Random Notes from a Crank

Many people search for what sets homo sapiens apart from other animals. Some people say communication, yet we know animals have various communication strategies they employ on a regular basis. Some people say abstract thinking, problem-solving, and using tools, yet we know other species can do all that too. Check out Ackerman's The Genius of Birds if you question my previous statement. 

While our big brains could be a significant difference, possibly one of the notable differences is this: we can walk upright, and we're good at it.  As Ian Walker, a professor of biology at Harvard relates, "upright walking is the defining characteristic of the human lineage. Its consequences are hard to oversell." Check out the article the statement comes from: "3.6 Million-Year-Old Footprints Suggest Early Human Ancestors Were Excellent Walkers." 

Another way to think about what sets humans apart is the statement of Lucifer in Twain's Letters from the Earth (and I'm paraphrasing here): humans think they're the center of the universe ~ they think they're God's pet. 

Here's one of the better op-ed columns I've read in a while: "Trump Said He'd Stand by Farmers and Ranchers Like Me. He Hasn't." As conclusions go, Callicrate's is a good one: "American family farmers and ranchers are becoming an endangered species, squeezed by the forces of globalization and the immense leverage of gigantic corporations. We hoped that Trump would be our champion and side with use against the multinational corporations that are threatening our future and our nations ability to feed itself. But we've been let down. If the American farmer is to survive, we must be treated fairly. There is still time for Trump and Perdue to reverse course. We hope they seize this opportunity. But if Trump won't fight for us, we will bring the fight to him."

What I find confounding in that conclusion, however, is that why someone would ever think a Republican president would ever go against "gigantic corporations." Or any presidential candidate for that matter because most politicians forward policies based on who funds their campaigns. The fact of the matter is that many people got duped by a pathologically lying unsuccessful businessman who is really just TV reality star. And other folks just voted party over country.