Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving this comment, @fosterswisdom :-)

Straws are largely unnecessary, and there are many alternatives to plastic for situations where they are useful.

Yes, agreed. I didn't contradict that in my post either. What I did say is that plastic straws account for less than one tenth of a percent of the plastic pollution in the oceans. It's like there's a big campaign against weapons and we're all made to feel guilty about owning a Swiss army-knife, while nothing's being said about guns, tanks, fighter-planes, guided missiles ... "Let's act responsible people!! Get rid of your Swiss Army Knives NOW!!" And the person shouting this is sitting in a tank.

That's my problem here, and if you really care about the environment, it should be everybody's problem. So, please do all you can to reduce your personal impact on the environment, I applaud that. But please don't get rid of your Swiss army knife because the man in the tank says you should. Better ignore that man, or better yet, tell him to get rid of the tank.