Personhood for Sperm?

There is an interesting debate simmering in the neighborhood of personhood for embryos, which are fertilized eggs. A sperm penetrates an egg and the result is an embryo. Unquestionably the embryo has 100% of the genetics to become the person present in the genes. The debate here is does this potential to be an actual person constitute personhood? Don’t know and don’t care right now.

I am here interested in the side debate over the issue of the unfertilized egg being granted personhood because it is genetically 100% specified. In some species a single egg can grow into an adult representative of that species. Parthenogenesis. And in some cases a single sperm can develop into an adult of the species. (1)

Think of the consequences for men if eggs ever got defined as “persons”. By logical extension each sperm would then have to be granted personhood status, since each is a100% complete genetic package, and might in some species be coaxed into becoming an adult. Think of the consequences of masturbation! Mass murder on a biblical scale!! Even using a rubber or spermicide would break the law. Dooming each wiggly to a certain death. And if you think the sperms are not alive and kicking, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kM_kRPrcrk .

I shudder to think of the billions and billions of sperm cells that go down the drain each day. And what about cannibalism? Ever think of that? Well, think again.

So we must fight the trend to provide personhood to gametes. Just too damn dangerous.

Image: www.sodahead.com

1. http://www.bookrags.com/research/parthenogenesis-wog/

http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/blog/can-you-sell-human-egg/

http://www.helium.com/items/746962-should-a-human-ovum-be-granted-legal-personhood

More Republican Crap

It is fair to say that Tennessee is a Republican state. Both Senators, the majority of the U.S. House of Representatives, big majorities in both the State Senate and House, the Governor and the Lt. Governor are all Republicans.
The ran on and promised to get “big government” out of the peoples way so they could have more privacy, create more jobs and buy whatever damn health insurance they want. To which I say “bullshit”. Just words to get elected.
Now comes the Mississippi and the floods. Thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. Thousands of people without savings or insurance to rebuild. Thousands. So today Governor Haslam called for a speedup of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT to get disaster relief checks, vouchers, houses and all the things people need to get by delivered to the “people”. That’s right. The same people that WANT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OUT OF THEIR FACES!!! Well, I’m damned if I can see what the hell they really want. Obviously not to buy insurance, or to save in case of a disaster, or to pay their damn taxes. But they do want the feds to come in with buckets of money, MY MONEY, and hand it out like candy. Tough.
The people of Tennessee voted for Republicans who espouse getting the Government OUT, so let the GOVERNMENT OF TENNESSEE pick up the cost of the disaster by taxing the PEOPLE OF TENNESSEE.
God, I sound like Ron Paul. Sorry. Just take all my savings, all the insurance I have paid on all my houses for my whole life, beggar me and give it all too some sorry ass flood victim.
Really? No not really, but Jesus, this kind of twofaced Republican crap really ticks me off.

Image: www. shop.cafepress.com
http://news.tn.gov/node/7135
http://elections.mytimetovote.com/elected_officials/tennessee.html

Excellent Racism.

Making the (following) case for a massive elections overhaul, Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, expressed the privilege of voting and how it needs to be protected.

"Do you read the stories about the people in Africa?" he said on the Senate floor. "The people in the desert, who literally walk two and three hundred miles so they can have the opportunity to do what we do, and we want to make it more convenient? How much more convenient do you want to make it? Do we want to go to their house? Take the polling booth with us?" (1)

PolitiFact researched this and found a group of African election officials at UF for a seminar series on American elections. To quote PolitiFact “None of the African elections officials we spoke with heard of any case of someone walking 200 to 300 miles to vote. In fact, they wanted to know where Bennett got his information from. We would, too. We searched news accounts of the recent elections in Chad, Uganda, Nigeria and elsewhere and found no instance of people walking hundreds of miles in order to vote.
No doubt about it: This claim is Pants on Fire!”

So Bennett LIED in order to get people riled up to vote to restrict voting opportunities for Floridians. But which Floridians do you think? The affluent white citizens? Not bloody likely. More likely the less affleuent black citizens who have been systematically shut out of elections for decades. Democrats have passed many election reforms and Republicans have voted against them. Now in power, they seek to restore the “good old days” when poor people had a very hard time voting. This isn’t an example of good government. This is an example of excellent racism.

Image: www. poplicks.com

1. http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/category/buzz-tags/elections

2. http://politifact.com/florida/statements/2011/may/06/mike-bennett/think-we-have-it-tough-africa-people-walk-300-mile/

THIS IS A "MUST NOT MISS" MOMENT

Yesterday I thought “I wonder if “Classical Gas” is around with the original slide show? Today I looked over the YouTube content and didn’t find it. But boy is there ever some great versions. The first link below is illustrated with mostly desert photos, and while not having the original furor, is non-the-less worth a look. I thought of a biologist friend that lives out west and thought she would enjoy the photos, and maybe the music. She is a youngster (old ager pejorative for anyone under 30, said with affection) and maybe doesn’t even know who Mason Williams is.
So I copied the URL and went back to YouTube for a second dip. Well, partner, after about 6 or 7 dips I decided the world should see this stuff. The second is illustrated with lightening and if you like lightening, take a peek.
The third is a history lesson and I remember almost every slide in this slide show. It is for me a real journey.
BUT, the fourth is the real reason for the posting. My toes are still tingling from this new, high energy and very powerful interpretation. And the group is having fun!!! This left me breathless and tear-streaked.
If you don’t ever watch another YouTube video, watch number one and number four.
Let me know what you think.
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3wDfXqZ4vs
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6sOVXMmtsM&feature=related
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt9sYUmJNkU&feature=related
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCA84PTYmg8&feature=related
Image: www. hotflick.net

Even MLK Jr. Thinks it is Funny.

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” MLK, Jr.

“Taking the Lord’s name in vain does not go over well in some households, particularly in the South”

Ok, call me sensitive. Or, call me an iconoclast. Or, call me an atheist. And you would be wrong on all calls. What I am, though, is very tired of every media outlet in the free world using a capital “L” in lord when they refer to god, as in the NPR headline above. There may or may not be a Lord out there somewhere, but whatever it is one thing is certain. It’s not MY lord. No capital for me. And by using the capital “L” I think the writers, editors and publishers are actively or tacitly agreeing that there is a “Lord” and it is the Christian one. Nonsense as far as I can see. If there really were just one lord, we would all know it by now.

So please, keep your capital “L” lord out of my face and I’ll keep my capital “C” cthulhu out of yours.

Image: www.zendirtzendust.com

Image: www.moralheroes.org