You might already know this, but your letter didn't make it clear: Idiot, imbecile, and moron were not originally insults, they were medical terms. When they were used as slurs, they were no longer used medically, and thus became slurs. The process continues.

NYCGrrrl, you may have some insight to offer me, in case you're still reading.

Here's what we know:

1. Overpopulation is a serious problem.

2. There are many different "fixes," and that leads me to believe that all of these methods should be used together. In other words, improved education and liberation of women helps a great deal, but so does aggressive family-planning programs (not necessarily China's. I'm thinking of Iran.)

3. Many people who are least-qualified to bear children seem to be creating enormous numbers of them. That's the scenario NYCGrrrl talked about, referring to the inner-city adolescents.

4. Males don't really want children. I know this because Men Leave. Most poor people in the world are women in children, because a man without dependents can often support himself in most places, but a woman left with offspring may have no luck.

With all of that stated, here's my startup idea: We pay men to get no-scalpel vasectomies. We fund ourselves entirely through advertising (beer, video games, FUBU, assorted lowbrow crassness, it all depends on the location.) Think of it: Our outfits and vasecto-mobile(s) are covered in logos. We make it clear that the recipient can still have sex normally, but after 20 ejaculations, they are "all juice, no seeds." That could be part of our slogan.

If you're a man in Haiti, making about a dollar a day, and somebody offers you, say, ten dollars, how could you refuse, especially when there's the upside of being able to shag all you want without impregnating anybody? You'll become very popular, that's for sure.

Now imagine if this sort of thing becomes successful worldwide. A serious dent is made in the dependency ratio, which lowers poverty, which lowers population growth! Everybody wins!!

Oh, and the fear of an aging population just masks a pyramid scheme. The Muslims aren't going to take over Europe. That's ridiculous. European bosses will do anything to prevent a so-called labor shortage, and towards that end will encourage immigration from Latin America and elsewhere. This already happens in Spain and Portugal.

So, anyway, does anybody want to go into business with me? If I'm missing something, let me know.

Only one kind of sex can get you pregnant, though apparently something can *possibly* go wrong during anal sex, resulting in indirect impregnation.

To a point, the heavy consumers/polluters are doing their part to reduce birth rates. The only reason that the U.S. population grows at all is due to immigration. For Europe, it's even more true, and no, the Muslims are not going to take over. Japan is apparently shrinking already, and Russia has been shrinking for about fifteen or more years now, and so on. Speaking of immigration, that's usually a process that brings people from poor countries to rich ones. That reduces the burden in their country of origin and tends to reduce their birth rates in their new home, after a generation or so.

The upshot of all of this is that we're on the right track, but we're not there yet. We have to reduce the world's population, by any means necessary, because the consequences otherwise will be far worse. I have nothing but contempt for those institutions (Ehrlich euphemistically avoided saying "religions") that stand in the way.

Am I the only fan of hers here?

How about Quality of Life? Shall I bring Peter Singer into this?

Let's focus on what Lynda Carter actually said, because it bears repetition: Sarah Palin is a theocrat and should be treated accordingly.

I think I would have heard about it by now if every rape victim in Illinois (a much more populous state than Alaska) was charged for the kit... but not necessarily. Where did you see this?

Please, somebody... what's the best way to make these *issues* resonate and get some publicity?

How can you have a mass shooting with a musket, or even a Colt revolver? I don't necessarily blame firearms, but my point still stands.

Oh, and Double Helix: "Antisocial" means destructive. Bullies are antisocial, as are shooters. The word you're looking for is "asocial."

This sort of thing didn't happen to me much at all in high school. In 11th-12th grade I was part of the largest graduating class in the country, so if you didn't want to know who the jocks were, you didn't have to. In any event, I get the impression that sort of thing would have been considered really childish and pathetic. The last time I was bullied was by one kid in tenth grade (he was slightly smaller than me, but I wouldn't/couldn't fight back.)

Now that I think about it, for all the awful things I saw people do to each other in school, I saw a lot of real kindness and friendship.

I swear I once saw this on a church sign while driving home:

"www.[name of church].orgasm"

Does it really? If so, great. I'm surprised. I thought they considered "those people" the enemy. (I do, but for different reasons, and I have different solutions!)

That's an astute observation, and a great movie.

That sounds like a punk band.