As for the negative reactions of "left-wing luminaries" to humanist concerns about mass murder I am not as dispirited as George Monbiot. I have come to expect that from a certain type of left-wing "thinker". In fact it is something that such "thinkers" share with political hacks of every hue. Like George Monbiot, I consider myself to be on the left, but unlike him I have never had a high regard for the politics of people like Noam Chomsky and John Pilger and I am not at all surprised by their reactions to his efforts. As I see it what marks people like that is a complete inability to see the difference between special pleading and making a genuine case for a point of view. Chomsky and especially Pilger think that merely piling up evidence that is consistent with their point of view amounts to proving its correctness. Many of their readers clearly think so too. What they have not understood is that to make a case for something the most important thing you have to do is to consider the strongest possible evidence and arguments against it. If one does not do that then ones argument is essentially worthless - however much the piling up of evidence that is consistent with one's conclusion may delight those who are keen to see attacks on those they oppose. A scientist or engineer who relied on this technique would not keep his or her job for long.