HO HO WHAT?
Anne Kilmer
viceroy at gate.net
Wed Dec 12 12:48:47 EST 2001
butrfly at epix.net wrote:
> Stan Gorodenski wrote:
>
>> Finally, with respect to butterfly releases in general, I think the
practice is a hold over from man-woman-kind's primitive ancestry. It
>>seems to me that the one trait butterfly releasing (for weddings,
>>birthdays, and other such events) has in common with satanism is that
>>both use other life forms for ritualistic purposes and societal (group)
>>events. For this reason, I am totally against these kinds of releases,
>>and do not support businesses that promote this activity.
>>Stan
>>
>
>
> Dear Dr.Gorodenski
> It seems that your feelings about releasing and a brother/sisterhood
> with
> satanism covers many religions.
snip
> Rick Mikula
>
True. And check out Leviticus to see what happens to those doves when an
*old-time* religion gets ahold of them. No, they don't go fluttering
away picturesquely. Not never no more.
I think given that many of us are pretty carnivorous, we won't find any
moral high ground when it comes to how we treat "other life forms", with
or without companions. Why, I live in a country where we routinely
slaughter large birds and all celebrate at the resultant feast. And I'm
sure the bird had other plans.
I would probably find solace and comfort dumping a virgin into a
volcano, any old time, but try to find one. ;-)
My motto is "Good is better than evil, because it's nicer." It was good
for Mammy Yoakum and it's good enough for me.
If you consider the big picture for these released butterflies, their
life is likely to be nasty, brutish and short ... but that's how it is
for butterflies, at the best of times. So are they, like cut flowers,
just a pretty thing to play with?
Maybe yes. They're just bugs, after all, regardless of how we have
festooned them with meaning and hung them round with sentimentality.
I don't think inconveniencing scientists is very important. Can't we tag
those released butterflies, or otherwise identify them so that
scientists are unmuddled?
As for gene drift, the passage of strange diseases and so forth, that's
been kicked around for a long time, without much in the way of useful
results.
I think inventing some rare little plants that the Monarchs might eat is
far-fetched, ridiculous, nonsense ... but the response that first we
should show some harm, and then the butterfly releasers will cease and
desist ... that makes me scream and retch and look about for more
virgins to immolate.
I wish this discussion did not keep rolling in the uncharted swamps. I
wish (we're just killing time until the next Ice Age anyway) we could
try to achieve a position of enlightened self-interest, and figure out
whether it is better for a world ecosystem, to have kids releasing
butterflies (at random? under severe regulation?) or not. And why aren't
they raising them in their own gardens?
Me, I think everybody should plant native plants where appropriate,
provide habitat for whatever critters are compatible with your lifestyle
(butterflies, yes; mosquitoes, in moderation; dragonflies, why
certainly) and enjoy life as much as God or Nature permits, in between
the shitstorm that is our existence.
I think it would be more fun to release totally improbable butterflies,
such as the Zebra Longwing (in the North, of course), which will show up
and surprise people and vanish when it turns cold. Then, when somebody
reports one, you *know* it's a release.
Yes, the bug will never experience the fulfillment of marriage and
children. I cry a single tear.
Alternatively, we could take Palmetto bugs, gild them, cover them with
glitter and fling them into the air. Tell people it's lucky to have one
land on you, and watch the thrilled and happy looks on the faces of the
children ... naw, I guess not.
I think if you apply to this problem the simple question, "What would
Jesus do?" you wind up with the simple answer "Get a life."
Hope this helps.
Anne Kilmer
South Florida
------------------------------------------------------------
For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:
http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl
More information about the Leps-l
mailing list