(This has been adapted from an article posted to my web site by Tim Murray at http://candobetter.org/node/391 in anticipation of the 40th anniversary of the assassination of the great human rights leader on 4 April 2008.)

Much is known and celebrated about his civil rights campaigning. What does not seem to be known however is that this foremost champion of human rights was also one who spoke of the importance of setting limits to our population both domestically and globally as a necessary precondition for those rights. Human rights in a nation whose water supply, housing, infrastructure or farmland is exhausted by overpopulation was to Dr. King largely meaningless And civil rights for a black family overburdened with more children than it could support was less advantageous as well.

In some respects, the career of Dr. Martin Luther King can be compared to that of Cesar Chavez. In death their legacy has been claimed by those who have not entirely been aware of their holistic approach. Chavez for example has been invoked by Hispanic leaders opposed to tighter border controls and immigration restrictions. In fact, Cesar Chavez stood at the border several times on patrol in an attempt to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the United States from Mexico. He realized that illegal immigration undercut the wages, working conditions and job security of established Mexican-Americans.

The following quote by Dr. King two years before his death should unequivocally place him alongside neo-Malthusians. To be a progressive, a leftist, a trade union leader or an environmentalist before the mid 1970s was to be someone who intuitively acknowledged limits. Since then, the zeitgeist changed. Why?

Recently, the press has been filled with reports of sightings of flying saucers.
While we need not give credence to these stories, they allow our imagination to
speculate on how visitors from outer space would judge us. I am afraid they would
be stupefied at our conduct. They would observe that for death planning we spend
billions to create engines and strategies for war. (tobecontinued)

Dear Dagett,

I read with interest your quote taken from the speech of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on 'Overpopulation, given on 5th May 1966.
I won't comment too much, because I trust that you'll give the rest of the speech especially the part about,

"Finally, they would observe that we spend paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an urgent threat to life on our planet."

Dr King had good reasons for advocating population control (shades of Al gore?).

As for C. Chavez - I trust that you will also explain why - Chavez was against - illegal immigration from Mexico. (strikebreakers -lowering the wages of farm workers et cetera).

I'll be waiting for your continuation of this thread.

Cheers.

Interesting topic as sadly issues of population are largely ignored in the environmental debate.

Do you remember those years we spent at school in the 70s (those who are old enough :)) learning about overpopulation and issues like decentralisation (or satellite cities). They don't get a mention now yet should be an important part of the overall debate about how we can best plan our cities and infrastructure to cope with our burgeoning populations.

(continuedfromabove) They would also observe that we spend millions to prevent
death by disease and other causes. Finally they would observe that we spend
paltry sums for population planning, even though its spontaneous growth is an
urgent threat to life on our planet. Our visitors from outer space could be
forgiven if they reported home that our planet is inhabited by a race of insane
men whose future is bleak and uncertain. There is no human circumstance
more tragic than the persisting existence of a harmful condition for which a
remedy is readily available. Family planning, to relate population to world
resources, is possible, practical and necessary. Unlike plagues of the dark ages
or contemporary diseases we do not yet understand, the modern plague of
overpopulation is soluble by means we have discovered and with resources
we possess. What is lacking is not sufficient knowledge of the solution but
universal consciousness of the gravity of the problem and education of the
billions who are its victims(1).

- Rev. Martin Luther King, May 5, 1966

FOOTNOTES

1. From http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are/the-reverend-martin-luther-king-jr.htm, http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Martin_Luther_King_Jr_-_Overpopulation/id/5279280

---

Thanks Foxy and Pelican for you interest. Of course the main credit goes to Tim Murray from Canada. Tim's blog sites are: http://sinkinglifeboat.blogspot.com and http://candobetter.org/tim

Regarding César Chávez (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Chavez), I only learnt of his stance against illegal immigration recently, through Tim.

It is easier and in some ways more emotionally satisfiying to extend welcoming arms to anyone who wants to come to countries such as the US, Canada or Australia and, unfortunately, this is the stance adopted by most liberal/left types with whom I would have a lot else in common.

However, this stance harms most of our community and most of all the poorest in our community as César Chávez recognised (and, I suspect. Martin Luther King, although I have to find evidence of this).

Some articles which may be of interest include:

"How illegal immigration into the US harms poor US Hispanic citizens" at http://candobetter.org/node/216

"Is it reactionary to oppose Immigration?" at http://candobetter.org/node/284 http://webdiary.com.au/cms/?q=node/2240

Pelican wrote: "Interesting topic as sadly issues of population are largely ignored in the environmental debate."

And I think this is no accident.

Pelican continued: "Do you remember those years we spent at school in the 70s (those who are old enough :)) learning about overpopulation and issues like decentralisation (or satellite cities)?"

Unfortunately, my high school years were disrupted. However, I still recall population control seemed to be an issue of which many were aware. This would be consistent with chapter 8 of Sheila Newman's excellent 2002 Master's thesis:

"The Growth Lobby and its Absence : The Relationship
between the Property Development and Housing Industries
and Immigration Policy in Australia and France

... which is downloadable from http://candobetter.org/sheila

This deals with the years of the Whitlam Government. As a result of the oil shock of 1973, it adopted Malthusian policies similar to those adopted in Europe. They included low immigration and energy self-sufficiency. However this never got off the ground as a result of the Whitlam Government's downfall. The growth lobby seized the national agenda from the Fraser years onwards, and we are now paying the price.

There are population researchers who have analysed the costs and benefits of our migration programss over the years.

In the 1950s the migrants worked for the car industry, snowy mountains scheme. The average Australians standard of living went up because the migrants took the lowest paid jobs and Australia was literally riding on the sheeps back with the high demand for wool caused by the Korean War. Because the society was upwardly mobile we didn't mind paying to build extra housing and more school to house these migrants and educate their children. Check out the Ministry of Housing stock built in the 1950s in Bellpost Hill, Norlane, Carlton and Dandenong. Traditionally Victoria tries not to build government housing.

Since the 1990s the migrants have been skilled migrants and they add to the effect of making Australian society downwardly mobile. The Australian IT workers have been largely displaced by migrant workers on 457 visas and most university IT departments are free from australian born students and staff.

Studies have been completed showing that with current levels of growth Sydneysiders take and extra 21 minutes to get to work and must work another 45 minutes a week to retain their position.

Tim Flannery is amongst the scientists who say that Australia's environmentally sustainable population is about 13 million people.

Yes the housing industry and large retailers like Harvey Norman are responsible for promoting population growth to ensure a steady demand for their product.

People visiting Bolivia have noted that skin implant contraception is distributed by the government, so it looks like Latin America is ignoring the Pope.