I skipped the 'article' and went straight to the letters..... I'll say it again, the only possible excuse for Salon publishing AW is to provide a trust fund for her kid's future therapy. Sadly, I don't think any more of my money will be going to that fund. Sorry, kid.

I'm guessing there won't be much of an uproar about the millions of "missing men" in developed countries. How many would that be if there are 5% more women than men?

In between the last two times we slept together, she slept with three other guys, got herpes from one of them, and then tried her darndest to blame it on me - as if I might have had it for the last ten years without symptoms and completely undetected, only to pass it on to her. Of course she knew exactly which of the three guys she got it from, and suggested that I email him and deal with him directly. I still don't have it, fortunately.

Take over the magazine! Seize complete editorial control over the next issue, and use it as a platform for creative expression. Such an opportunity! What, like they'd FIRE you? Conceptual art, yours for the doing! Solicit writing and visual art, from Cary's readers, even; and substitute your issue for the real, copyright-violating one at the last minute before it goes to press. Voila!

There have been a couple of letters to the effect that roving bandits will just take over your eco-homestaed anyway, so why bother; to which I'd say: Oh yeah? Try it.

I'm somewhat optimistic, so I haven't bought land in Montana or whatever (well, YET) but if it were MY community the bandits were trying for, the odds would be in my favor. It takes several times the manpower to invade or lay siege to a place than it takes to defend it, as well as plenty of resources. Just remember, I can keep a LOT more guns and ammo under the floor of my cabin than any Mad Max wannabes can carry, especially if Max is running low on fuel or on horseback.

"When the roving bands of armed bandits come along and see all the hard work these people have put into building this self-sufficient infrastructure, they'll say, "Thanks for all of your efforts. We'll be taking this now." -- Toddius Zho

When the vultures are done picking them clean, the bone meal will be a lovely addition to the garden. So there.

Just a counterthought to a particular aspect of the thread.

Back here in reality, I'm getting solar installed this spring (WooHoo!) and hoping that times ahead will be uncomfortable and challenging rather than disastrous.

Run, now, don't look back. You don't need to ever even think about so much as calling him or answering the phone if he calls. Get a lawyer, get a divorce, get him out of your life. Next time he's out of the house for any length of time, take everything you value and crash on a friend's couch, even if you have to impose on them. Seize the day, and you may just find happiness.

No, there aren't. It's inherently unethical and exploitative.

And while we're on the subject, a tangential rant:

Ultimately, the whole "fertility" business is inherently unethical. If you can't have children, that means you can't have children. The universe is trying to tell you something that you don't want to hear. I'm sorry, but life abounds with unpleasant truths. Adopt, or learn to accept that you simply weren't meant to have kids. There are many things that technology shouldn't be trying to fix, and this is one of them.

There are upwards of 6 billion people in the world today - SIX BILLION!! There is no good reason WHATSOEVER that so many people should be alive at the same time. 'Go forth and multiply', says Genesis, but people conveniently forget the rest of the phrase 'and fill the earth' - news flash, folks: IT'S FULL! We don't need more Americans using resources like nobody's business, we don't need more impoverished people forced to strip the land until desertification takes over, there are just too many people on the planet. It's just not right to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to try to make more babies who would otherwise thankfully not have to be born just yet!

Or maybe that bumper sticker is right, and I'm wrong:

Earth First!

We'll strip mine the other planets later!