Obama Backs Down on Sudan

I am rushing off to work.

There is no doubt that there is murder and mayhem in Sudan and may be civil war. I agree with Kristof that it would be better for Obama to show some background and stand more firmly for democracy and freedom in Darfur and neighboring regions. But reality is harsh. Millions in Africa are starving due to lack of resources, and it is questionable whether decade-long struggle for resources is preferable to a civil war that gets the killing over quickly. The sad fact is that Sudan has a population growth rate of 2.24%. We can play "whack a mole," and stop the fighting only to watch the people die of hunger and thirst, or disease. In the long run, the only sustainable course is to get birth rates down, so that population can stabilize without a high death rate. And the Catholic Church is primarily the culprit in the suffering by holding onto a rigid doctrine of regarding use of contraceptives as sin and abortion as murder. The millions dying in Africa dwarfs the current scandal of priests abusing young boys. At least the abused children mostly grow to adulthood. Moreover, there is a pervasive innumeracy among the American people, facilitated by news media that looks the other way at the greatest problem of our age, overpopulation. Even when Americans themselves suffer the consequences it is regarded as racist to suggest that policies should be adopted that encourage small family size, an idea which has nothing to do with race. Overcrowding kills millions, whatever their race. And in the US, with its population growth of only .9% per year, which works out to about 230,000 new residents per month, we simply do not have enough jobs for the new people. We look back at the ignorance of previous ages, the beliefs in astrology with a sense of superiority. But collectively we ignore the major problem of our age, overpopulation, and take no effective action.

BRAVO!