett Hardin of the University of California pointed out, that is like confusing a set of blueprints with a building. People are people because of the interaction of genetic information (stored in a chemical language) with an environment. Clearly, the most "humanizing" element of that environment is the cultural element to which the child is not exposed until after birth. When conception is prevented or a fetus destroyed, the potential for another human being is lost, but that is all. That potential is lost regardless of the reason that conception does not occur - there is no biological difference if the egg is not fertilized because of timing or because of mechanical or other interference.
Biologists must point out that contraception is for many reasons more desirable than abortion. But they must also point out that in many cases abortion is more desirable than childbirth. Above all, biologists must take the side of the hungry billions of living human beings today and tomorrow, not the side of potential human beings. Remember, unless, their numbers are limited, if those potential human beings are born, they will at best lead miserable lives and die young. We can not permit the destruction of humanity to be abetted by a doctrine conceived in total ignorance of the biological facts of life. [emphasis in original] - 138
Conclusion
The next article in this series will examine Ehrlich's desires for the rest of the planet, especially the third world. It will also look at the issue of "optimum" world population size and who should get to decide what that optimum level will be. The third part in this series will discuss the need for altering religion, sex education and the role of women in society. Part four will examine in some detail the different organizations, foundations and individuals involved in population control. Finally, I will compare the arguments for "population explosion" with that of "global warming" by directly comparing The Population Bomb (1968) to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (2006).
*Quotes from: Paul R. Ehrlich. The Population Bomb: Revised & Expanded Edition (1968, 1971). SBN 345-24489-3-150.
_______________________________________________________________________
PART TWO:
How to Control the WORLD Population by Paul Ehrlich
The Population Bomb Part 2
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 17, 2007
Once the American population size is comfortably under control, be it by voluntary or compulsory methods, the rest of the world needs to be "helped." Paul Ehrlich's 1968 The Population Bomb* described a variety of methods for controlling third world population growth and who should be involved in deciding the optimum population levels for the world.
Please read this article for a discussion on Ehrlich's desire for the American population including "addition of temporary sterilants to water supplies or staple food" with an antidote "carefully rationed by the government."
Plan for the Third World
Once the American population is comfortably under control, be it voluntary or compulsory methods, the "do as we do" propaganda can begin on the rest of the world. From The Population Bomb:
"What about vasectomies? A few years ago, there was talk in India of compulsory sterilization for all males who were fathers of three or more children. Ignore for a moment the socio-political problems that would be raised by such a program. Consider just the logistic problems, as A. S. Parkes did. Even if those eligible could be rounded up, it would take 1,000 surgeons or para-surgeons operating eight hours a day, five days a week, a full eight years to sterilize the candidates who exist today. And the stock of candidates is growing very rapidly. Can you picture the probable results of a government attempt to sterilize 40 million American males? What a problem it would be in our country, with its relatively informed populace and efficient transport and communication system! Imagine such an attempt in India, where the difference between castration and sterilization (still not clear to many Westerners) would be almost impossible to explain. As one might expect, the principal Indian official thinking in such tough-minded terms, Dr. S. Chandrasekhar, ended up in a less influential position in a government shuffle." - 82
"When we suggested sterilizing all Indian males with three or more children, he should have encouraged the Indian government to go ahead with the plan. We should have volunteered logistical support in the form of helicopters, vehicles, and surgical instruments. We should have sent doctors to aid in the program by setting up centers for training para-medical personnel to do vasectomies. Coercion? Perhaps, but coercion in a good cause." - 151
"United States, Russia, Great Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia, Europe, and other ODCs [overdeveloped countries] immediately set up, through the United Nations, a machinery for "area rehabilitation." This plan involved simultaneous population control, agricultural development, and, where resources warrant it, industrialization of selected countries or sections of countries. The bedrock requirement of the program would have to be population control, necessarily including migration control to prevent swamping of aided areas by the less fortunate." - 148
"If we could, somehow, get a program underway in which the ODCs made a genuine attempt to aid the UDCs [underdeveloped countries], what form might that program take? The specific requirements of the program would vary from area to area. Possibly the first step in all areas would be to set up relay stations and distribute small transistorized TV sets to villages for communal viewing of satellite-transmitted programs... TV programs would explain the rehabilitation plan for each area. These programs would have to be produced with the combined skills of people with great expertise in the subject to be presented and intimate knowledge of the target population. The programs could be presented both "straight" and as "entertainment." ... The programs would use the prospect of increased affluence as a major incentive for gaining cooperation. It seems unlikely that the threat of future starvation would have much impact. If necessary, however, the TV channel could be used to make it clear that the continuance of food supplies depends on the cooperation of the people in the area..." - 149
How Many People Get to Live?
