Let's Destroy Humanity. Now.

...Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9, KJV)

I think that we’re making the generations imperfect. I think we’re destroying ourselves.
A couple of years ago ago I talked to you about the new technology in genetic research. The technology is called CRISPR. It’s an easy, efficient way to edit genes. It allows anyone with the kit to edit genes in an organism. At that time the plans were to sell a home kit to allow splicing genes in bacteria or yeast.

I wrote about the fact that we, as a species, could take this too far. We always take technology and modify in new and unexpected ways. It’s our nature.

Now a Chinese scientist has edited the genome of twins so that they are immune to HIV. This is shortly after authorities swore that the genome project was abandoned.

Scientists agreed not to screw around with the human genome. They said it was unethical. I cautioned everyone that if we can do a thing, we do it. I’m sad to say I was right.

The United Kingdom granted a research application to a team. The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority is allowing gene editing of human embryos “to look for ways to cure genetic defects and cure disease”. They’re screwing around with the species.
In case there is any doubt, an embryo is an organism that at some point becomes a fetus. To some of us these terms are ways to avoid using the term “baby”. No one wants to experiment on babies. It’s OK to do if you change the language to something less emotionally charged. An embryo and a baby is the same thing, but we don’t think about it that way.

The scientists said that the babies, I mean embryos, would be destroyed after weeks. The babies, I mean embryos, won’t be implanted in the womb. I have no reason to believe them.

In this country scientist said it’s unethical to edit the human genome but they agree to do it anyway. They agree the purpose of editing genes is to eliminate diseases.

Scientists would never try to make a super-human. Designer babies are not on the horizon. Just ask them, they’ll tell you. Everyone agrees that it would be wrong to edit the genome to make a person that is stronger, faster, smarter, or prettier than the person would be otherwise.

If one of our billionaires funds genome research could he or she ever persuade a scientist to make him a custom son or daughter? You know the answer to that. Even researchers have to play politics. They undoubtedly do what they’re told in order to get the money they need.

Does a government want a super-soldier? Of course they do. They’d love to custom order what they want in a soldier or spy. Numerous science-fiction stories have foretold this.

Churches caution that scientists are “playing God”. Others warn that changing our genes can cause genetic disasters. It can take years, or even generations, for us to really know what we’ve done to the family of man.

I know we won’t stop until we find the answers we want. It’s our nature. I just hope we tread very lightly. I hope we don’t create a vortex in the gene pool that kills us all.

Fini.

Cat Heaven

The theory is that there exists a “Multiverse” or “Omniverse”. The theory proposes that in addition to our known universe there are infinite parallel universes. If I understand it properly, anything that could happen here did happen in one or more of the other universes. That means that somewhere there’s an old me with hair. There may even be a universe where I’m tall and can play baseball, but that may be a stretch. Anybody that’s watched Star Trek knows about Multiverse, and that’s pretty much everybody in all universes. Please stick with me, and let me explain.

I live in a houseful of cat persons. I don’t mean that I’m infested with some weird hybrid creatures. What I mean is that my family likes cats and for some odd reason they keep them in the house. I know, it doesn’t make sense to have an animal or a teenager in the house. I’m powerless to stop either practice.

This particular cat, Pepe is now living in cat heaven, if cats can go to heaven. I’m on the fence about all cats being evil, but I can entertain other realities. The family mourns this cat, so I’ll allow the possibility that he could somehow be in heaven. My grandson wistfully commented that Pepe is in heaven, chasing birds and squirrels and napping in the sun. My Grandma Fern always said that whatever makes you happy will be in heaven. If true, then Pepe gets the hunt and nap section of heaven.

OK, I have a problem with that. We’ve all been taught that heaven is a perfect place where it’s all happiness all the time and forever. A cat, any cat, likes to chase and maim smaller animals. If a cat thinks, which I doubt, he’ll fantasize about chasing and catching tasty little creatures. He may daydream about jumping into the sky and catching that irritating bird in flight. The cat may think catching helpless little balls of fluff is heavenly.

What about the bird or mouse in cat heaven? Those critters ain’t liking it if cats are there. They have a dimmer view of a heaven with cats than I do of spending eternity with my ex-mother-in-law. How can it be heaven if they’re running from immortal cats? It can’t be. How can it be my heaven if I’m subjected to a monster-in-law forever? It can’t be.

Maybe eternity is like the Omniverse or Multiverse. There are an infinite variety of heavens specially designed with you in mind. If there’s an angelic mouse at the gate of mouse heaven he may direct the destination of the demised vermin. “Mickey, you pushed Mortimer into a trap. You go to mouse hell, which is cat heaven. Prepare to run.” On the other hand if Minnie has met the mouse ideals she can go to mouse heaven with unlimited cheese. I guess that will make it cheese hell. It may go on forever.

