From: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!C70:arms-d
Newsgroups: fa.arms-d
Title: 
Article-I.D.: ucb.1572
Posted: Wed Jul 21 23:52:44 1982
Received: Sun Jul 25 10:37:27 1982

>From HGA@MIT-MC Wed Jul 21 23:44:20 1982

Arms-Discussion Digest                            Volume 0 : Issue 145

Today's Topics:
                  Responses to end of world scenario
                 New voice submitting flame to arms-d
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wednesday, 21 July 1982  09:09-EDT
From: Jon Webb 
Subject: Responses to end of world scenario

No, it really is true that India produces almost enough food to feed
its people.  There are real distribution problems, so that people
still starve in India, but there is enough food there.

Jon

------------------------------

Date: 21 Jul 1982 13:20:05-CDT
From: pal at uwisc
Subject: New voice submitting flame to arms-d

This is my first contribution to arms-d, and is not too well thought
out, being in rather inflamed response to the biggest load of **** I
have ever seen on the net.  Please bear with me.
  
	   [from els][In reply to sesh.murthy@cmu]
    	 Wishful thinking!  All the potential wars that I
    mentioned are rooted in ancient racial hatred, etc.  These groups
    will try to exterminate each other with stone knives if necessary!
    However, you are partly correct, some wars may calm down without
    the USSR constantly provoking anarchy.

I do not recall exactly which wars els mentioned, but I dont think
races can exterminate each other with stone knives.  As to the USSR
continually provoking anarchy and the US coming to the rescue of the
downtrodden on a white horse, forget it.  That may be what you are
told in Sunday school (along with how India is a country somewhere in
the Caribbean where people all ride elephants), but it unfortunately
is not *quite* true.  The USA is probably just as deeply involved in
fomenting insurrection as the USSR is, its just not quite as good at
it as the USSR. (Did the CIA actually try to get Castro with an
exploding cigar, or is that another popular but untrue myth?).  The
USA is the world's largest supplier of arms, and the west as a whole
(adding in Britain and France) far outsell the USSR.  (Of course these
weapons are purely for *defensive* purposes.  Defenders need at least
100 times as many weapons as attackers (For the benefit of els, i had
better point out that this last comment was sarcastic).

    [From els][in reply to sesh.murthy]
    	 You seem to be the only one on our planet who has access
    to such a fact.  Maybe you should inform the starving multitudes
    in India, especially the crews who go through Calcutta at dawn to
    collect the tens of thousands who have died during the night of
    starvation.  If the rest of the world has the capability to
    produce their needed food, why does the American (& Canadian)
    farmer still have a job?  As for antibiotics, how many governments
    do you think will have the manpower, or the inclination to
    distribute such medicine?  In most nations,_ medicine is strictly
    for the rich and powerful.  Not even mentioning all the occasions
    when antibiotics are either ineffective or downright useless.

Sesh is *NOT* the only person with access to this fact (for such it
is).  els has obviously either never been outside his house, is
totally simple-minded or has been sniffing glue for too long.  I do
not like to make such strong ad hominem (?doubtful hominem) remarks,
but the sheer lunacy and arrogancy of els's message leaves no choice.
I (and, I think, Sesh) have both lived in India.  I have visited
Calcutta, I have relatives living there, and I have neither seen nor
heard of *anything* even *remotely* resembling the scenes els has
dreamed up.  Sure there are street people, and I do not claim that
India is as affluent as the USA, but there are even street people here
in Madison, WI, an All-American town in the Midwest.  I would venture
that there are many more derelicts in larger cities like New York or
Detroit.

This following opinion is not so solidly rooted in personal
experience, but it is a distinct impression gathered since coming to
the USA (~2 years ago).  The US farmer *does not* have a job.  He is
paid by the government to *not* produce.  This ridiculous situation is
brought about by the amount of political influence (read- money) that
farmers have.  I think that this is a disgraceful situation,
*deliberately depriving people of arable land.  If you dont want to
grow food, let people who want (and need to) do so.  (This should
really go to poli-sci, but the initial message was in arms-d).


Anil Allan Pal
pal@uwisc

------------------------------

End of Arms-D Digest
********************