Vote "Yes" on Proposal 1!!!

Just a quick one today.

For those of you living in Michigan, be sure to vote for Proposal 1 on November 4th! Michigan will have taken a big step forward.

http://michigan.gov/documents/sos/APPROVED_Bal_Word_CCCl821_246348_7.pdf

Speciesism in Modern Times: But Humans Can't Possibly Be Animals!

Every time I hear the thought "Humans aren't animals," my mind cringes in despair. We like to think of ourselves as separate, apart, different than the rest of the animals, but we're not. The Bible unfortunately throws so many people off the track in telling them that "God created man in His own image." To most people, this conveys a total separation from the rest of Creation, which in turn draws a gap between human "beings" and the rest of the world.

It's a tragic turn of events, and it makes many people gaff at the idea that humans actually are animals. Even more tragic is that some people use this excuse that they are separate to do horrible things to those of a "lower species" than them.

Recently I was browsing a messageboard, and one of the topics at hand was about some father who forced his daughter to kill the family cat. While there are many layers of tragedy based around this horrifying act, one found focus throughout the discussion: the fact that this cat was a pet and it was cruelly killed.

Posts like this began to appear:

"So what? It's a cat. It's not like she's murdered a sentient being. Therapy? Whatever for? What's more I think kids should be more exposed to death, and not only animals. The way people overprotect their children is sickening and unrealistic, the world is a tough place. Kids have a right to know that before stumbling into it."

There are several layers of pain here. Let's focus on the fact that she didn't "murder[ed] a sentient being" but instead a cat. Mind-blowing. As speciesist as you can get. Fortunately, this person was trying to play Devil's Advocate, so they simply thought of the most opposite argument they could find and put it up there. If people actually thought that, we'd be in trouble.

Oh wait.

"I think that the fact that people freak out about animal's getting hurt is the stupidest shit i have ever seen. Its an animal. If he had made her stab her brother, I would say differently. Sure, the kid is going to be sad about it for a while, but probably moreso because her father forced her to do it, rather than that she actually did it.

I would let my dog die to save a stranger with no thought about it at all. Call me heartless, but that's just how i see things."

This was from a forum user who actually believed what he was saying. It's impossible to look past the blatant speciesism and total indifference to suffering that the man displayed here (frankly because that's all this post is about). Do people not realize humans are animals? Have these people not taken biology class?

"It's an animal. It's going to die before you do no matter what(unless you have an exotic turtle or those birds that live for ages). It frustrates me where people spend thousands of dollars on their pet to stay alive while it is in immense pain and suffering until the very last day. Circle of life and that stuff. The thing is, this isn't about the pet. It's about the little girl. I feel pretty bad for her in that her dad forced her to stab her pet. At a young age, bummer. She'll get over it and then she'll be sad when the next pet they get dies a terrible painful death of cancer or arthritis so bad it can't walk to the food bowl and it starves to death. 

Its a vicious circle. I decided to remain detached from my dog when I realized that after 4 years of owning her she was already older than me. 

It might be that I hunt with brings me to these feelings about pets, who knows."

The very same poster as the previous ignorant post above poured his thoughts out again, this time railing against the people who "spend thousands of dollars on their pet to stay alive while it is in immense pain and suffering until the very last day." Not only is said poster forgetting that people who spend such money are probably giving said pet painkillers, but he also misses a crucial point: We want our loved ones to live as long as they can. Do you think we send our elders out on an iceflow like the old days, waving goodbye and knowing they'll die a quick death on the frozen waters? No, we comfort them until their very last day. We surround them with these comforts for a reason.

We want them to be happy, but we want them to live.

Going back to the whole humans vs. animals thing, my favorite topic in that area is the Bonobo Ape. The Bonobo is an ape that walks on two legs for long distances, knows how to start and douse a fire (albeit with a scientist's lighter), and is beginning to develop a written language.

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/susan_savage_rumbaugh_on_apes_that_write.html

It strikes me how fun it will be when humanity faces its first "sentient" cousin. How will we respond? Hopefully by not exterminating or enslaving the species in fear, for if this speciesism is not dealt with soon, we may have a bit of a problem on our hands. 

If I could have anything besides wishing that my family and friends lived forever (and yes, that includes my dog Chester), it'd be to wish that I could be cryogenically frozen to await the time of the Bonobo. The time when humanity realizes they're not so alone after all, and the time when the question of "Are humans animals?" will be finally answered.

