Sometimes things get to me

I realize that that to some extent, the content of this blog might frustrate/annoy/upset some people. Luckily, hardly anyone reads my writing so the chances are reduced. Two things managed to rankle me over the weekend, things that have bothered me before but not at the same time - maybe that's why I felt the need to write.

1. Endangered Species.

I get it - throughout our history we have managed to systematically slaughter whole species that will never be on Earth again. We're a stupid race of people who lacks foresight for anything but how to make more money, and yeah, sometimes we're just awful to other living creatures. But now we've gotten to the point where we are made to feel so guilty for past crimes and the continuing trend of pointless annihilation that to speak out against saving a random species that apparently serves no real purpose will probably get one blacklisted. I read two articles over the weekend on this subject. One I can almost let pass, if it were not for the insane amount of funding used to buy the habitat for the animal in question. Here in Oregon, a conservation group raised $47 million (!!!!!) to buy an area of land in which one of the 3 remaining populations of silverspot butterflies live. Yes, butterflies are pretty, and I can only assume that since the developer didn't follow through on making a resort of the land that he didn't care that much, but here's what I found so strange - the butterflies have a life span of 3 weeks. They only feed off 1 or 2 species of flower that are hard to find there. It just seems like an awful lot of effort for that little insect. The spokeswoman quoted in the article reminded us that one never knows what purpose it might serve in the big picture, but I might be willing to take that chance.

The second article was the frustrating one. There's a tiny species of bat called the Indiana bat which is endangered. Out in West Virgina, a company has begun a large wind turbine power project and is fairly far along; now, however, they have been ordered to halt further construction of new turbines without special permits to prove their turbines will not harm the bats. We can't even go green without running into the conservation lobby. I'm not suggesting it's OK to totally ignore the consequences, but I think there has to come a point where we are more concerned with making a better world for ourselves than for a tiny little bat. I'm sure there were plenty of species that died out without our help. The fact is that we are nothing like any other species on the planet, so our needs and capacities are radically different; it's unacceptable to wantonly destroy as we go, but equally so to halt progress for the sake of...well, what?

2. Charitable organizations

There is a billboard that I drive by often lately between Salem and Portland advocating assistance for children with cleft lips/palates. I'm making an example of this not because I think it is unnecessary or a waste, but because it had the misfortune to be there. Financial support to charities and medical assistance is too spread out. Instead of donating money to leukemia research, or SIDS, people send money to organizations fighting less serious issues, sometimes even cosmetic. They have every right to do that. I simply think that there should be a more focused effort on truly life-threatening illnesses instead of forcing the American Cancer Society to fight along with everyone else for grant money. I think it's a quasi-Utilitarian view - the most good for the most people. I suspect that in many cases, seeing results makes a donation seem worthwhile, while supporting breast cancer research seems like a black hole of money that little good ever seems to come out of. Yes, advances are made, but how many more could have been already if we stopped thinning the pot to so many thousands of charities?