"In all areas studies should be initiated to determine how much agricultural and industrial development is feasible. It must be determined how many people, at each stage of development can live reasonably comfortable, secure lives in each area. That is, demographic goals must be set that are reasonable in the light of each country's and the world's resources." - 150
"But with a human population of, say, one-half billion people, some minor changes in technology and some major changes in the rate of use and equity of distribution of the world's resources, there would clearly be no environmental crisis." - 44
"But at a minimum it seems safe to say that a population of one billion people could be sustained in reasonable comfort for perhaps 1000 years if resources were husbanded carefully." - 157
Who Decides How Many People Get to Live?
It should come as little surprise that the individual has little or no say in this. Ehrlich's ideas for America:
"Obviously, such measures should be coordinated by a powerful governmental agency. A federal Bureau of Population and Environment [BPE] should be set up to determine the optimum population size for the US and devise measures to establish it. Of course this should be done within the context of resource and environmental limitations. The BPE should coordinate population policies with those dealing with environmental protection and resource husbandry. This Bureau should give ample funds to support research in the areas of population control and environmental quality. In the first area it would promote intensive investigation and development of new techniques of birth control. This research will not only give us better methods to use at home, which will be essential for helping the UDCs [underdeveloped countries] to control their populations: the BPE also would encourage more research on human sex determination, for if a simple method could be found to guarantee that firstborn children were males, then population control problems in many areas would be somewhat eased. In our country and elsewhere, couples with only female children "keep trying" in hope of a son.
Two other functions of the BPE would be to aid Congress in developing legislation relating to population and environment, and to inform the public of the need for such legislation. Some of these needs are already apparent. The right of any woman to have an abortion if it is approved by a physician should be guaranteed. We need federal legislation affirming the right to voluntary sterilization for adults... We need a federal law requiring sex education in schools - sex education that includes discussion of the need for regulating the birth rate and of the techniques of birth control. Such education should begin at the earliest age recommended by those with professional competence in this area - certainly before junior high school. [emphasis in original] - 132
Ehrlich envisions that these and other world population policies be coordinated from the international level through the United Nations or some other world body.
"A general answer to the question, "What needs to be done?" can be given easily. We must rapidly bring the world population under control, reducing the growth rate to zero and eventually making it go negative. Conscious regulation of human numbers must he [sic] achieved. Simultaneously we must greatly increase our food production. This agricultural program should be carefully monitored to minimize deleterious effects on the environment and should include an effective program of ecosystem restoration. The world's supply of nonrenewable resources must be assessed and plans made for the most economical and beneficial management and use of what remains of them. As these projects are carried out, an international policy research program must be initiated to set optimum population-environment goals for the world and to devise methods for reaching these goals." [emphasis mine] - 127
Conclusion
The next article in this series will examine the role of religion, women and sex education in population control and the changes that Ehrlich believes necessary. Part four of this series will discuss the major organizations, foundations and individuals involved. Finally, the last article will examine the similarities between the arguments for global warming and the population explosion, including a direct comparison between The Population Bomb and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth.
*Quotes from: Paul R. Ehrlich. The Population Bomb: Revised & Expanded Edition (1968, 1971). SBN 345-24489-3-150.
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PART THREE:
Population, Religion and Sex Education
The Population Bomb Part 3
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 24, 2007
"We must have population control at home, hopefully through changes in our value system, but by compulsion if voluntary methods fail." - Paul Ehrlich, 1968 (pXI)
The previous two articles in this series described some of the compulsory techniques for controlling population growth in America and the third world proposed by Paul Ehrlich in his 1968 book, The Population Bomb*. What about changing our value system into something more compatible with Ehrlich's mindset? How do you change a societies value system?
Sex Education and the Role of Women
When trying to institute a change in society, especially a long-term change, the most important and easily manipulated group are children. And there is no better tool than the education system for indoctrination of children.
From The Population Bomb:
"One of the most important roles of sex education must be to impress on everyone that death control in the absence of birth control is self-defeating, to say the least." - 87
"We need a federal law requiring sex education in schools - sex education that includes discussion of the need for regulating the birth rate and of the techniques of birth control. Such education should begin at the earliest age recommended by those with professional competence in this area - certainly before junior high school.
By "sex education" I do not mean course focusing on hygiene or presenting a simple-minded "birds and bees" approach to human sexuality. The reproductive function of sex must be shown as just one of its functions, and one that must be carefully regulated in relation to the needs of the individual and society. Much emphasis must be placed on sex as an interpersonal relationship, as an important and extremely pleasurable aspect of being human, as mankind's major and most enduring recreation, as a fountainhead of humor, as a phenomenon that affects every aspect of human life... In short, sex as we know it, is a peculiarly human activity. It has many complex functions other than the production of offspring. It is now imperative that we restrict the reproductive function of sex while producing a minimum of disruption in the others." - 133
Another obvious group of society that needs to have their values changed, if the population is to be reduced, are women.
