Edward O. Wilson: More Than Just Ants

The ground breaking biologist, E.O. Wilson has died at the age of 92.  A Harvard professor for forty-six years, he was responsible in large part for founding the field of sociobiology. His seminal work in the field, Sociobiology: A New Synthesis was widely acclaimed and later condemned when he extended his theories of natural selection based on social behavior to humans. Dr. Wilson argued that our species had a propensity to behave in certain ways and form certain social structures. He called that propensity human nature. Wilson graduated and achieved his master's degree at the University of Alabama before going to Harvard for his PhD work. He began his studies with ants before branching into evolutionary biology and ecology. His book, “The Theory of Island Biogeography,” published in 1967, is considered one of the most influential published works of ecology and “a founding principle of conservation biology.”

Wilson began investigating the larger question of how animal behavior evolved. He came to the startling conclusion that the theory of natural selection could not explain why some ants behave the way they do. Ants are extremely cooperative to the extent that daughter ants become sterile to increase the chances of their queen's offspring surviving. By becoming less reproductively competitive these daughter ants could pass down more genes they share to future generartions. This concept originated with a British researcher, William Hamilton, and was labeled "inclusive fitness". Wilson became a convinced advocate. After publishing Sociobiology in 1975, Wilson declared, “The organism is only DNA’s way of making more DNA,” Some critics of his work said he was attempting to resurrect discredited ideas of biological determinism that gave way to eugenics and eventually the Nazi program of genocide.

Despite the controversies, animal behaviorists have largely adapted his ideas to their studies. Researches have identified thousands of genes in the human genome that affect behavior that they share with other species. Attempts to create a "unified theory" of animal behavior based on evolution have not proven successful, however. He eventually came to reject the notion of "inclusive fitness" in a 2010 paper. Later in life he turned his focus on biological diversity and the problem of mass extinction. He traveled to Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique to study the park's resurgence of biodiversity after being ravaged to near extermination in a long-running civil war. He called for a world of Gorongosas in which half the Earth's surface needed to be left wild in order to avoid a calamitous dystopia in his 2016 book, “Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life,”. Scientists are now studying which ecosystems to save first in a careful rescue plan. A colleague remarked, “We’re taking Ed’s idea and running with it. It’s that simple.”

 Happy Holidays from PNG !

COTW: Manchin's Hypocrisy

The dark lord of hypocrisy, aka "Mr. President" Joe Manchin, rear-ended Joe Biden on MurdochVision over the weekend, saying he was a "No" on 3B after months of negotiations with progressives in Congress. They must feel like they have been mugged, having voted for the bipartisan hard infrastructure bill without a guarantee from him that he would support social spending.  The fact is that his constituents would benefit enormously from 3B.  The per capita income in West Virginia is a paltry $26,480, with 15.8% of the population living below the federal poverty level says the 2020 Census. Under 3B a West Virginia family with two kids would save nearly $10,000 per year on health and child care. The Treasury Department delivered payments last week benefitting three hundred and five thousand children in West Virginia. Statewide, ninety-three per cent of children are eligible for this tax credit, tied for the highest rate in the country. Analysts estimate that, if the program is allowed to expire, at the end of the month, fifty thousand children there will be in danger of falling into poverty. The average payment per family: four hundred and forty-six dollars a month. 

But these embarrassing facts do not concern a rich, conservative coal baron who drives a Maserati. The only "mentality of entitlement" that Manchin should consider in policy deliberations is his own.  One budget that does concern him is defense spending. He voted for the recent ADA bill that exceeded the administration's request by $25 billion. This chart shows the insane imbalance between expenditures for the unaccountable war machine and those proposed for a tattered social safety net:

It is time for working people in West Virginia to assert themselves and tell Manchin they want him to vote for 3B.  Seventeen economic Nobel laureates are not wrong when they say it will not make inflation worse. Even Goldman Sachs says the bill would be good for the economy going forward.  The bank slashed its 1Q economic projections for 2022 on news that the Judas Senator blocked Build Back Better this year. His favored policy analyst, Penn-Wharton, says the inflationary effect over time is minimal.  In other words his rationale for opposition is "bullshit".  

Conservationists Sue Federal Wildlife Service

The killer group inside the Department of Agriculture, Federal Wildlife Service, has been sued by conservationists as it seeks to resume killing predators on federal land in Nevada. [photo]  The program to kill predators to "benefit agribusiness" as been in place since 1931 and costs taxpayers millions every year.  The federal suit was filed in Reno by WildEarth Guardians and the Western Watersheds Project on Monday.  The suit says the agency's environmental review of resuming aerial slaughter of predators, mostly coyotes which are the most numerous, has not considered the recent development of science regarding the role of predators in an ecosystem.  The suit says the agency's management practices are "antiquated". Each year some 1.3 native species are killed across the United States.

After a suit by Wilderness Guardians in 2012, the agency agreed to stop predator removal in federal wilderness areas in 2016. In its updated 2020 environmental assessment, the agency made a new claim that predator removal would benefit sage grouse, and endangered species. Conservations say that is an improper use of the Animal Damage Control Act since the assessment fails to establish that coyotes and ravens, which eat chicks and eggs, are depressing sage grouse numbers. Loss of habitat due to livestock grazing is a major contributor to the decline of the sage grouse. Analarming report from the United States Geological Survey shows that sage-grouse populations have declined 80 percent since 1965. Conservations also claim that the agency is sanctioning an impossible commercial purpose on wilderness lands, while failing to consider non lethal management techniques to prevent serious harm to livestock. Nevada still allows coyote killing constests. The assessment deficiencies affect 9700 sq. miles of federal lands.

'Toontime: What Did He Know, and When Did He Know It?

credit: M. Wuerker
 Wackydoodle sez: It's his incredible hair that gives him strength!

