Speciesism is a term used by so-called animal rights activists to belittle the belief a hierarchy exists within the animal kingdom, and that human beings are a superior form of life lording over the food chain. The extremists have decreed speciesism to be just as bad as racism or sexism. By their definition, I am a speciesist. To the average animal rights activist, a human being is just another animal -- nothing special. As People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) founder Ingrid Newkirk famously said, "When it comes to having a central nervous system and the ability to feel pain, hunger and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy." Therein lies my problem with PETA -- members of that organization obviously fail to recognize that the lives of some creatures are clearly more valuable than others. And on that critical point, I strongly beg to differ. Of course, Newkirk is right about one thing -- animals can feel pain. So what? Animals can get hungry, and thirsty, just like a human being. Yet when a human suffers a mortal or life-threatening wound, they often go into shock, which ultimately causes them to experience less pain. By the same token, why can't we assume the same thing happens with other animals, that they might also go into shock when death becomes imminent? The animal liberation movement began with noble intentions -- opposing the barbaric practice of using of kittens and puppies for laboratory testing or medical experiments. But a rat is vermin. A pig might be served for dinner. And a dog is man's best friend, as this story … [Read more...]
The illusion of purpose
Would a watchmaker create a watch that can't tell time? What would be the point? After all, another name for a watch is timepiece. Does a watch have a purpose for existing, if it can't measure time, in some form or fashion? Can something be claimed to have a purpose, if that certain person, place, or thing was created by a blind force that has no true purpose in mind? And why am I (once again) asking myself such ridiculous questions? Naturally, I've been reading the work of Richard Dawkins. (I know, I know -- I'm a glutton for punishment. But what else can I say? The ability of clearly intelligent people to say or write remarkably foolish comments never ceases to amaze me.) While skimming through his book The Blind Watchmaker, I stumbled across this masterpiece of muddled thought, on page 9: A true watchmaker has foresight: he designs his cogs and springs, and plans their interconnections, with a future person in his mind's eye. Natural selection, the blind, unconscious, automatic process which Darwin discovered, and which we now know is the explanation for the existence and apparently purposeful form of all life, has no purpose in mind. It has no mind and no mind's eye. It does not plan for the future. It has no vision, no foresight, no sight at all. If it can be said to play the role of watchmaker in nature, it is the blind watchmaker. Now with that silly little speech fresh in your mind, please watch this brief, fascinating video of a caterpillar allegedly mimicking a snake that a good friend of mine shared on Facebook only this morning. The word … [Read more...]
Free speech versus the rise of the cry bullies
Oh. My. God. I may not be the President of the United States, but nevertheless, here is my state of the union address, like it or not: We are SO screwed. The current generation has been conditioned to believe that they're never going to have to grow up. Like pixies, elves, or fairies, they will be able to live in a perpetual child-like fantasy. They will remain on their parent's health insurance policies until they are in their mid-twenties, and still live at "home" (in the basement) in their forties. God forbid that these whiny babies should actually learn a trade, or a marketable skill. Instead, they go off to college to obtain useless degrees in queer or gender studies, and then complain they can't find a job when they graduate. These children are hyper-sensitive to issues regarding race and what they deem as social injustice, quick to join a demonstration or go on a hunger strike in order to force their will on the masses, or to get someone fired. When Dartmouth students decided that everyone should agree with the "Black Lives Matter" movement, they stormed the library and disrupted people trying to study, getting in the face of people who were trying to work and yelling at the top of their lungs. Of course black lives matter -- all lives matter. Perhaps if fewer people screamed at each other only a few inches apart, there would be fewer violent assaults and murders. But I'm not sure that I agree with the true goals of the real founders of the "Black Lives Matter" movement -- gay men and women hiding their agenda for promoting LBGT "equality" under the … [Read more...]
Generosity of the Bulldog Nation
I'm proud to call myself a member of the Bulldog Nation. There have been a couple of down days for me as a UGA fan since the glory days of Herschel Walker but not many, and especially few since Todd Grantham left Athens for Louisville. The day Mark Richt was fired was something of a downer. But we look for ways to move forward... When Devon Gales of Southern University was paralyzed in a game against UGA in Sanford Stadium, Dawg fans donated generously to a fund to help pay his rehabilitation-related expenses. Although Devon has been released from the Shepherd Spinal Center, his rehabilitation efforts are far from over. Now the Triumph Over Tragedy foundation is raising funds to convert the Gales family home to become handicap-accessible. I'm proud to be one of many who rallied to support this tenacious young man with such a positive attitude in spite of the unfortunate injury that made him a household-name for Bulldog fans. I fully intend to support Triumph Over Tragedy both now and in the future, now that I've learned a little about their organization and know about their work. Another worthy cause that I'm proud to say Bulldog fans support is the Mission Dawgs outreach to Georgia's homeless. UGA fans have teamed up with the Hope Springs Church in Athens to assemble and distribute what are being called "Goodness Bags" for the homeless. The Goodness bags contain toothbrushes, tooth paste, deodorant, combs, baggies, chap stick, soap, socks, gloves, blankets a McDonald's gift card for five dollars plus five dollars cash, some crackers, hand sanitizer, … [Read more...]
The inevitable election of Donald Trump
Normally, I try to avoid writing about politics. In my opinion, I already write enough about controversial topics like atheism, religion, evolution, and existential science to satisfy any subliminal need that I might have to infuriate people I've never met. No matter what impression I've given my audience, it has not been my intention to antagonize readers who might disagree with me. Writers need to attract an audience, not repel them. My goal is NOT to alienate every conceivable demographic in the general public. That sort of defeats the purpose of writing books and having them published. Besides, it seems that my political instincts are lousy. In the spirit of full disclosure, I confess that I have liked Dr. Ben Carson since first watching his speech at the national prayer breakfast and previously mentioned that I support his candidacy. Admittedly, my second (preferred) choice for the Republican nominee was Scott Walker, who became the first candidate to drop out of the race. Ben Carson's campaign doesn't seem to be going anywhere, either. Unfortunately, it seems that whenever I begin to like a candidate, it's like the kiss of death for that campaign. Donald Trump continues to dominate the news cycle, and it looks like my choices will eventually boil down to either Trump, Cruz, or Rubio by the time the Georgia primary is held. Yesterday I read an interesting take on the candidacy of Donald Trump published by American Thinker, which I felt compelled to share with my friends on Facebook. One friend of mine suggested that Trump's win in South Carolina … [Read more...]