As I developed this theory I made my grandson and wife listen to me explain it. I was thrilled at the brilliance of my new “Theory of Everything Eternal”. My wife was less than thrilled. My Grandson sat in absolute agony, which proves my theory. For him it was horror to have to listen to me in my happiness. My heaven is his hell.
This is blowing my mind. If this were true it would become very complex and hard to balance. That adds more proof to the idea of the Omnipresent and Benevolent Creator that actually takes care of all of us.

As I sit here, torturing my grandson with thoughts of eternity and things unrelated to the puberty agenda, I like this theory more and more. If you believe that we’re all connected then this makes perfect sense.

Maybe this is just a stupid idea, and heaven is just like my Grandma always said it was. Maybe it really has gold-paved streets leading to eternal pie shops and perfect recliners. That would be better than ever going to ex-mother-in-law heaven, because it would mean I’m in a very bad place for a very long time.

When I revealed this theory to my brother he said that he had shared it as a meme on what engineers call “the internet”. While that may be true in his universe, in this one I invented it all alone, down to the mouse names. My universe, my rules.

Fini.

Beware! We're Toxic.

(Photo credited to originator.)

You remember that I have a bunch of Grandsons spread throughout the Midwest. They each have issues with authority in general. This makes them very entertaining and well liked by teachers, employers, and in-laws. I consider it to be a genetic gift. You’re welcome.

Today’s well-liked Grandson is 7 and goes to school in Fancy County. Daughter was at work and in a meeting. When she was finally released she saw she had many missed calls from the school. Like any good parent would, she panicked that the boy was severely injured or kidnapped by terroristic cheerleading stewardesses. She called back while praying.

Boy wasn’t bleeding or missing. The big emergency was that while in the restroom he pointed his finger like a gun and said “bang, bang”. One of the other boys told on him for threatening with a dangerous appendage. To make matters worse, Boy called the snitch a “snitch”. How horrible! Boy acted like, I don’t know, maybe a boy. We can’t have males walking around acting all manly. What’s the new term? Toxic, that’s it. “Toxic masculinity” is the new improved term for males that act like males. Perhaps it’s related to Toxic Shock Syndrome. Someone with a college degree decided that male and female brains are nearly identical, with the exception of the shopping gene. The experts decided that males suffer because society expects them to be assertive and dominating and toxic. Males are naturally sensitive like little girls. It’s all explained in self-help books on male sensitivity. They’re in Wal-Mart by the man-bun dye and women’s hygiene products.

Is Boy a victim of toxic males pressuring him to point his finger and say “bang bang”? If that’s so, then why is he in trouble? He’s a victim too. If he’s not a victim, then he alone is responsible for toxic masculinity. I guess that’s why this 7 year old must be stopped. If unchecked he may make fun of men that cry and have man-buns and skinny jeans.

So Boy was punished like he wasn’t a victim, but a criminal. I personally think the punishment is severe. He has to apologize via what educators call a “thinking paper”. Apologizing for being a male just reinforces the current theory that something is wrong with males.

The paper is like a test. Number 1 is “What did you do wrong?” It goes on to ask why he did the wrong thing, and on and on. I thought he should have answered “What I did wrong is act like my teacher has a clue about how to educate me.” He can’t do that though because psychologists have thought-police degrees that must be respected.

As for being in trouble for calling the boy a snitch, I’d say he’s right on the money. The kid is a snitch. He needs to know. It would be wrong for him to grow up, tell on the other guys in his cell block, and have his man-bun ripped out until he cries all over his skinny jeans. Boy is helping him.

It’s not just him that is being maligned by schools. Boys are expected to sit and study and cooperate and not be toxic just like good little girls. News flash, I don’t care what the brains look like, boys and girls are different. The way they’re treated makes boys think that something’s wrong with them. The misery that Boy and others live with at school reinforces that they’re substandard and toxic. We used to have things like the Boy Scouts to let us be boys, but that’s against us now too.

I’m thinking that it would be kinder if we males skipped 80% of school and went straight into working so we can be male. I never had a job anywhere that asked me to do a thinking paper. Occasionally a job required me to point things at other people. It wasn’t called “toxic masculinity”. It was called being a man and it fed my family without apology. Bang, bang that.

Boy, you should come to Grandpa’s house. We can be toxic and be men without having to write about it. This is where “snitches get stitches”.

Fini.