domestication

FACT ONE:  At the time Beagles said that he had heard that illegal aliens were voting in California he did not know that this was only in some places in some local elections.  It is unlikely that what he thought he heard came from this source because then he would have known, and bowing to the truth, as the honest man we all know him to be, he would have said that he had heard that some illegal aliens were voting in some local elections in some parts of California.  More likely the source was one of the many rantings which are legion, from the FOX/Trump news machine. 

FACT TWO: Beagles is now aware, as he was not previously, that this voting is only in some local elections in some parts of California.

INEVITABLE CONCLUSION: Beagles has been enlightened,  And not only that but he has been enlightened using the method of The Liberal Agenda, which is seeking out the truth.


I would not call thinking that Obama was a Muslim an honest mistake, I would call it a stupid mistake, because simply skimming the daily newspaper (even that despicable Cheboygan fascist hate rag (not really, I am sure it is not that bad, that is just the way we spoke back in the sixties and I miss the cant)) would soon reveal that Obama is no Muslim.  Thankfully now that Beagles has been enlightened he will not be making similar mistakes.


I didn't challenge the thing about felons not being able to vote because I thought that maybe too much enlightenment in one day would be too much for Beagles, but as a matter of fact felons can vote in most states.  I knew this because Blago will be voting for Trump come November.  Too make doubly sure, as all seekers of truth should do, I put can felons vote into the google machine, and out came this  Felons who have completed their sentences are allowed to vote in most U.S. states. Between 1996 and 2008 twenty-eight states changed their laws on felon voting rights, mostly to restore rights or to simplify the process of restoration.


I've touted RadioLab in previous posts and yesterday while trodding the treadmill I heard a very interesting podcast New Normal?

A Russian geneticist Belyaev conducted experiments with foxes as a way of examining how animals have become domesticated .  He selectively bred for the trait of reacting nicely with humans, basically decreasing adrenaline, and within ten years he had some domesticated foxes.  Strangely even though they were only bred for that adrenaline thing they also all had floppy ears and smaller teeth and various other changes.  I had heard the story before, but at that time nobody seemed to know why.  But now subsequent research has shown that the genes for adrenaline, strong cartilage and bones and bigger teeth are all linked together, and breeding to decrease one, results in decreasing all those other traits too.  Well how about that?  But wait there is more.

Our forebears all had bigger bones and teeth and whatnot.  Have we domesticated ourselves?  The moderators rather thought so.  Our forebears generally ran in small groups (I'm not sure how we know this, but I will accept it for the sake of brevity), but as we evolved we started hanging out in bigger groups where hotheads are not as acceptable so they were killed or exiled and in any case did not have as many children and we became more peaceable with smaller bones and teeth as the examination of our fossils has confirmed.

Actually the podcast began with the question of will war always be part of being human.  I think this whole fox thing was meant to buttress the argument of maybe not,.but if so I think not.  I think on the road to civilization we have fewer barroom brawler types, but I think war is a more complicated thing.

Happy Friday