This is a very wise and informed comment that Keith made, and I totally agree. I hope someday that the UN will ingrain and apply four basic rights for every human on this planet, and they are;
1) access to food
2) access to clean water
3) access to shelter
4) personal security
I also beleive that all wealthy countries be required to donate just 2% of their GDP to a fund to help accomplish this. Just think of all the extra money we are spending on counter terrorism that could be put towards this goal. It would also thwart terrorism because terrorists would not be able to get a foothold or seek refige in the countries that our goodwill has touched. But our help must be unconditional. We must not get involved, or tell their country how to run it. All we would ask is that they be peaceful and abide international law. I know that this is just pie in the sky and whishfull thinking, but its just a dream of mine.
>From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] The New Blue States/Country
>Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2005 11:47:03 +0900
>
>>>uphold and fight for some snails life, being of great importance
>>>and right to live, yet believe it is okay to kill babies.
>>>
>>I would have to say "I disagree!" the Netiqutte rules govern my
>>language. There is a massive over population problem on this planet
>>and it is not the snails. Nuff said?
>>Brian Rodgers
>
>Not 'nuff said. The massive overpopulation problem on this planet is
>a myth. From a previous message, rather than having to thrash it out
>all over again:
>
>>The overpopulation problem is more realistically a marginalisation
>>problem. There's plenty of room and resources for everyone and
>>everything else too, except the greedy. Check it out -
>>eco-footprinting's a not-bad place to start, it's developed a lot
>>in recent years. Look at which societies exceed their due allotment
>>and which don't, check the groups within those societies which
>>exceed their due allotment and which don't.
>>
>>"Myth 3 - Too Many People. Reality: Birth rates are falling rapidly
>>worldwide as remaining regions of the Third World begin the
>>demographic transition -- when birth rates drop in response to an
>>earlier decline in death rates. Although rapid population growth
>>remains a serious concern in many countries, nowhere does
>>population density explain hunger. For every Bangladesh, a densely
>>populated and hungry country, we find a Nigeria, Brazil or Bolivia,
>>where abundant food resources coexist with hunger. Costa Rica, with
>>only half of Honduras' cropped acres per person, boasts a life
>>expectancy -- one indicator of nutrition -- 11 years longer than
>>that of Honduras and close to that of developed countries. Rapid
>>population growth is not the root cause of hunger. Like hunger
>>itself, it results from underlying inequities that deprive people,
>>especially poor women, of economic opportunity and security. Rapid
>>population growth and hunger are endemic to societies where land
>>ownership, jobs, education, health care, and old age security are
>>beyond the reach of most people. Those Third World societies with
>>dramatically successful early and rapid reductions of population
>>growth rates -- China, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Cuba and the Indian
>>state of Kerala -- prove that the lives of the poor, especially
>>poor women, must improve before they can choose to have fewer
>>children."
>>http://www.foodfirst.org/pubs/backgrdrs/1998/s98v5n3.html
>>12 Myths About Hunger
>>
>>There's a very large amount of evidence for that.
>>
>>"A smaller increase in production would suffice if its growth were
>>accompanied by more equitable access to food. This could be
>>achieved through redistribution - of food itself, of the means of
>>producing it or of the purchasing power needed to buy it -- to
>>those currently on the lower rungs of the food access ladder."
>>Unfortunately, the experience of the past thirty years shows no
>>significant decline in inequity of access among households in most
>>countries." -- FAO
>>http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/PRESSENG/2001/pren0169.htm
>>
>>"Overpopulation" is a symptom, just as poverty and hunger are
>>symptoms, and the cause is an inequitable economic system. If
>>overpopulation were a reality it would indeed be an intractable
>>problem; if poverty and hunger existed, and increased as they do,
>>because there just wasn't enough to go round, that too would be an
>>intractable problem. But a dysfunctional economic system is not an
>>intractable problem.
>
>http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/msg32911.html
>Re: [biofuel] The Oil we eat (Harper's)
>
>Best wishes
>
>Keith
>
>
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