Alligator Gar

Here's a web site about alligator gar fish. Again, we kill and make trophys of what we don't understand.

http://www.thejump.net/fishlist/alligatorgar.htm

Applied Ethics

Here's some cheerful news... Today up in West Dover, there was a hit and run fatality, pedestrian vs. vehicle. So if you're going up to Mount Snow, take Coldbrook Road. That's so monstrous, how in the hell do you kill someone with your car- not a dog or a cat, but a person - and then keep going while they die on the side of the road? It makes me sick.

Turkeys...

Saturdays I work on my fiance's family farm. So yesterday we split wood for a good part of the day in preparations for sugaring. Grandpa Henry and Uncle Rob were already down the road past the sugar house, so Papa sent me down with the tractor while he finished up in the barn. The land is so beautiful, especially with the fresh snow fall. Down the sugar road past the barns, the river bisects the hay fields from the sugar bush, with the old stone walls still in place from when Vermont was sheep country. The only sound was the steady engine of the tractor and the clink of the chains on the tires. I was a flock of about a dozen wild turkeys spread out through the woods. Some were on the path, while others were settled on the frozen river. At my approach they took wing, one by one, and headed deeper into the woods. They were absolutely beautiful in their freedom, just going about their own business. And if at the end of their lives, a couple are taken by a hunter, it would be no worse, and probably more merciful a fate (if you're a good shot) then they would meet at the claws of another creature wanting turkey for dinner. Even as they live in captivity, we have surely killed them, breeding them on commercial farms to mature and fatten in as short a time as possible so their carcases can be wrapped in plastic on display in the grocery stores. The land itself is beautiful, hay fields, sugar lot and pastures alike, yet there are those who would destroy everything without a second thought so they could build more condos and second homes for the tourist population. Although no one wants that, as the taxes keep rising they become increasingly difficult to pay. The turkeys will be driven off another property as their circle of freedom decreases into ever smaller section.

Surrogacy

How ethical is surrogate motherhood when there are thousands of children waiting to be adopted in our own country alone. While it is understandable that an infertile couple would desire to have children, from what I understand only the father is related by blood. Although the adoptive mother can have close contact with the surrogate mother, she is still adopting the child. So how is it that woman are paid to create more children when so many are already out there wishing for a loving home?

Muppets

My fiance recently purchased season two of the Muppet Show. On one of the episodes Sam the bald eagle is giving a speech about how disgraceful it is that there are people out there who go around wearing absolutely nothing underneath their clothing. There are animals who are completely naked beneath their fur and finally there are birds who wear nothing beneath their feathers... until he realizes that he is such a bird and edges off the stage, hiding behind the sheet of paper that his speech is written on...
It just struck me as funny considering our discussions on naked vs. nude. Beneath it all, we are just ourselves, yet few appreciate us for just us.

Just Looking...

Of course people interact by looks, but I have never stepped back and given much thought to gazing as a consumer. What do we look for? Just what do we consume? We judge and critique, but how do you really judge a living being in such a fashion? “I like this one.” “That’s ugly.” We objectify what and who we look at with no regard to the being. What gives us the right or capacity to judge is so degrading a manner? We have become so accustomed to such actions that we now perform them without though.

NOW

Instant gratification
I want, I need
NOW
Why should I wait

Why should others receive my consideration
Mommy, the animals are sleeping
Make them wake so I can see

In the aquarium tap the glass
Inexplicable earthquake effects
Ripple through the water
Terrifying the inhabitants
Trapped within the glass

Waiting in the grocery store
Blame the clerk
Stupid girl
Why is she so slow
Not earning her pay is she
Yet you only wait ten minutes

Food now
Unworthy waiter
No tips
The kitchen was not fast enough
Damn dishwasher, lowly worm
Making minimum wage
Beneath my contempt

Every demand and want
Fulfilled now
Driving down the highway
Waiting at the stop sign
Swearing, slamming the steering wheel

The wallflowers wither and fade
Backed protectively into a corner
Overwhelming fast pace
But the desire to slow down
And look around,
Appreciate the meadow soon to be replaced by a Wal-mart
Remains unheeded

