Another very sobering note

On Wed, 29 Aug 2007 18:48:06 -0400, Dave LaCourse
wrote:

As far as a letter to my great, great grandchildren..... I'll let my
kids and their kids pass the word on about me, and even if they say
"He tried", that will be enough for me. If you wanna go on a guilt
trip, go ahead. But as for me, I *know* what I have given and
continue to give. I sleep well and I will die well. Sorry about
that.
The point of the letter was to get you to look at your actions, to
write them down and give them some thought. Do I really think you
don't care about your descendants? Of course not. But in a hundred
years, care or not, when they find their world unmanageable their most
likely question about this generation will be "What the **** were they
thinking?" followed by "Why didn't they do anything when they could?".
Nothing we do now relieves us from our responsibility to them.
The simplest thing we can do is merely discuss with our children and
grandchildren making responsible choices regarding family size and
quality of their lives. Carry that out several generations doing the
same and the results become dramatic. Will it solve the problem by
itself? Nope. Not unless others do the same but it will take things in
the right direction. Realistically it will require other things but
there is simple painless stuff that can be done now.
If we back the generation of a hundred years from now into a corner
because we do nothing now there is no telling what they might do with
few choices open to them.
Defend publicly it not being your problem all you like but I hope
privately you will give it consideration. It is an important issue.

Kiyu

On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:29:22 GMT, (Kiyu) wrote:

The point of the letter was to get you to look at your actions, to
write them down and give them some thought. Do I really think you
don't care about your descendants? Of course not. But in a hundred
years, care or not, when they find their world unmanageable their most
likely question about this generation will be "What the **** were they
thinking?" followed by "Why didn't they do anything when they could?".
Nothing we do now relieves us from our responsibility to them.
The simplest thing we can do is merely discuss with our children and
grandchildren making responsible choices regarding family size and
quality of their lives. Carry that out several generations doing the
same and the results become dramatic. Will it solve the problem by
itself? Nope. Not unless others do the same but it will take things in
the right direction. Realistically it will require other things but
there is simple painless stuff that can be done now.
If we back the generation of a hundred years from now into a corner
because we do nothing now there is no telling what they might do with
few choices open to them.
Defend publicly it not being your problem all you like but I hope
privately you will give it consideration. It is an important issue.

Kiyu, I know you are well meaning, but we all have our priorities.
Mine right now are for the elderly and the poor in my community. I
can not begin to explain to you how thin I have painted myself. I am
not bragging or anything else, just trying to get you to realize that
there are other very important things in my life and I do not have the
time or the strength to take on more at age 70.

I used to be able to fish a couple of days a week, but except for last
week's exploratory adventure, I haven't fished since mid-June. I have
one more week planned of fishing, a week alone with my wife. Then
it's back to work with little time for anything else except family. I
am sure the future generations will understand my plight and forgive
me.

Dave

On Thu, 30 Aug 2007 15:17:36 -0400, Dave LaCourse
wrote:


Kiyu, I know you are well meaning, but we all have our priorities.
Mine right now are for the elderly and the poor in my community. I
can not begin to explain to you how thin I have painted myself. I am
not bragging or anything else, just trying to get you to realize that
there are other very important things in my life and I do not have the
time or the strength to take on more at age 70.

I used to be able to fish a couple of days a week, but except for last
week's exploratory adventure, I haven't fished since mid-June. I have
one more week planned of fishing, a week alone with my wife. Then
it's back to work with little time for anything else except family. I
am sure the future generations will understand my plight and forgive
me.

I know what you mean. You seem to be charging ahead at a good pace
though despite a full dance card. I retired 6 years ago and now I'm so
damned busy I can barely keep up. It wasn't supposed to be that way.
My first fishing trip this year will be my annual trip to the
mountains in October with my son. That is mostly by choice as I
believe we need to love our streams more by loving them less, so I
limit my fishing. But this trip is less about fishing than it is
sitting across a campfire from my son on a damp, cool fall night,
sipping a bourbon, laughing, bsing and talking about all those things
which seem to go unsaid between father and son over the years. This is
our 18th season doing this trip and it only gets better.

As for the population thing if you don't believe in it forget it. I
really wasn't suggesting you or anyone else devote a great deal of
energy to it, just give some thought to family size and the world
around us. That can be done while shaving in the morning. It certainly
isn't a political issue as it is often cast as I first came into it
when I was so far to the right I nearly fell off the edge of the earth
and I didn't really intend to come out harshly as I don't usually talk
the talk but it is a huge issue, is getting worse and got my hackles
up..probably unnecessarily.
But I do try to walk the walk.
I sorted the whole thing out with the birth of my last child so since
then I've been presenting arguments to them for no/few children
(subtly and with effect hopefully). If the world population thing was
very disturbing then, its terrifying now. My children are 36 & 41 so
it is getting to crunch time for them. If they think very carefully
about their choices and the consequences for themselves and the rest
of the world it is all anyone could ask. It is their decision to make
and involves other people with differing views but they know how I
feel. Believe me having grandchildren would be great and I still might
one day get that "Hello Grand Dad" call. But I hope not.

However my son feels he has found the answer to the problem. He thinks
if every hot, horny 18 year old guy was required by law to baby sit a
friend's snotty, screaming, wild, out of control kids for just one
night the world population growth rate would no longer be a problem.
It sure scared the daylights out of him.
And it may just be that simple.G

Kiyu

On Fri, 31 Aug 2007 14:51:35 GMT, (Kiyu) wrote:

As for the population thing if you don't believe in it forget it.

d;o)

It's not that I don't believe in it, Kiyu, but 11 years after prostate
cancer and at age 70, I am shooting blanks. d;o)

Both of my sons-in-laws have had the "fix", so there will be no more
grandchildren (I have five -25, 24, 18, 6, 5 - from two daughters.)

There ain't no arguing with True Believers, be they Jerry Falwell,
Cindy Sheehan, or Klyu.

My great greats will be between ten and one hundred light years
distant, fishing virgin streams and wondering what all the fuss was
about.

"The meek shall inherit the Earth............because everyone who is
worth a **** will have left for the stars"

cheers

oz