"With a rational atmosphere mankind should be able to work out the problems of deemphasizing the reproductive role of sex. These problems include finding substitutes for the satisfaction and rewards that women derive from childbearing and for the ego satisfaction that often accompanies excessive fatherhood. Implicit attitudes and social pressures within our society toward parenthood, especially motherhood, add up to an even more powerful prenatal policy than our legal system represents. Equal opportunities and salaries for women in business and the professions, which are now being sought by the women's liberation movement, would strongly encourage them to seek other outlets for their energy and talents besides motherhood. Society would greatly benefit both from the resulting lowered fertility and the productive contributions of women.
All too often today marriage either provides a "license" for sexual activity or a way of legitimizing the unplanned results of premarital sexual activity. But greater equality between the sexes, reliable contraceptives, and changing attitudes among today's young people are solving the former problem; the greater availability of contraceptives and abortion could solve the latter." - 134
Religion
What about American religious values? Are they in need of change too?
"Somehow we've got to change from a growth-oriented, exploitative system to one focused on stability and conservation. Our entire system of orienting to nature must undergo a revolution. And that revolution is going to be extremely difficult to pull off, since the attitudes of Western culture toward nature are deeply rooted in Judeo-Christian tradition. Unlike people in many other cultures, we see man's basic role as that of dominating nature, rather than as living in harmony with it. This entire problem has been elegantly discussed by Professor Lynn White, Jr., in Science magazine. He points out, for instance, that before the Christian era trees, springs, hills, streams, and other objects of nature had guardian spirits. These spirits had to be approached and placated before one could safely invade their territory. As White says, "By destroying pagan animism, Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects... Both our present science and our present technology are so tinctured with orthodox Christian arrogance toward nature that no solution for our ecological crisis can be expected from them alone. Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not." " [emphasis mine] - 155
Spreading the Message of the New Religion: Population Missionaries
Ehrlich finishes his book with a very descriptive answer to the question: How can people spread the new faith?
"The question I am most frequently asked after giving talks about the population explosion is, "What can I do to help?" The obvious first answer is, "Set an example - don't have more than two children." " -159
"First of all, get together with people who share your concerns. It's easier, pleasanter and generally more effective to crusade in a group." [emphasis mine] - 160
The major thrust of this section is to write letters to politician and others.
"Above all, if you really want to survive, start writing!" - 164
"Editors of magazines and newspapers are excellent targets for letters. Complain bitterly about any positive treatment of large families. Attack the publicizing of "mothers of the year" unless they have no more than two children or have adopted the extra ones. Request that the publications you address stop carrying any advertising implying by statement or inference that it is socially acceptable to have more than two children. Point out that any promotion of the idea that a growing population means prosperity is making a contribution to the destruction of America. Television and radio stations should be subjected to similar constant pressure. Series featuring large families should be assailed. More programming about the population crisis should be demanded. Ask for prime time programs on sex education and the use of contraceptives. Raise a fuss whenever programming or commercials promote reproductive irresponsibility." [emphasis mine] - 163
"Another target for your letters is the business community... "Dear Sir: Your company's advertisement was shown in the middle of The Saturday Family, implying your sponsorship of that program. The day is upon us when we can no longer tolerate television programs that feature large families as if they still represented acceptable behaviour on the part of parents." [emphasis mine] - 164
A fair bit of attention was devoted to children, as should be expected with Ehrlich's focus on sex education.
"Give your child an IUD [intrauterine device] to take to "show and tell." " - 166
He also encourages people to "proselytize friends and associates" by giving specific arguments tailor made for different types of people. Under the heading "Target is a Schoolteacher," he suggests that it is:
"easy for you to convince most schoolteachers that the population problem is very real. They have been struggling with overcrowded classrooms and ghetto children for a long time." - 176
Because of the limits placed on individual teachers by school boards:
"Subtle propaganda to the kiddies and letter writing may be all you can ask for [from a teacher]." - 177
Conclusion
The next part in this series will examine the major organizations, foundations and individuals working toward population control. The final article will compare the current arguments for global warming with the arguments for population control, including a direct comparison between The Population Bomb (1968) and Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth (2006).
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PART FOUR:
IN FIVE MORE DAYS:
Those Involved in Population Control
The Population Bomb Part 4
Brent Jessop - Knowledge Driven Revolution.com
December 31, 2007
Article coming December 31, 2007.
http://www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com/Articles/200712/20071231_Bomb_Help.htm
posted by Moxie Molly at 5:44 pm
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