“Give people absolute social freedom and this is what you get.”

correction: When people misuse absolute social freedom this is what you get.

Freedom itself is inherently neither good nor bad, but it is a necessary precondition for the greatest kinds of good. Freedom misused generally devolves into freedom lost, captivity, misery, death. Freedom rightly used leads to more freedom, happiness, life and ultimately will take men (individually and collectively) to God.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVzStqf2TT0

(It’s the great Michael Barone essay so-called “Hard America, Soft America”)

20+ years ago I used to worry about the low fertility rate for the US (~1.8 back then). Then I read a piece in which a reporter let slip an important piece of information. One American woman in five simply wasn’t having kids. I did the math (1.8/.8 = 2.25) and quit worrying. The part of our population that is European in character is dying out just like Europe. The “old-fashioned, bitter, Bible-clinging” part is doing just fine.

AD

I just picked this at random, but it should go a long way toward restoring hope.
AD (Proud dad of Lcpl. Andrew B Battery 1/11)

I never bought it. Considering that there are finite resources (what is possible to produce season by season) the whole idea simply seemed preposterous to me.

On the other hand, several times in human history and prehistory, we came this close to extinction. I’d rather have a buffer.

Had too much of the good grape. I, too, was a bit tongue in cheek earlier regarding the Alpo comment that fired everybody up. Just making the point that what was is not always what will be. Everybody should look at the dynamics as they are. If everybody works together we can get through some bad times. Times that are just starting.

Anyway, as far as Habu claiming music greatness for the Boomers. I have to agree – in part. Beatles, Zeppelin, Who, CCR, VU, Jimi, Joplin, Temptations, Stones, Yardbirds, Cream, and many others. However, I think Disco has to be the ‘oh sh!t’ that changes everything. You just have to draw an X through the 70s. A decade best forgotten. However, the greatness of the mid-to-late sixty’s rock and roll is something that shall never rust away.

An important part of the indoctrination of young people from that time on was the social irresponsibility of having more than two children. My wife and I lived through that, and even we felt a little guilty about having a third child. Now we wish we’d had a fourth.

But it was definitely not “the thing to do”. Yes, nearly foolproof contraception, ideological feminism and the ability to make career choices played roles as well; but I believe that underneath it all it was simply inconceivable (sorry ) that one would contribute to the horror of the population explosion that would ruin the planet.