Pets

Pets have no privacy
As we monitor their every function
We assume they do not value
Such as we do
But did your “loyal companion”
Ever go in the other room to eat a biscuit

Pets are selectively bred
Features of face
Pointy ears
Perky tails
Fluffy fur
Yet all so pliable

Pets are disposable
Yet they are given greater care
Than battered women with no where to go
Spend Thousands on a surgery for a poodle
While a person ides of an easily preventable disease

Throw Fluffy away
And replace with Buffy
He chewed the carpet
She destroyed my plants
Put a bullet in its head
And replace, perpetuate the cycle

Chicken Little

How does one combine ethical business practice with animals? While business ethics dictates fair trade; an exchange of equal value, complications arise when the variable of the merchandise is introduced. Have you ever seen the mail orders for chicks and ducklings that seem to become so prevalent around Easter time? Have you ever received such a package? Often there is at least one dead creature, withered and crushed into the straw at the bottom of the box. Once freed, the fragile little birds rush to the water dish and heat lamp… if you had the foresight to provide them. The stronger animals survive given the right care, but the weaker ones drop off, going “gimpy.” There is very little you can do for them as they flop and wobble, unable to fully support their own weight. Hobbling, wings splayed for balance, their eyes retreat behind nictitating membranes. And how do you put a chick out of its misery? Bullets and drugs are worth more than the animal, so you tonk it with a shovel…
Profit for what price? Not very long ago it was human beings being treated in this fashion as the slave ships crossed the Atlantic. Are we any more justified?

From Wolf to Chiauau

While mankind has certainly exerted control over animals for personal benefit, such as agriculture, where do pets fit in? Do we have a propensity for dominations or have such practices stem from emotional attachment? Indeed, why do we keep pets and how have they evolved to fill emotional voids in our lives? We have altered animals so much via domestication that for a goodly percentage, survival is impossible without a caregiver. Such alterations then surely give mankind a responsibility care for such creatures. How did we ever from wolf to chiauau? And yet we use and abuse animals, maltreating them until they are no more than a carcass to be consume and cast away. While the ethics of meat consumption is another issue, animals should not be maltreated as they are. Our abuse of creatures is merely a symptom of the sickness so society.

The Turkey Says "EAT HAM!"

On celebrating the holiday of Thanksgiving, we now must question just what it is we really are celebrating. Is it the fact that the pilgrims survived? Or has it just become another excuse for gluttony and the fulfillment of selfish desires. And just what does turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce have to do with it aside from being the traditional meal. Is there no deeper meaning behind it all? We’ve done the same thing to Christmas, although the original spirit behind that holiday is less obscured. It’s so disgustingly superficially so see all of the cheesy decorations that have evolved, and people seem to be traveling a parallel route.

On the Road of Life...

On Profit

Does our society profit at the expense of others or do we have a system of relatively fair trade? Is there moderation of extortionism? Have we deviated from original intents?
While it seems perfectly legitimate that one should have the potential of profit from one's labors, it is only right that input should have a great equivalence to output. However, the prospect of trade is no longer as simplistic as it once was. Items and produce are rarely exchanged first or second hand. Through a vast network, America receives cheap plastic trinket from China, motor vehicles from Japan, coffee from South America and sugar from Mauritius.
Mauritius: an island predominated by sugar cane plantations, yet they are unable to process their own produce. Mauritian sugar packets I observed were stamped with "Processed in Orlando, Florida, USA." as is dictated by international debt policies. Did not the 13 Colonies become an independent nation, The United States of America, for no less? While there is some profit to be made selling the raw goods, the finished product holds higher monetary value. What gives international powers the right to limit the original producer to the export of raw materials? In this manner one observes the control exerted so that one entity profits more than the others. Because of these behaviors the globe has been divided into first, second and third worlds based on so-called "economic progress."

