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From: nrh@inmet.UUCP
Newsgroups: talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Orphaned Response
Message-ID: <117200041@inmet>
Date: Thu, 18-Sep-86 01:54:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: inmet.117200041
Posted: Thu Sep 18 01:54:00 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 11-Oct-86 08:18:56 EDT
References: <976@whuts.UUCP>
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Nf-ID: #R:whuts.UUCP:-97600:inmet:117200041:000:3063
Nf-From: inmet.UUCP!nrh    Sep 18 01:54:00 1986


>/* Written  3:28 pm  Sep 10, 1986 by orb@whuts.UUCP in inmet:talk.pol.misc */
>/* ---------- "Re: Population control (to sevener)" ---------- */
>YOU HAVE MADE ME VERY ANGRY!!
>YOU have the AUDACITY to claim that I and others who are doing
>whatever we can to feed the hungry, who have contributed to groups like
>Oxfam America which provides TOOLS and seeds so that starving people
>can grow their own food and not rely on subsidies forever, that
>WE are the ones who view humans "as mere tools of society.
> ...
>I myself have yet to join the Peace Corps or the American Friends
>Service Committee but I know other people who have eschewed the
>luxuries of life in America to go live in the Third World, where
>thirty children die EVERY MINUTE, not every day, not every hour
>but EVERY MINUTE from HUNGER and STARVATION.

And at that rate, it will take them 114 years to catch up with what
the Soviets did between 1917 and 1959.  An estimated 60,000,000 dead
in the name of Socialism.  Nothing like certain sorts of helping
hands, eh?

By the way, I suggest you read the Reason article on the Peace Corps
before you make too much noise about joining.  The charges are 
incompetence, inappropriateness, and outlandishness.

>...
>Well, if you don't care that thirty children died of hunger in the
>time in which you read this article, that is your right.

But I don't think *you're* doing "whatever you can" to feed the
hungry: to be consistent you should surely spend every iota of energy
into helping the folks in South America.  Refuting a straw-man version
of Albrecht while another 90-150 children die is surely a sign of
mismatched priorities!  At least, it is if you want us to believe that
you really, truly, honestly, do "whatever" you can to feed the hungry.

By the way, you didn't quote Albrecht as saying that he didn't care.
Another Straw Man for the Straw Horde?

>But to imply that caring people throughout the world who
>are doing what they can, including population control, to
>stop the senseless deaths of 30 children a minute from starvation
>simply view humans as "tools" is an absolute outrage.

Straw man, Sevener -- at least in the section you quoted, Albrecht
referred only to "you", not to "caring people throughout the world",
or those who are doing "whatever we can" to feed the hungry.

It is not at all clear to me you can put yourself in that category, chum.

>
> *** FLAME OFF ***
>
>I have tried to stick to facts and logic but I have had it up to
>here with this brand of selfcentered greedy idiocy.

I imagine that when you said "here", you pointed to your heart, not 
your head.  If you really want to refute Albrecht, attack him on 
factual, statistical grounds.  Anecdotal grounds (one person killed
is not, after all, as impressive as 60,000,000) do not indicate the
overall picture as well.  I will admit that the number of children
dying per minute is impressive, but it needs a little more context.

>Now that I have vented my spleen, I will return to more rational
>exposition.

Good for you!  I can hardly wait ;-)