Government views Monarch Butterfly Releases as a threat to Western Milkweeds

[Ron Gatrelle]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Walker" <MWalker at gensym.com>
Cc: <LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2001 10:55 AM
Subject: RE: Government views Monarch Butterfly Releases as a threat to
Western Milkweeds


> What has the (estimated) extinction rate been over the past 1000 years?

Mark, the problem with this question is that it is still smack in the
middle of modern human history.  Over the last 2000 years (at least) the
great alterer of the environment and extinguisher of life _will be said to
be_ humanity.  We should go back in intervals of 15,000 years and ask this
question.  With Creationists putting modern man here 6,000 years ago and
Evolutionists 10,000 - then any time before this will be void of human
influence totally.

It is acknowledged that humanity is not effecting the environment as much
as Ice ages, flood, meteors, etc. It is argued that humans are doing this
faster and by unnatural means.  Two things.  Meteors gave no opportunity
for adaptation.  And second, this way of thinking seems to render humanity
an "unnatural" element on this planet.  Who is to say that the human age
(like the bacteria age) is not exactly what nature ordered to bring about
(through chaos) the next major Age of evolution?   How many
environmentalists are really only trying to play God?  There has never been
a geological, environmental, or biotic status quo on this planet. Only
short (by eonic standards) periods of very differnet geology, ecology, and
biota.

Further, from both the Creationist and Evolutionist view we "start" with
nothing.  Both Creationists and Evolutionists predict (by very different
models and time frames) that eventually all that is will collapse and
revert to nothing again.  Both Creationists and Evolutionists state that
post this collapse, there will be a "new heaven and earth" or "another big
bang".

The last I checked, nothing from nothing still leaves nothing.  In the
broadest view possible what diffference does it make?   We start with an
empty gas tank (universe) and as we move through time it cycles up and down
(extinction/evolution rates), but eventually it ends up empty again.

Ron Gatrelle


 
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