Ape-Man Discovery in South Africa
Might Make Perry
Into Foolish Fuddy-Duddy
You might ask what the link and headline above have to do with the price of tea in China or politics in the United States? Perhaps more than immediately meets the eye . . . .
A noted anthropologist's child recently stumbled onto something "earth-shaking" which has now been named Australopithecus sediba or the "Southern Ape" as a nickname. If ever there was an actual missing link: this appears to be it.
These Australopithecus sediba fossils (young male and older female) are dated to just short of 2 million years old and mark the first and only time that such a fossil has been labeled as both a hominid (highly advanced ape) and a hominin (of direct human lineage) by responsible anthropologists.
The discovery was made in South Africa far, far from where Louis Leakey’s “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis dated to 3.2 million years ago and apparently a hominid ancestor of this recent discovery) was first discovered. Hominids like gorillas; chimpanzees; our closest living relative, the bonobo (sometimes called a "pygmy chimp"), and their extinct ancestors have been dated to roughly 6 million years ago. No scientist is yet calling these Australopithecus sediba fossils the long-sought "missing link." They tend to shy away from such “bold” labeling for a good twenty years after key discoveries are made, but it certainly could make Charles Darwin smile . . . what about the price of tea; or the fate of TEA Parties?
On the contemporary front, while Texas governor Rick Perry (G.O.P. Presidential contender) performed decently in his first presidential debate and at this point looks very much like the eventual G.O.P. standard-bearer in 2012 . . . Ol' Rajjpuut suspects Mr. Perry is going to keep having the echoes of his "personal debate" with a ten-year old New Hampshire child coming back to haunt him.
You may remember that the kid instigated by his Mom, asked Perry about the age of the earth and about "Evolution" and was lectured by the governor who said that "It was a theory that had a lot of gaps in it." Mr. Perry, unfortunately for Constitutional-conservatives/fiscal conservatives is clearly what's known as a social-conservative. Mr. Perry was more than disingenuous with the child. Yes, Governor, there are gaps in a lot of scientific knowledge, but anyone who takes the Bible 100% literally (they say it all happened precisely as written including 7-day creation in 7 24-hour days exactly where intelligent people might say that to God a day might be 1.5 billion years long or whatever) and insist upon Creationism being taught in high school biology classes in public schooling is probably not worth our votes. Well, Mr. Perry, this discovery might well rule out 99% of the serious gaps. We're not talking about bull-shi_ like so-called "global warming" here, Charles Darwin was a serious and thoughtful scientist and he had worlds of evidence for his beliefs about the Origin of the Species.
The seemingly-unending problem with the Republican Party is that they persistently ignore the stuff that 70% of Americans can agree upon (smaller, less-intrusive federal government; lowest taxes possible; following the Constitution; necessary defense and border control; and fiscal responsibility that includes NOT bankrupting the future for our children and grand children) and persist in sounding like people who want to shove their religions down our throats (Christmas carols in PUBLIC schools where Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics and believers in Herman the Carrot God attend alongside Christians), and like they totally lack compassion; and that they want to interfere in everybody's bedroom activities. One fact dooms them to not being able to turn this country around:
Most sensible voters distrust social-conservatives . . . .
For example, social-conservatives are typically 100% anti-abortion. First of all abortion is the law of the land for almost 40 years now. More importantly IF you say that no abortion is ever allowed even for
rape victims
incest victims
very young girls
mothers whose lives are endangered
then you mark yourself as a fanatic who believes that our God-given brains are not to be used to make life better; a madman who doesn't believe in human free agency/free will. For at least 30 years this matter has been widely-polled among American voters and without fail the results are the same: 59% believe that 100% anti-abortionism is just plain WRONG! And that rape and incest victims and very young girls who are pregnant and mothers whose lives are endangered should have a choice.
