Adapting

Apparently some birds are learning to use the fibers from discarded cigarette filters in building their nests. The reason for it is the trace amounts of nicotine in the filters: it is a natural insecticide, which prevents the numerous parasites that plague birds from getting to the young and vulnerable chicks. While the whining class will undoubtedly bleat about how this is man "interfering" with nature, in reality it is a splendid example of natural selection at work.

The obvious point that most enviro-nazis and self-appointed guardians of Gaia always seem to miss is that Man is a part of nature. Humans are a product of this planet just as surely as the birds and the bees. Our constructs are part of our survival mechanism. Since we are the dominant organism within the ecosystem, other animals will naturally (literally so) adapt to the environment of which we and our constructs are a part. That adaptive process includes using our constructs and technology to their own advantage whenever possible.

Here's another example. The mockingbird is the state bird of Texas. The noisy, annoying little bastards are everywhere during the summer, but we tolerate them because they eat bugs. Lots of bugs -- nearly as many as bats on a pound-for-pound basis. I have noticed over the last few years that when I crank up the lawnmower, a mockingbird or two will invariably show up and sit on the fence, watching as I cut the yard. After I'm done, I'll see him (or her) swooping through the yard to catch insects which have been stirred up in the freshly-mown grass. This is another example of natural selection: the birds who have learned that "mower = food" will pass that knowledge to their offspring, who will be better-fed and thus more successful at attracting mates -- who will in turn spawn stronger and better-fed offspring.

We are part of nature. The fact that liberals and environuts have severe neuroses which cause them to hate themselves for being human does not change that fact.