Public vs. Private

If the entirety of our societal structure is based on the economic infrastructure, not only must we reexamine and redefine our values s a society, but one must question the feasibility of individual progress. How do we reach the top? It is really open to everyone? In principle perhaps. But when your third grade teacher told the class that anyone can become president someday, did you really believe them? Such encouragement seems to serve as a ploy-
“If you work hard enough…”
“Well, if you work hard enough at the right job…”
“If you don’t have anyone holding you back…”
“If you have the right connections…”
The list of criteria is potentially endless. When we are expected to better ourselves by hard work and perseverance it no longer becomes “if you work hard enough…” My mother has been working hard her whole life, but as her labors do not amount to anything terribly valuable to society, she is at poverty level. Thousands of people work full time and are hardly able to support themselves and their dependents. They work plenty hard… Ultimately, value is not placed on one’s work ethic so much as one’s ambition. Society lies when they place the emphasis on the quality of “doing a good job.” It is better to uncover inequality so it can be rectified, unless of course it is more advantageous to leave the status quo undisturbed. In the name of equality it is assumed that the standards must always be risen and never taken down. But if there is no cap, as the base rises, everything is pushed upwards. A minute percentage at the top controls the vast majority of wealth. Would they sacrifice that power in the name of equality? Should they? That would go against everything a capitalistic “Democratic Republic” stands for. Downright unpatriotic. Yet the general public is still placated by our title, which denotes equality… “liberty and justice for all…” On the other hand, how can equality ever really be achieve as there is no utopian society?

Falling Flagpoles

Here we go again... what is news? Despite a newspaper's affiliations, it should be expected that they report actual news and yet the latest coverage on Hillary Clinton's campaign is on falling flagpoles. One might hope that the article might cover something more valid that an "ill omen" of campaign. It was interesting to observe that reader responses ranged from "this is not news" to "even the flag poles don't want her to be president." It makes one feel rather disgusted with the media and American populace in general. Depressing, isn't it?

opposites

Oxymorons are tools used intentionally in creative writing and perhaps more often unintentionally in speech. An opposite within itself, they appear to emphasize the dichotomy of a situation or state of being. Although a literary tool, it seems that oxymorons can reflect a deeper meaning. Dichotomy and duplicity… Certainly vague statements are a favorite of politicians, who seem to not only contradict themselves but supposed party values and policies. Mankind is incredibly complex, which is reflected in our language.

Slogans

A motto can be a powerful tool, used to invoke feelings of support and pride in the individuals quoting it. At the same time, such sayings can be potentially dangerous when the general populace is ignorant as to the meanings and motives behind it. I tried to find some background information on the logo “Support Our Troops” and I came across this web site, http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/AmericaSupportsYou/index.aspx
A nationwide program initiated by the US Department of Defense. Why? Have such nationwide support groups been initiated for previous conflicts? Why this one? Americans are not protesting en masse as they did for the Vietnam conflict, instead, you can purchase a coffee mug to “Support Our Troops.” A coffee mug? A t-shirt? Does the money go to aid American troops overseas? How do I support our troops? By agreeing that it is the Presidential policies and not them that are wrong? Or do I have to buy a bumper sticker from the official web site? Perhaps the reasons behind the slogan are ambiguous, but I believe it means we should be appreciative of those who have sacrificed their freedoms to serve their country, even though their contributions are being sorely abused.

Candidate or Clown?

This is what appeared today on cnn.com’s news headlines…
Latest News
· CNNMoney: Chrysler to cut 12,000 jobs
· Tropical Storm Noel moves north
· CNNMoney: Foreclosures double in 3rd quarter
· As robber waves gun, cop interrupts holdup
· Bounty hunter 'Dog' taped spewing N-word
· KTVU: Laci's mom, not Scott, gets cash
· Martin: Time for more action, less complaining
· Dark horse Huckabee glad he's still alive
· Noose incidents: Pranks or pure hate?
· WSB: Men tried to sneak knives on flight
· Ticker: Gloves off: Obama rips Clinton's dodging
· CNN Heroes: Fighting AIDS with Ashley Judd
· Girls reunited with dog they thought dead
· 'Harry Potter' offshoot unveiled
· Michael Jackson (!?) spied at costume shop
· CNN Wire: Latest updates on top stories

While perhaps entertaining, what are Harry Potter and Michael Jackson doing on the internet site’s “front page” news?
Observation: on CNN’s meet the 2008 Candidates, all of the pictures seem to be rather unflattering… pictures taken while the person was in the middle of talking, leaving them with their mouth wide open… is this unintentional? Why are some pictures more comical than others? And if we truly have a separation of church and state, than why are candidates’ religious practices important enough to note denomination?.......