That is the question Senator Howard Baker (R-TN) famously asked during the Watergate investigation half a century ago. We are in the same place now with Select Committee investigating the coup attempt on January 6, 2021. The Committee has heard testimony from over 300 witnesses, amassed thousands of documents, and is preparing to hold hearings in January. This time around, Liz Cheney(R-WY)  plays Howard Baker, with Der Leader as "Tricky Dick".  

Despite stonewalling from major security risks at the behest of Herr Trumpillini, the Committee has already made public the outlines of the coup. The assault on the Capitol was planned and financed in advance in part by right-wing extremists like the Proud Bois and Oath Keepers, probably with the help of Steve Bannon and Roger Stone. It is clear their efforts were supported by the White House, which fact is corroborated by the former Chief of Staff's text messages and a power point presentation. It is only a matter of time before evidence surfaces tying the former guy himself directly to the putsch. He considered every option, including using the miitary, to discredit the election and block certification. He asked state officials to intervene in the counting process on the grounds of unsubstantiated fraud. He sent an angry mob in motion to the Capitol to give "weak Republicans the pride and boldness" to stop certification. Now that all may be revealed, will Trump get down on his knees and pray at Mar-a-Lago? US Person says stay tuned.

Creature Feature: Andean cat

The rarest cat of the Americas was captured on video by a researcher Bernardo Segura. Surprisingly this male Andean cat Leopardus jacobita,it was not found in the deepest rainforest or at the top of the Andes, but on the outskirts of Santiago, Chile. So close to the city that Segura can see its cliff side habitat from his apartment balcony, which make it very convenient for him to gather more information about the species. Fewer than 1400 remain in five segmented populations along the mountainous spine of South America.

Previously thought to inhabit only the highest slopes, this population livng so close to a city of 8 million may be attracted by the plentiful mountain vizcachas, a relative of the chinchilla, living in the rocky terrain. So far Segura has identified three individuals regularly using the track where his video trap is setup. His work along with other conservationists will help preserve what was once a little known species, overlooked by scientists because of it rareity. They are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. Chile has endured a decade-long drought with rainfall 30-70% less than the preivous 1,000 years based on computer modeling.

'Toontime: Rope-a-Dope Works in DC

credit: P. Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune
Wackydoodle sez:  He also claims DO's and temporary insanity!

More:  The Select Committee voted today, 9-0, to refer Mark Meadows to the Justice Department for contempt of Congress.  The move came after Meadows, former chief of White House staff and South Carolina congressman, engaged in dilatory tactics, and more evidence of his involvement in the coup attempt became clear.The Committee is in possession of messages from inside the Capital asking Meadows to get the former guy to call off the riot taking place. Meadows coordinated with rally planners who brought thousands of protestors, some of whom were armed to Washington DC.  The NYT reports,At one point, an organizer of the rally turned to Mr. Meadows for help, telling him that things “have gotten crazy and I desperately need some direction. Please.” His response to the plea is unknown at this point in the investigation. Another message from Meadows indicates his support for the coup plan outlined by attorney Eastman:“Yes,” he wrote in one message about appointing a slate of pro-Trump electors and refusing to certify Mr. Biden’s victory. “Have a team on it.” His criminal referral now goes to the House Rules Committee and a floor vote in the House. It is expected that he will be formally referred to the DOJ for prosecution.

Update: {10.12.21}The Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that Trump's claims of executive privilege are invalid and that the Select Committee may access his records from the National Archives. The ruling was emphatic and destroyed any argument that the Committee does not have a valid legislative purpose for issuing subpoenas.  Plotters have been hiding behind this bogus assertion for months, obstructing the Insurrection investigation. Trump's lawyers will certainly appeal to the Supreme Court, and a stay is in place until that Court denies certiorari or hears the case. In the latter circumstances the Committee will not obtain the White House records it needs until well into next year. Tick, tock goes the clock.

Mark Meadows rope-a-dope tactics continue to produce delays, despite Select Committee members telling the media they will not stand for dilatory tactics by subpoened witnesses. Meadow's attorney announced this week that his client's "cooperation" with the Insurrection investigation will cease before it substantially started because the Committee has subpoenaed third parties for communication records of White House aides including Meadows.  Apparently, Meadows is concerned that those records may incriminate him and his former boss in the federal criminal offense of seditious conspiracy. Meadows and other senior Trump administration figures routinely used private mobile phones and email accounts in violation of federal record-keeping laws.  

The Committee should give up on any hope of getting Meadows to flip on Herr Trumpillini, if that was the rationale for its lenient response to his charade. Nota bene: Meadow's subpoena duces tecum was issued on September 23rd!  His PR campaign has only one objective: further delay of the Committee's proceedings in accordance with his leader's instructions. Meadows continues to insist on non-existent executive privilege. The current administration has repeatedly waived any assertion of that privilege, which is controlled by the sitting president not a former occupant. In a letter sent to Meadow's attorney last month, White House deputy counsel Jonathan Su informed him that President Biden would not be asserting any privileges or immunities over anything requested by the committee. Prosecution of Meadows for contempt of Congress will put a conclusive end to the plotters' bogus claims by forcing judicial review of the issue probably all the way to the Supreme Court.

It appears from a letter issued by Chairman Thompson to Meadow's attorney that the Select Committee is moving forward on filing contempt charges against him.  In his letter Rep. Thompson referred to several communications already provided by Meadows in which he discussed plans for the J6 Insurrection. In one text message Meadows told a GOP Congress member that he "loved" the idea of overturning the election results and in another he discussed plans for "a direct and collateral attack" on the election. Clearly, any possible claim of privilege has been waived as to those communications.  The clock is ticking, Mr. Chairman...

credit: K. Siers;
BC Idonwanna sez: Careful, its poisonous!