Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!cdanderson From: cdanderson@watarts.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Starvation-More Rambling Message-ID: <2083@watarts.UUCP> Date: Mon, 30-Jan-84 02:00:28 EST Article-I.D.: watarts.2083 Posted: Mon Jan 30 02:00:28 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 5-Feb-84 10:24:03 EST References: pyuxa.521 Lines: 37 The solution to the "world's" food problem is not to explore outer space as this will only aid those in space. While India does have a space program, most of the 3'rd World does not and the technology to do so is largely controlled by patents held by, you guessed it, US. If the 1'st World was able to utilize space resources, it would only expand our already bulging storehouses, depending on the resources extracted of course. Certainly, we would not feel any better about distributing these than the ones on Earth, would we?! This also brings up the question of how space exploration/exploitation would help the food supply. Do we 1) ship off the surplus people to self-sufficient colonies (sounds like a very expensive proposition considering population growth rates); 2) bring back the produced foodstuffs, fertilizer (is there much N,K,or P in space bodies?), again an extremely expensive source, and, WOULD IT BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE 3'rd WORLD or free up any of the land now controlled by us. The problem in the 3'rd World is a problem that we, by using a great part of the world's agricultural land for our needs, have caused. It's time that we realized it and *not for sensitive eyes* GOT THE FUCK OUT OF THERE. Of course, we may have to pay more for our bananas or coffee if they still decide to grow them (hopefully, in cooperatives) or even, perish the thought, do without them. Just by having the processing plants for coffee in the control of M.N.C.'s is costing the 3'rd World billions of dollars in lost revenue, according to a report I read not long ago (sorry, I forgot the source but it wasn't a Marxist publication, maybe a 1'st world newspaper). Yes, it will also be necessary for the land to be redistributed. Though this is certainly controversial for many people, such a policy should reduce the amount of "aid" we now spend on the poor. The above can also be applied on a national scale. Even if the Reagan administration can not see it. Believe it or not, there are starving people in the U.S. The origins of this situation are, in great part, the same as in other parts of the world, i.e. satellite to centre distribution of "luxury" goods vs. subsistence agriculture. Have fun, C.D. Anderson watarts!cdanderson