Parasites and Monarchs
Patrick Foley
patfoley at csus.edu
Thu Apr 7 20:12:26 EDT 2005
Ron,
The paper is just a clean scientific study. It is not propaganda. Read it.
Patrick
Ron Gatrelle wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Stanley A. Gorodenski <mailto:stan_gorodenski at asualumni.org>
> Subject: Parasites and Monarchs
>
> snip
> This was speculated to account for the difference in parasite burden
> between populations that migrate and those that do not, and that
> habitat destruction and climate change will increase the prevalence of
> parasites.
> Stan
> ***************
>
> First, this is political propaganda not science. Parasite, migrate,
> habitat, climate... SPECULATED... WILL. Always fascinating how
> speculation turns into an absolute - X specualtion becomes WILL in the
> same sentence. The sky has been falling ever since Silent Spring
> shouted fire in the theater. I don't know if it is possible to know
> the truth of these things any more because all the valid science in so
> interwoven with purely activist "studies" and "data". Highly
> educated and skilled people can conduct a study to produce whatever
> convincing data they want. "A recent study shows..." Millions of
> them on everything imaginable, and so many in direct conflict with
> others. Law of Study: for every study there is an equal but
> opposite conclusion.
>
> Second, even if true it is simply just part of nature = natural process.
>
> Climate change is neutral, its functions work just as much against a
> disease / parasite / plant / animal etc. as it can for it. Let's
> also not forget that many Lepidoptera are "insect pests". Just like a
> weed is defined as being any plant growing where _humans_ don't want
> it, a "pest" organism is anything humans don't want in there sphere of
> existence. If Monarchs fed on corn and not milkweed, the USDA would
> be looking FOR natural enemies (like parasites) to help _us_ control
> them. And the Mexican gov. would cut down the forest to save their
> farmer's crops. And if we found that some cancer was caused by a
> chemical in Monarch wing scales falling off was they fly - we would
> have the Monarch Eradication Cancer Campaign of the Americas (MECCA).
>
> Another perspective is this. People who are parasite hobbyists/
> watchers/ collectors don't want to see their favorite organisms harmed
> or plotted against for eradication. "Save the parasites", "Save the
> ticks", is just as pragmatically valuable as "Save the whales". In
> fact without disease, parasites, vultures, roaches, mosquitoes,
> mold and on and on the world would be a very imbalanced unhealthy and
> dying thing. We'd have to go to the pet store to by the garin to
> feed our mice and mice to feed our snakes and snakes to feed our owels
> -- and monarchs to feed our parasites so we could grow more grain to
> feed our mice....
>
> At this point someone always chimes in that "humans" are the problem
> because we are bringing about _unnatural_ changes. This is the
> silliest thing anyone can say because it renders humans as not being a
> part of nature - puts us outside nature = natural process. We are
> just as natural as any other organism and we can do things that shift
> the ecological balance just like anything else - from volcanoes to
> rain forests to meteors to milk.
>
> Ron Gatrelle
>
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