Separation of Church and State
From NewsHour. People are trying to restore the habitat of some birds, like meadowlarks and bobolinks.
They don't say why this is important. They say these birds could become endangered, and that they could go away if we don't save them. But they don't say why that actually matters. At least not in scientific or economic or any other objective terms, just religious terms:
I do not know, but suspect, they want government to help out:
I for one will say that no, I do not understand how important this is, and certainly am not interested in providing resources, and I hope that our government will respect the First Amendment to the Constitution and not provide any resources to this religious activity.
It's funny to me how so many people, especially those on the left, are so afraid of change when it comes to nature. If there is a Mother Earth, this is the same Mother Earth that presided over the Earth while the dinosaurs ruled for 160 million years. The bobolink and meadowlark -- which, for the record, are not even nearly threatened, let alone endangered -- have been around for just a few million years, tops. I don't think Mother Nature really gives a rip about whether we preserve them, frankly, because if she did, why'd she kill off the dinosaurs? (I suppose you could make the point that she only killed off the non-avian dinosaurs, so maybe it is just a bird thing, but I'm not buying it.)
If you want to save the bobolink, feel free. And I am not saying we should kill them off for the heck of it. But if you want my tax dollars to help, then you should have a better argument than "they might all die." Because, well, yeah, that is what happens to pretty much every species, and I don't see why I should care, because I don't share your religious conviction about it.
Also for the record: my car and air conditioner are every bit as much a part of nature, a part of the Earth, as the prairie you're rebuilding. Isn't that self-evident? How could it possibly not be natural? How could Mother Earth care any less for a Hummer than she does for a seaside cave? They are both the direct result of her handiwork: she created oceans and creatures which over time hollowed out the cave; she created people which over time learned to craft resources of the Earth into forms and shapes that became the Hummer. There's no serious difference.
It's like these people don't even believe in science.
They don't say why this is important. They say these birds could become endangered, and that they could go away if we don't save them. But they don't say why that actually matters. At least not in scientific or economic or any other objective terms, just religious terms:
It's a way that I can connect with my God and Mother Earth and feel a part of the Earth. We're so detached anymore. We go from our car into our air-conditioned house into our office into the mall. Out here, this is where we're real creatures of the Earth. It kind of puts us in our place, too.
I do not know, but suspect, they want government to help out:
JUDY POLLACK: So, you know, it's a question of, will enough people understand how important this is? I mean, it's really not even just about birds; it's about nature. You know, it's going away, you know? And are people going to really care enough about that and support putting the kind of resources in that we need?
ELIZABETH BRACKETT: Pollack hopes that the specter of a world without bobolinks or meadowlarks will turn the tide in favor of providing the resources needed to save them.
I for one will say that no, I do not understand how important this is, and certainly am not interested in providing resources, and I hope that our government will respect the First Amendment to the Constitution and not provide any resources to this religious activity.
It's funny to me how so many people, especially those on the left, are so afraid of change when it comes to nature. If there is a Mother Earth, this is the same Mother Earth that presided over the Earth while the dinosaurs ruled for 160 million years. The bobolink and meadowlark -- which, for the record, are not even nearly threatened, let alone endangered -- have been around for just a few million years, tops. I don't think Mother Nature really gives a rip about whether we preserve them, frankly, because if she did, why'd she kill off the dinosaurs? (I suppose you could make the point that she only killed off the non-avian dinosaurs, so maybe it is just a bird thing, but I'm not buying it.)
If you want to save the bobolink, feel free. And I am not saying we should kill them off for the heck of it. But if you want my tax dollars to help, then you should have a better argument than "they might all die." Because, well, yeah, that is what happens to pretty much every species, and I don't see why I should care, because I don't share your religious conviction about it.
Also for the record: my car and air conditioner are every bit as much a part of nature, a part of the Earth, as the prairie you're rebuilding. Isn't that self-evident? How could it possibly not be natural? How could Mother Earth care any less for a Hummer than she does for a seaside cave? They are both the direct result of her handiwork: she created oceans and creatures which over time hollowed out the cave; she created people which over time learned to craft resources of the Earth into forms and shapes that became the Hummer. There's no serious difference.
It's like these people don't even believe in science.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
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