Bear: a Nickname with a Tragically Awkward Interpretation

When I was a kid, "gay" was a word used to describe the ultimate boogeymen: A group of men who would hunt you down if you weren't careful and rape you. Men with uncontrollable libidos out to do Satan's work who cared nothing for emotion and certainly not love. Indeed, this persisted until I finally left my tiny, isolated private school and made my way to Oakland Community College, and then from there to Michigan State University. These "homos" were evil men, men that sinned daily and laughed at God as they did it. "Faggots." "Queers." Rainbow-flag-waving maniacs who french-kissed one another in public to defile the very air they breathed.

Certain things began to happen, though. I read a book called The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, where a man continues to jump forward in time, observing different human cultures. At one point, his jump lands him in a culture where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuality is a deviancy.

Hmmm... I thought. What would that be like?

Wheels started turning. I imagined myself in that position, where people told me I was a sinner for liking women and denied me homosexuals' rights. I would be frustrated beyond belief. Why can't they see me for who I am? I'd whisper in fury. It came to me then that these "gays" were no different than me save our sexual orientation. 

And at Michigan State, I met gay people. They didn't seem wierd or monstrous. They seemed like average, everyday people trying to get by in life. I began to understand then. Gay is not a choice; gay is how you're born.

It wasn't until a couple of months ago that I was sitting in my office and my friend Scott said "So why do they call you Bear?"

I relayed to him that my high school friends had made a picture of the front half of a bear and the back half of a whale and then posted it on my locker. They thought it was great fun; I didn't know what to think, but the name stuck. I was Bearwhale and that was that.

At college, I made friends pretty quickly, and some of those friends asked me what they could call me as a nickname. I answered "How about Bearwhale?"

They looked confused as an awkward silence settled in. "It's a long story, but-" I began to say, before one of the girls blurted "How 'bout we just call you Bear?"

I finished my story and turned to Scott. He sat in silence for a second and then said, "Oh. I thought maybe you were gay and that's where the nickname came from."

I stared at him. What the hell does that mean? He told me that big hairy men in gay communities were known as "bears." Seeing as how I was a 6'6" big, hairy man, he drew what seemed to him to be a perfectly normal conclusion.

I assured him vehemently that I was not gay, but straight, and had no idea of the implications of my innocently chosen nickname "Bear."

People look at me oddly when I tell them that they can call me "Bear," and I have been left with the awkward thought (every time I see them start at that) that they now believe I am gay. However, I'm glad I know now. I'll be careful to whom I hand that name out to avoid any awkward invites to a date by the same sex.

Plants have won their war

So I was talking with my dad today, being home and all, and we started talking about health and how to eat right; and something monumental occurred to me. 

Plants have many ways of survival, including defensive measures (i.e. poison ivy), transportation (i.e. burrs, dandelion seeds), and methods of attraction such as beauty or some form of allure. Here I'll pause because something has occurred to me and I wondered if anyone else shares my idea.

In the tropics, survival is limited. Due to a much stronger diversity of species, wild storms and the like, most animals in the tropics reproduce quickly at need. Based on this theory, is it plausible that some plants evolve with attributes that make them more desirable to species?

We could talk about marijuana, that gives users a high, pleasant feeling and was incredibly valuable in durable clothing. Or we could discuss the Coca plant, where cocaine and cocoa arise, that gives users a feeling of energy and happiness. We could even discuss poppies, as they affect the users' mood. Hell, we could even talk about coffee and how caffeine has spread almost everywhere.

But the drug I want to focus on most, the drug that's been spread to every aspect of the market, the drug that could be responsible for the obesity epidemic of America, is Sugar.

When first introduced into Europe, sugar was treated as a drug. Doctors gave it out by the spoonful, literally. Today, sugar is in almost every food, and when eaten produces a "high" of satisfaction and energy. People talk about their "sweet tooth," that craving that hits and puts an image in your mind of something mouth-watering that you MUST have, and so you do. Where would we be without sugar? Pop, cookies, brownies, chocolate, white bread... the list goes on. And in all of those things, you consume something that leaves you wanting more.

Try eating a whole wheat slice of bread and compare it to eating a slice of white bread. You feel hungrier and wanting more sugar after the white bread, right?

So, in summary... plants have won their war. They figured out how they could be invaluable to a species and so made it to the top.

Your thoughts?