Us v. Them, Them & Us?

And Also: One of many criticisms of the appointment of Sen. Gillibrand is that it would mean a loss to the Dems since she was from a conservative district. Instead, in a race the Republicans gave some emphasis to, the Dem won the election in a nail-biter. Also out of NY: interesting 2A case not involving guns. Wonder what KG thinks!

Nothing has yet repealed Nature’s dictates. We eat to live and kill to eat. So do all the world’s other creatures. At rock bottom, we are Them and they are US. There is no basic difference in our capacities for suffering and pleasure. But we have opportunities that they do not: the ability to reflect on what we do, the power to act humanely, the obligation not to waste a whit of what we take, and the grace to be thankful.

“All animals engage in purposeful action … seeking food, mates [and seek to protect our offspring], and the company of others. … Animals investigate novel and biologically significant stimuli as we do, ignore old and uninteresting events just as we do, and share our limited capacity for incoming information. We are not the only conscious beings on earth.”

-- Janet Lembke, Because The Cat Purrs: How We Relate to Other Species and Why It Matters (also quoting Bernard J. Baars, neuroscientist)