Van Dalsem did work responsibly within the Club to change the provisions of the Desert Bill, and he, like others of us, thought that the changes had gone through. But seeing that they had not, he testified as an individual, seeking specific relief. The personal nature of the attacks mounted by Vicky Hoover and others against Dale seems quite uncalled for--if only the attackers had put their letters aside for a day or two, then read them over and deleted the unnecessarily hurtful adjectives before sending them!
Karen Leonard
| The L.A. Story: Poverty, Despair and Overpopulation by Sam Popowsky, Mark Schoen & Julie Beezley |
The Amersterdam Resolution of 1989
(see the Please Write section) which addresses poverty issues as well as
increasing access to family planning programs has spoken eloquently. "The
population issue," says the Resolution, "is an intrinsic part of general
economic and social development." Increasingly, other nations are recognizing
the link between population stabilization and a better life. We need to do that
here in the United States. In fact, the U.S., is the only major western country
which lacks a national population program. Unfortunately, our leaders have
little experience or insight into the relationship between overpopulation and
social turmoil. What of the future? The riots in Los Angeles were only one small image in a worldwide montage of the miseries of overpopulation. Will good deeds, so evident after the fires, give way to despair about the political process? Recognition that overpopulation is destroying us will be hard woo. The political process does work hot we can't expect that we will magically get our way. The Sierra Club's population group knows that many environmentalists still need to be convinced that overpopulation is a root cause of social (and environmental) decline. Those chosen to work on Rebuild L.A. most likely understand this connection even less. The destruction in Los Angeles is connected to the population explosion. We need to see that we live on a finite planet. We are the visionaries who know that a better world can only be assured by population stabilization. Spread the word. |
| We saw the images on television and
felt despair. Overpopulation was not on the minds of those who burned or looted
in April. However, as we know, one result of overpopulation is more unwanted
and neglected children, living impoverished lives with no decent means of
support. These are children who become angry when they see no way out. This
downward spiral is then repeated, as each generation's problems grow larger
than the one before. The result is violence, crime and the breakdown of the
family. Only despair can follow. Now we see society looking for the quick fix, which also contributes to social decline. More people are thrown in to already overcrowded jails, and we cough up the minimum amounts of money necessary to produce good news copy for the masses. Later we fail to follow up when progress is slow and always seem to skirt the difficult issues of social justice. These problems are clearly compounded by too many people. Too many unwanted people sealed in a life of poverty: the root cause of the violence and despair which we just witnessed. In the third world many more unplanned and often unwanted children are born into a world where poverty is even worse than here. That gap is beginning to close. Bare survival and starvation are becoming a worldwide problem. |
| SIERRA CLUB POPULATION COMMITEE Michael Beck, Chair 3345 Wilshire Blvd. suite 508 Los Angeles, CA 90010 |