Today’s theme is population control.
Several months ago, I went to an End the Fed rally in Chicago. A fellow protester wouldn’t stop telling me about how “they” want to reduce the world’s population to a half billion, and will stop at nothing to do so. To be honest, his refusal to change the subject was annoying, though I accept the fact that the most passionate and most paranoid will always be first to protest – against the war, against the Fed, or for any other reason.
The theory about reducing the world’s population is also mentioned during the Alex Jones interview with Dr. Rebecca Carley below. I decided to look it up.
One source of the theory seems to be National Security Study Memorandum (NSSM) directive itself, signed in April, 1974, by Henry Kissinger on behalf of President Nixon:
NSSM 200:
IMPLICATIONS OF WORLDWIDE POPULATION GROWTH
FOR U.S. SECURITY AND OVERSEAS INTERESTSDecember 10, 1974
CLASSIFIED BY Harry C. Blaney, III
SUBJECT TO GENERAL DECLASSIFICATION SCHEDULE OF
EXECUTIVE ORDER 11652 AUTOMATICALLY DOWN-
GRADED AT TWO YEAR INTERVALS AND DECLASSIFIED
ON DECEMBER 31, 1980.This document can only be declassified by the White House.
. . . . [I]ntense efforts are required to assure full availability by 1980 of birth control information and means to all fertile individuals, especially in rural areas. . . .
there is a major risk of severe damage to world economic, political, and ecological systems and, as these systems begin to fail, to our humanitarian values. . . .
While specific goals in this area are difficult to state, our aim should be for the world to achieve a replacement level of fertility, (a two-child family on the average), by about the year 2000. . . . Attainment of this goal will require greatly intensified population programs. . . .
The World Population Plan of Action is not self-enforcing and will require vigorous efforts by interested countries, U.N. agencies and other international bodies to make it effective. U.S. leadership is essential. . . .
We recommend increases in AID budget requests to the Congress on the order of $35-50 million annually through FY 1980 (above the $137.5 million requested for FY 1975). This funding would cover both bilateral programs and contributions to multilateral organizations. However, the level of funds needed in the future could change significantly, depending on such factors as major breakthroughs in fertility control technologies and LDC receptivities to population assistance. . . .
No country has reduced its population growth without resorting to abortion.
The idea of cutting the world’s population to 500 million probably does exist theoretically in the heads of some well-educated bureaucrats who want to save to world, but I don’t believe our government is planning a mass extermination. Nevertheless, this study which concludes that population is a security threat to the United States, and suggests government do something about it, is absolutely chilling.
I disagree with, though understand, Dr. Alim Muhammad’s reaction:
(He also mentions The Global 2000 Report, whose wikipedia description seems entirely benign.)
So, what to think about population control?
I love this presentation. From about 1:50 to 5:00 it is absolutely breathtaking:
Though other people have interpreted Hans Rolsing’s talk differently, to me it sounds like when people are in good health – something all people relentlessly strive for, population naturally levels off. So the solutions is . . . leave people alone. Give them nothing but the freedom to pursue their self-interest.
(I don’t mean stop conducting charity. Altruism is great so long as it doesn’t happen at the point of a gun, i.e. with money the government forcibly takes from us.)