Journalist silenced for Climategate questions

The United Nations is clearly caught between a rock and a hard place amid the Climategate scandal. In its climate change conference in Copenhagen (capital of Denmark, viewed as one of the most free countries in the world), Stanford Prof. Stephen Schneider was asked a question regarding Climategate which he tried to dodge, and journalist Phelim McAleer wanted to ask follow up questions.

No luck. In fact, several people — a conference staff member, Schneider’s assistant, and an U.N. security guard — interfered with his job of being a press member. These folks were downright rude and aggressive to McAleer and his cameraman.

That’s when you know you’ve hit a nerve. Keep up the good work, Mr. McAleer.

But as if global warming isn’t scary enough, Diane Francis of the Financial Post actually thinks world leaders are focusing on the wrong crisis. The real problem is overpopulation and its effect on the climate.

Yes, Ms. Francis also has the perfect solution: a worldwide one-child policy. You know, as in what Red China enforces on its people. She conveniently neglects to mention aborted female fetuses, murdered infant girls, and men who cannot find wives. Seriously, what is she smoking?

China has proven that birth restriction is smart policy. Its middle class grows, all its citizens have housing, health care, education and food, and the one out of five human beings who live there are not overpopulating the planet.

For those who balk at the notion that governments should control family sizes, just wait until the growing human population turns twice as much pastureland into desert as is now the case, or when the Amazon is gone, the elephants disappear for good and wars erupt over water, scarce resources and spatial needs.

“Smart policy” to have the government control family size? I’m starting to think Ms. Francis is a closet fascist.

No government has any business telling a husband and wife how many children they can have. That freedom is worth fighting for, even at the risk of losing the Amazon, elephants, and any other cute furry creatures.