"Do as I say, not as I do" is the invisible subtitle of this latest Greenpeace essay.

Greenpeace write "John Howard's big lie about the Sydney coal pact ... ... a reduction of 30 per cent off a business-as-usual increase of well over 100 per cent and would see emissions sky-rocket. The PM's claim would be laughable...The point is the public are unable to make an informed judgment about a policy if it is completely misreported.", they apparently claiming to place high value on accurate provision of information to the public.

A significant part of my earlier OLO essay
http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=3864
is devoted to showing how Greenpeace mislead the public with their inadequate treatment of vitamin A enriched Golden Rice, which they oppose, despite the fact it might save thousands of lives a day. What's more they never correct their misinformation.

They should desist giving morality sermons to others, and put their own house in order.

Well said 'd'.

rog, if I gave you the impression that I was questioning your freedom of speech then that's not what I intended. I'd certainly fight for the right to free speech, even for my enemies. What fun would I have otherwise?

I'm aware of the alledged ills of PETA and will be following that investigation closely. They're not one of my favourite groups but I do hope the issue is sorted soon as I deplore animal cruelty of all kinds. I did not know about the extent of salmonella but I'm very aware of the broad range of health risks associated with eating meat. I can vouch first-hand that my health has improved dramatically since becoming a vegetarian. I was even skeptical at first but I guess the results speak for themselves. Physically I feel great.

Mr Rouge, I was not attempting to take away any of your rights or to make demands of you. What I put forward was an opinion, one that I expressed vehemently and passionately, as I'm sure you do too. Why would we otherwise be using this forum?

I put forward my opinion on what I perceive as a better way of doing things. After all that is what this website is about.

As for your opinion, why not look at this realistically for a second:

1. My idea – cut down on livestock production in the Western World
2. Your idea – sterilize underdeveloped nations

Given these two ideas the very worst I could be labeled as is a left wing extremist. I can live with that I guess. Whereas your genocidal remark makes you sound like Hitler. Again this is only my opinion.

I suppose I came across strongly to you Col in my earlier post. This is probably because I don't particularly like you. Please consider that a matter of personal disagreement and not as a violation of your valuable rights.

Incidentally there's much more to vegetarianism that "salad". I am sitting here looking at a 738-page recipe book that does not contain blood-dripping carcasses from mistreated mass-produced farmed animals. Enjoy your dinner.

The usual suspect – I know the theories about brain development in early humans and it does bear weight. I know that my cave-dwelling ancestors probably loved their wild boar but, like I said very clearly in my earlier post, I’m more interested in the future. I do consider myself slightly more advanced and capable than the primates from which we have evolved. Don’t you?

I choose this life because it feels right in all aspects and that’s my moral choice. In any case we have strayed far from the topic.

Col: "sterilize underdeveloped nations"? You do realise that extremism ignites the conflicts of the world, do you not? Is there any truly developed person that would advocate such a puerile stance?
It seems to me that the underdeveloped nations pay a high enough price to keep us in our sanctimonious and unsustainable lifestyle.
The underdeveloped mind has more to answer for than its pitiable capacity could ever hope to address. Enjoy your playtime and don't forget to share...

Ludwig – not sure if you are agreeing or disagreeing with me, beyond I was obviously being “dramatic” my terminology and would no more wish to “force” any one to pursue a particular course of action of procreation, beyond accepting their own responsibility for the outcome.

Craig Blanch
Your post do not normally err to the obtuse, I would have thought your thought processes sufficient to have interpreted my comment where you would have read

“go sterilise the underdeveloped nations”

in conjunction with the preceding question of the post “Want to “Save the world”? “

Strange as this may seem, the populus of “underdeveloped nations” do not care a stuff about you or me. Likewise the citizenry of oil rich Arabian states, by their example, have demonstrated they could not give a stuff either.

The point I make is simple. People who mince around complaining about how terrible the western developed nations are because they have a bee in their bonnet about cruelty to kippers or saving bellybutton fluff and think the rest of us should kowtow behind their sometimes extremist demands have largely lost the plot. The biggest, most overriding danger mankind faces is overpopulation.

So if you want to address the cause of all the “issues” of greenhouse gases, deforestation, overfishing, strip mining etc. address and “fix” the issue of overpopulation and all the other problems will be "fixed".

Now since the “developed nations have stable populations and underdeveloped nations have accelerated population growth (partly because developed nations eliminated many diseases which tended to keep underdeveloped nations populations “stable”) I suggest either sterilise the underdeveloped nations or find some less intrusive method of population control.

Tubley “I don't particularly like you.”

I don't parrticularly care.
We could pass each other in the street and be oblivious to the fact.
I am as indifferent to your very existence as I am to your opinions.

I could be tempted to throw another shrimp on the barbee for you but your vegetarian ways suggest a “raw prawn” whilst inappropriate to your lifestyle would more suit your personality.