Let's sterilise the Japanese whale eaters. Problem solved.

You see posters that's up and up logical response (using Col Rouge's politcal ethics). What's that I hear you say: "You can't sterilise first worlders they're special." Aren't we all? (karma)

Don't worry Rancitas, first worlders are sterilising themselves...
Japanese whaling will stop eventually, because their population is declining, just like ours...
If only the third world would emulate us. It would solve a lot of problems, as Col says.
Anyway, I thought that is what you lefties/greenies wanted- a habitable planet with no inhabitants?

If arguments are presented with indisputable logic, it would be logical not to dispute them.

The same logic applies to the arguments of the inebriate.

Col,

Have you ever seen a bandicoot on steroids? I know Shonga and when I look at him I have never thought about small, fury creatures. Do you like small fury creatures, Col?

I’m glad that you feel the need to share your vasectomy experience with us. I’m not exactly sure what your point was but I assume you might have been suggesting that it was a responsible action that all third world citizens should follow. If only it was that simple. As a teacher I endorse education as the answer. Awareness is a wonderful thing. I also sponsor a young boy in India who is now seeing the benefits of that support and is more able to support his own people. He is growing into a wonderful member of his community.

It is beyond my comprehension that you would advocate, in any way, the sterilization of anyone in under-developed nations as a plausible idea! To begin with, do you realise how many people you would have to forcefully neuter? Talk about an invasion of rights – one of the very things you avidly accuse me of doing. To take away somone's right to reproduce is to take from them the essense of humanity.

Speaking of humanity, what a terrible thing to say about Shonga’s father. How’s that – insulting a man who you don’t even know.

You have never experienced tapeworms? I suppose your s_it doesn’t stink either.

I personally never denied that over-population was a problem. Of course it is a problem. But, to a greater extent, so are all the things Bronwyn said. Australia and the USA have shameful pollution rates. I would not necessarily call Australia overpopulated but it certainly produces a high level of greenhouse gasses. Leaders of western nations are gradually starting to see the necessity to make drastic changes in our consumer-driven lifestyles.

We never recriminated your factual observations, however your comment about Bronwyn’s head being in the sand in a fallacy indeed worth recriminating.

And Col,

Craig is spot on, David Latimer simply made a typing error, and earlier in one of your own posts you attempted to backpedal on your comment about steralising underdeveloped nations by referring to it as “obviously dramatic terminology”. Then after declaring this you gradually return to your original position.

Now let me address one of your facts about China’s population control. Not necessarily criminal under Chinese law but certainly a violation of basic human rights and dignity. If you find nine month abortions ethical then I suggest you talk to a Chinese woman who had her baby injected in the head by lethal poison at its birth, thrown in a trash can and then had a forced steralisation inflicted on her. Is this the kind of regime you want?

And when you refer to the Church of Rome, I assume you mean the Roman Catholic Church or, specifically, the Vatican? If so, a man named Pope John Paul II openly declared his support of contraception not so long ago. What was that comment you made about having your head in the sand? Mind you, most of the world is not Catholic.

Col, I don't think anyone here disagrees with your observation that the overpopulation of the planet is cause for concern however, the world is full of people to whom the concept of 'fault' goes hand in hand with the concept of 'other'. Solutions are wonderful ideas if other people carry the burden.

For all your examples of positive western contributions to the welfare of underdeveloped countries (and I have never denied their existence), I could continue to furnish examples of the deleterious effects of that very same influence. No doubt we could engage in this line of tit for tat ad nauseum but that was not the purpose of my post. It was about defining a balance of cause and effect.

Solutions are not going to come about without the acceptance that fault lies at the feet of many. The allocation of fault does nothing to alleviate its problems but the acceptance of it at least allows a more greater likelihood of a bi-partisan approach to a solution.

Froggie, if Wind in the Willows wasn't one of my favourite books I would have called you a toad. If you had read any of my other posts, I doubt whether you could classify me as either right or left. The reduction of people to two easily identifiable labels was only devised to allow the feeble minded to think without tripping over their fingers.