This presidential election will be my first as a voter. After visiting several of the candidate campain websites, I must say that they all look very much the same for the most part... How do I make an informed decision? Are we just being told what we want to hear? Is there any unbiased source... everything said is calculated to challege other candidates...

Responsibility

When one holds great power, there is a great responsibility for actions and policies, especially when such actions have an international effect. Why then does our current presidential administration refuse to do so? From Mukasey's ambiguity of what defines torture to Bush's desire for retroactive immunity covering communication companies and himself, is anyone seriously questioning and challengine these policies? Are the instituted power checks - congress, etc, just going to go along with such policies? Why? What are they afraid of? or is it simply in the best interest of their careers to go with the flow? Who really has control and what can be done? Some mess for the next president to deal with... Is Bush just going to sweep everying under the rug, or is going to attempt to do some housekeeping before leaving his office?

Extra! Extra! Hear all about it...

What does the media mean to our society? Do we truly understand or appreciate all that is said? When the newspaper is sitting on the kitchen table, do we take the time to read it? News should be reported internationally, objectively, and be as unbiased as possible. Given the facts, shouldn’t we be able to make up our own minds? But there are other factors that belie raw news. Well known media is no longer comprised of private businesses that answer only to their own conscious, but is composed of a conglomerate of large corporations, all with their own interests… mainly profit. When a company was a government contract, they probably don’t want their newspaper taking a controversial stand on the current administration’s policies. Yet the average person trusts the media to accurately portray the news, and inform us on relevant events. “If it’s important, they’ll let us know…” i.e. if it’s in the owning corporation’s best interest… Yet the newspapers are making commentaries on Hillary Clinton’s laugh and some senator’s latest visit to the local elementary school. What about national policies and problems? After reading the news, do you feel informed?

Stereotypes

Stereotypes are dangerous. Stereotypes have the power to start war and genocide. They linger for decades and centuries until the people have forgotten the meanings behind them, yet they still hold meaning and are used in the common vernacular. Our fear for those we do not understand is translated into hate. At work the other day, a coworker made such a comment when complaining about the price of the local laundry mat. “They’re such Jews.” Well, so am I, although not in the sense that he was using it. At the same time, this individual it unaware of my ethnic association, and likes me just fine. But if he was aware, what would his change? His opinion of “Jews” or of me? It was dumbfounding and frightening. Perhaps most individuals do not really mean anything by it, but the fact that such slang is still used, especially by those who have little or no idea of the relatively recent history behind it, shows the power of hate. Hate does not die, but like a disease is passed down generation to generation.

Can a Chicken Save Your Life?

The other day I happened to receive a flyer in the mail regarding a sustainable international aid organization, Heifers International. From what I understand, you have the option to purchase a gift of an animal such as sheep, goats, cows, chickens, etc., are given to individuals in need in various countries. For twenty dollars, you can gift a family with a flock of chickens, providing eggs, meat and fertilizer. Their responsibility is to pass the offspring of these animals to other people. It just struck me that in our society we have forgotten the meaning of sustainability. If the corporate farms suddenly stopped producing meat and vegetable products, our country would be faced with a crisis. Yet we have backed ourselves into this corner. Is our lifestyle ethical? I think that most folks today would have little or no idea how to begin caring for a flock of chickens, which are saving lives in impoverished nations. We take such things as eggs and meat for granted while they are a rarity to others. www.heifer.org