These same polls have also consistently shown that 70% of Americans believe there are "too many abortions in America." So 70% of Americans are quite concerned about abortions and 59% of Americans believe it must come down to the woman’s choice and should be allowed in drastic circumstances like rape, etc. One more thing, since the consequences fall virtually 100% on women, we men ought to stay out of it, it is a woman's choice between her and her God. When you have 59% of the voting public against your primary social-conservative stance, you will not get elected and you do not deserve to be elected . . . and if social-conservativism interferes, then the necessary good needing doing by fiscal- and Constitutional-conservatives cannot get done and the American future gets flushed down the toilet as the progressive mischief-makers (mostly from the Democratic Party but they’re found in both parties) keep getting elected and keep destroying our nation.
Mr. Perry did have one problem in the debate and that problem (Social Security) and the South African Ape-Man discovery might doom us all to four more years of Barack Obama’s incompetence unless Mr. Perry grows up. Mr. Perry correctly calls Social Security as it now stands a “Ponzi Scheme.” This is 100% accurate. Just as Ponzi swindlers take a lot of money from their victims and pay out relatively little, Social Security is fundamentally bankrupt right now. Mr. Perry needs to take his message to the people and explain it very well and explain why and how Social Security must be modified if it is to ever be a success for our children. He will not get a lot of help on this. Some of his fellow Republicans will intensely attack him for this honest, forthright stance.
What his Republican rivals will do to Mr. Perry’s position will be walk in the zoo compared to what the liberal media and the Democrats will assault him with. Mr. Perry needs to confine all future comments on Social Security to this more-easily defendable position.
A. Social Security as it now stands is a Ponzi scheme and unless modified deeply, Social Security funding will not be there for our children and grandchildren.
B. Social Security for those aged 50 and above should be left 95% untouched. Means-basing for the very rich recipients on Social Security is vital.
C. Social Security’s present Ponzi nature becomes evident when we talk about those aged 49 and below. The program must be adjusted and modified greatly to insure that it is fiscally-sound for all such workers.
D. Social Security was created back when the average American’s life span was 55 years of age and when the average American worker’s lifespan was 52 years of age (far more men than women fell under Social Security and women averaged about 59 years old at death). Today’s realities are that the average death age is closer to 85 than to 55; and that a lot more women are part of the work force. Any changes to Social Security must reflect these realities.
As far as Mr. Perry’s stance on evolution . . . Rajjpuut is reminded of the insurance fraud allowed to stand by a foolish judge. The “victim,” in a wheelchair was told by the insurance agent investigating the matter that he’d hound him till his death and would never be allowed to leave that wheelchair. The “victim” told him, “Fine but I intend to visit Mexico City and the site where the Virgin of Guadalupe encountered Mary. Don’t be surprised if a miracle takes place, my good man!” Mr. Perry needs to read up on human anthropology and on the theories about evolution and on this discovery in particular. It would be smart on the face of it; and super-smart if Mr. Perry were to “see the light.” Seeing the light means Mr. Perry probably ought to say,
“The scientists say the earth is 4.5 billion years old; I know nothing that disproves that. The very recent discovery of Australopithecus sediba fossils in South Africa looks like it might be what they used to call a “missing link.” If that’s so, It looks like Mr. Darwin was right and it looks like a day to God is a damn long time to us and the week of creation found in Genesis is a damn, damn, damn long time compared to a human’s lifespan.”
Mr. Perry further needs to educate Americans to the TEA Party’s “Contract for America.” This fiscal- and Constitutional Conservative (with absolutely ZERO social-conservativism in it) document may be the single greatest American political document since the Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution. The more Mr. Perry persists in attacking the dismal record of Barrack Obama and on pounding home the ten planks in this incredibly visionary Contract from America platform . . . the better off America will be.
If, ignoring all this sound advice, Mr. Perry persists in unscientific thinking he’ll be pushed out of thinking peoples’ minds as a foolish hick and we’ll get more and more of Barack Obama and it’ll be his fault. Grow up, Rick Perry, grow up!
Ya’ll live long, strong and ornery,
Rajjpuut
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