Just some stuff

Yahoo - Should apes have legal rights?. This is a trick, it is not my trick; but, I see it for what it is. Scream and yell about how animals should not have the same rights as humans. Or, if you prefer, scream and yell how all animals the same rights. Both sides are wrong. The question is, at what point is something human and deserving of "human rights">

I love my dog and it is still a dog. He will not cure cancer or have the same thoughts or feelings as a human, he is just a dog. Dogs can love and dogs can have pain; but, they cannot have the complexity of choices that we face in our lives. They have less influence over the universe, nature and others as we do. Rights come with responsibilities and dogs just are not that responsible.

So what do you do with a human-dog hybrid? That is the question we will need to address in the future. There was a movie called, "The Fly", good film. It was about a man who ended up being genetically fused with a fly. He ends up being more an more physically like a fly; but, in the end retains his human heart. Is that possible, can we be less human and still human? If you are genetically modified so that you have eagle eyes, are you still "human"? In the end, the question is not what it means to be an animal, the question is what does it mean to be human? If we brought back neanderthal, what rights would we give them?

Lets say that we traveled the universe and came upon a dead planet. On the planet we find lots of skeletons from all kinds of animals. We also find some devices that have gears and movement. The skeletons would not tell us which of the animals made the devices; but, we would know that at least of the animals on that planet had deserved some rights and had something more than just learned responses. At least one of the animals would have to had wisdom and insight.

Yahoo - Reuters - Doctor prescribes healthcare cost savings plans to governors. This is just so predictable. We have an aging population and with it comes increasing costs for healthcare. That should be obvious. The solution is to have the elderly go to the hospital less. The trade off is that the sandwich generation (that includes me) will get their parents home; but, will have to care for their parents and take their kids in too. There are not enough doctors and nurses to go around and trade offs will be made. For me, my parents are dead along with the rest of my elders.

These two articles are about real issues that we will all have to face over the next few years. Think deeply about what they mean rather than being surprised when you have to participate in the decision. Think first. Know what is coming and plan accordingly. The Powers that Be expect us all to be selfish and reactive and many of us are; but, I believe in us, in humanity and I believe we can continue to grow naturally and be better.