The Silo

Last Saturday was my first time up in the silo at my in-law’s dairy farm. The top layer had spoiled, so my father-in-law and I climbed up the ladder, pitchforks in hand to get rid of the spoilage. Fermented grass doesn’t smell all that wonderful, and the odor clings to your hair and clothing (I washed my hair three times that night and the smell still lingered). But the cows need to eat, so we did what we had to do. I’m not all that fond of heights, and after shoveling for over two hours, we had both slowed down so that the pitchforks were carrying less weight each time we threw the contents down the shaft. Stifled by the heat and steam erupting every time another forkful was lifted, even the air from the ladder shaft felt cool. I was petrified making my way down, pitchfork in hand – having to continually stop and lean back against the plastic casing because my legs were shaking so badly. Yet this was voluntary. We did what we had to do so the cows could eat this winter. And my father in law had to remain up there a good while longer adjusting the unloader. Yet, as we go though all the effort to care for these cows, at auction, we are lucky if they fetch $120. And that’s bought per pound. Justice is not for the farmer is seems. Hours of backbreaking labor, injury and risks; yet for working so hard, the price of milk keeps dropping. I suppose farming is a way of life as opposed to personal choice. So while this farmer (papa) gets two days off a month, and his wife needs to work full time to support the household, the corporations are making millions. While perhaps some would consider farm life harsh, do they consider what life is like for an animal used for corporate profit? Used for bodily products with little if any consideration to their health – bred without rest periods, milked to death, and finally ground up and fed to other cows (hoof and mouth disease). Unlike the small scale, where each cow receives individual attention, is looked over while being milked, having human contact, free grazing as long as possible and fed mostly products from the farm: hay and silage. And although the dogs enjoy herding the cows on occasion, the harshest treatment received by our hands is a sharp tap when they’re being stupid. So then why are the farmers being taxed off their land? We are only a decade at most away from that fate ourselves… How is that moral? Instead of grinding us down in the mud and manure, shouldn’t the state be helping us?

On Torture

In theory, torture is never the answer. But in reality? I honestly do not feel that I know enough on the subject to answer that question. My first inclination is to suggest that torture is never justified. While a compelling argument is made in the case of the “ticking bomb” scenario, people lie especially when they know all they need to do is hold on until the time runs out. However, in the case of the car thief in the assigned article, I know that if it was my child on the line, I would not hesitate to use torture if the perpetrator refused to disclose the child’s whereabouts. Perspective and self justification can become dangerous when one does not compare them to the bigger picture. Hitler felt perfectly justified in initiating the Holocaust. Every one attempts to justify their action, even when their conscious is wreaking havoc. People are proud, and no one wishes to admit their errors. To intentionally inflict pain on another being is a heinous thought.

99 Red Balloons

War. Just the word is frightening and ominous. No one has ever gotten involved in a war and has said “We are not justified” while ready to die for a cause. However, governments have gone to the extreme in funding weapon research while medical institutions and cures suffer. War is such a terrible thing, and yet it is promoted sociality, from video games to romanticized novels. Religions evolve around it. Why does war hold such fascination for those who have been fortunate enough not to experience it? However, we have our own hidden war. The Iraqi occupation, while not formally a war, has been shifted from the public attention, just as our conflict in Afghanistan. What is the real purpose? Control of oil? Considering that we have little or no governmental interest in Burma or Darfur, it is clear that our government cares little for foreign humanitarian needs, must less our own, bearing in mind the attention given to the victims of hurricane Katrina. Money. Is that all that wars really boil down to? Someone is always making a profit, whether it is the funeral homes, weapons companies or government officials. Why? Can we ever really answer why? We study history to learn from past mistakes, but somehow they keep getting repeated.

Stem Cell Research

The other day when I went to my doctor's appointment, I noticed in the office pamphlets promoting the creation of cord blood stem cell banks. As in animal experimentation, we are being lazy regarding the materials used. Given the amount of births a day in the United States alone, how many of those parents actually create a cord blood bank? And out of those that do not, what happens to the tissues? Disposed as bio hazardous waste? One must question why society is even arguing about the source of stem cells from embryos, when the research matter is available via natural processes that take place every day.
I feel that this subject of embryonic stem cell research coincides closely with one's view on abortion. When does life truely start? The moment of fertilization? The thrid trimester? neurulization? Although I do not know, I strongly feel that when methods other than creating and destroying a life are availible, they should be utilized. Although the unknown is often misunderstood and misinterpreted, the physical control with a lack of ethical control is a frightening thing. The same prinicple underlies the reason that there are still two cultures of smallpox existing as potential biochemical weapons. Lack of control. Why do we still hold on to our capacity to destroy when we have so much potential to create?

Bambi Tastes Good

I believe in hunting for need, not primarily for sport. In other words, even if you are going after a trophy worthy buck, the animal should not be wasted. While some individuals consider hunting cruel and bloodthirsty, it is necessary to the population health and control of wild species, especially as our species has taken over much of the former habitats. As a result, if the population is not controlled, the entire ecosystem suffers for lack of food and space. Mankind is also part of the food chain, although we have rather haughtily placed ourselves at the top, and have subsequently destroyed or dramatically reduced species threats. In any case, hunting wild animals is a much lesser evil than specifically breeding and raising animals for slaughter and consumption. Although “Bambi” tastes good, especially in a pot roast, “Bambi” gets to run uninhibited and enjoy being an animal in a natural environment, whereas “Babe” the pig is kept in a confined space most of his life so he gains as much weight as possible, and is slaughtered long before coming near to fulfilling his natural lifespan. While these creatures do not know the difference, with altering their state of being, we are given a greater degree of responsibility. And sadly, responsibility given does not always mean responsibility taken.

Zygotes at the Zoo

Animal rights is an ambiguous area. How does one define the value of a life and give it purpose? On the other hand, as a result of today’s society, fewer individuals ever come in contact with the critter that ends up on their plate at dinner time while it still retains its motor and neural function. While I have absolutely no compunctions about eating “Bambi” or beef, I do believe that all animals, including those meant for consumption should be as well treated as possible. In American society, ever since childhood, we have been taught to endow animals with human emotions and understandings. While animals certainly do experience their own range of feelings, it is on a much more primal level than our own. We have humanized animals in such a way that their natures are truly unknown to most individuals.
Is animal experimentation an unnecessary evil? I believe that for the most part it is. As in the documentary that we watched in class stated, perhaps we do not have the right but we have the need. What good is being accomplished in the knowing infliction of suffering and death on innocent creatures? What assigns life worth? Priority is given to sheep over mice, dogs over sheep and humans over dogs. Although the determinants remain vastly unclear, these assignments make sense based on so-called ‘gut instinct.’ Society today is too apathetic. One needs to question why and how, but in a world where the product is so removed from the source, we no longer take the time to analyze our world. In modern science, experimental animals are no longer altered after their birth, but in the very beginning stages while still zygotes. We have the capability to manipulate and control on a cellular level, often setting these creatures up for their demise even before they become a gastrula. On the other hand, the knowledge gained by such experimentation has great potential for good. As example, gene knockout can isolate gene function and development, identifying pathways of cancerous cells. With this beginning knowledge, the possibility of finding a cure or prevention is a step closer. When looking for an answer, it is important to find how a problem starts.

Right and Wrong, Who Says?

How does one define right and wrong in this life? Indeed, how does one determine what path to follow in the midst of the turmoil and chaos that is this world? Ethics are the guidelines for a dark road leading into the unknown. Applied ethics is in nature the same as in name. Normative ethics are the set of guidelines. Meta ethics refers to the origin of one’s guidelines. Without an established set of principles, mankind would be in an even deeper hole than the one we have already dug ourselves into. Even with our ‘morals’ mankind has managed to make a disaster of things. The 20th century was theorized to be a great age of peace and prosperity as a result of technology, education and great intellectualization. Instead, the world has known two world wars, each with their own genocide. We now question can the Holocaust of WWII ever happen again, and people such as Elie Weisel, who survived the original, answer yes. And it is happening again today, such as in Darfur. The 20th century has been a time of global disaster in terms of peacemaking. How can we call ourselves civilized, much less ethical in light of these relatively recent events? One can only hope that this 21st century will have improved, although it remains doubtful. Mankind has a great capacity for good, but also for evil.

Testing 1,2,3...

Hello. Since I've never used a blog before, I'm making sure this works! This blog site is intended to be used as a discussion board for the class "Professional Ethics" and I hope that this experimentation will generate a goodly amount of conversation... But first lets see if I know what I'm doing here....