I grew up in what psychologists of the day would have called a ‘broken’ home. My parents divorced when I was very young and both remarried.
But, that isn’t what I want to touch on today, except to bring up my step-father. My step-father was an extremely intelligent man. Unfortunately that often got lost in the fact that he was also very autocratic and arrogant. I mention this only to illustrate that because of this tendency on his part, the tendency on my part was dismiss much of what he had to say.
However, one thing he did teach me that I did remember was how to play the game of chess. He didn’t just show me how the pieces move. He taught me the strategy behind the game, and most importantly, how to think ahead, and the possible consequences of a particular move.
Thus we get to the subject of this post.
The Law of Unintended Consequences is somewhat akin to Murphy’s Law, which we all know as, if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. Murphy’s Law however doesn’t need human intervention to occur. It is just a part of natural law.
The Law of Unintended Consequences holds that all human actions, especially by governments, will have at least one (and more often far more than one) ‘unforeseen’ consequence. I maintain they aren’t always so “unforeseen”, but more on that later.
Much of this is because the world is so complex, but a lot of it can be due to human stupidity, self-deception, biases or just plain not thinking ahead. Hence I bring up the chess analogy. People tend not to think “if I do A, what will happen beyond B?” Add to that the need of politicians to appear to be “doing something” in order to look good to their constituents and you can create a real mess.
Not all unintended consequences are necessarily bad. Some can actually be beneficial. The war time sinking ships in shallow water created artificial reefs. Now this is actually done deliberately in some areas.
In medicine, most drugs have unintended consequences associated with their use ('side effects'). However, some are beneficial. For instance, aspirin, a pain reliever, is also an anticoagulant that can help prevent heart attacks and reduce the severity and damage from thrombotic strokes. The existence of beneficial side effects also leads to off-label use — prescription or use of a drug for an unlicensed purpose.
Probably the most colossal disaster of unintended consequences was as a result of Prohibition in the 1920s USA. A ban on alcohol that was meant to suppress the use of alcohol resulted in a huge increase in crime. Black market alcohol sales and the rise of Organized Crime, as well as substantial loss of revenue to the government from taxes were the main unintended consequences.
One of the more recent examples of ‘unintended’ consequences has been the closure of pretty much all equine slaughterhouses in this country. In 2007 Congress eliminated all funding for equine slaughterhouse inspectors, effectively shutting the industry down. Animal rights advocates that had pushed for a ban on equine slaughter celebrated. Some of those advocates are now thinking that celebration may have been a tad bit premature. Some are even calling for reopening a few of these slaughterhouses under “strict guidelines” for humane slaughter. Why the drastic turnaround? Simply put, the ban has had some disastrous unintended consequences.
Horses, like every other living animal, get old, and they get sick. But horses are far more expensive to care for than other domestic animals, and euthanizing a suffering horse can costs hundreds of dollars. Disposing of the body can cost hundreds more. In many locales you can’t simply bury the body. So commercial slaughterhouses—which primarily exported the meat from the animals they killed—were an end-of-life option for thousands of horse owners. Owners now have one less end of life option. Now the animals sold for slaughter are packed in trucks and shipped across the borders to Canada or Mexico, primarily Mexico. Mexico does not have the laws for humane treatment that we have in this country.
A few ‘lucky’ ones end up in the many rescues across the country. However, these rescues are not widespread and their resources are finite. Today nearly every one of them are stretched beyond the breaking point.
There has been a large increase in the number of abandoned and starved horses. There has also been an increase in the number of illegitimate “rescues”. All of which also results in an increase in work for humane officers and animal control agencies across the country at a time when many are facing a severe budget crunch due to the bad economy.
I have been involved, to one degree or another, in the fight against anti pet/animal legislation for over 30 years. Back when it was just beginning to get a foothold across the country. I actually got involved because I lived in Oregon at the time and the push to eliminate logging was getting started. I tried to warn people of where that would lead, but I was in the minority unfortunately. The evidence that I was right is all over the place – but that is a topic for another day.
In the course of that struggle I happened upon a book titled “Hijacking The Humane Movement” by Patti Strand. That book inspired me then and still does today.
I left my beloved Oregon because I saw the liberal/progressive juggernaut taking over and couldn’t stand to watch it. I haven’t been back since.
Some of the animal 'care' laws started small - such as, differential licensing, i.e. higher cost licenses for intact (not neutered) pets. Even this very "simple" law had unforeseen consequences. Every place where diferential licensing was passed, licensing rates dropped. This has two non benefical side effects - loss of license revenue and the increase threat of rabies.
We've moved from that to the spread of Mandatory Spay/Neuter laws across the country. MSN as it is known has caused a multitude of "unforeseen" consequences. I contend these were not 'unforeseen' in some circles.
Mandatory spay/neuter is allegedly supposed to curb the "overpopulation" of pets in shelters. I can write another whole book on the myth of that issue, but will not do so now. Ignoring for now that the whole premise for this intention is questionable, the facts are that the plan doesn't work. MSN has a multitude of unintended consequences, but the two major ones are an increase in the number of animals left at shelters and again, the decrease in the number of animals properly licensed. Another unintended consequence is to actually drive out small 'home' breeders and increase the percentage of puppies provided by commercial breeders (those evil "puppy mills" we are all supposed to hate).
In addition to those unintended consequences, there is a growing body of work that indicates the alledged "health" benefits of neutering are not all they are cracked up to be.
So, to sum up – the next time someone says to you “there ought to be a law” about some perceived ‘ill’ in your community, city or state, stop and pretend you are playing a game of chess. Think – if we make move A, what will happen BEYOND result B. You could be saving yourself, your friends and even society a world of “unintended” consequences.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
On Black History Month
I have never been fond of hyphenated Americans, of any kind. If you are a citizen of this country, born or naturalized, you are AMERICAN, period.
That said, it is February, and hence it is again Black History Month. Another designation I have never been happy with. Why not American History month? Ah well, I be tiltin at windmills as they say. So, here it is, yet another Black History Month. This year’s theme is the Civil War and the struggle for Black Self-Determination. Lots of stuff out there on that, some of it good, some of it not so much. At least they actually go beyond the 1960s! I covered on this blog just which political party it truly was that subjugated the African American peoples in this country so I don’t want to rehash all that. What I do want to do is go back much farther than the Civil War.
In fact, let’s go back to the beginning of the country.
With the meteoric rise of the Tea Party movement in this country over the last year plus the main stream media (what I call the Democrat Party Propaganda department, or DPPD) has tried in vain to cast the Tea Party movement as racist, bigoted, etc. We hear a lot of black folks on the DPPD stations lamenting how they can’t “identify” with the founders of this country. There is a really good reason for that – because they have been taught a LIE. The real and significant contribution of African Americans in the founding of this country has been DELIBERATELY omitted from the teaching of History in our schools.
I have been a History buff from my early days in High School. I was lucky enough to have an American History teacher that LOVED this country. He was not born here but came here with his parents from Germany to escape Hitler. He loved this country more than a lot of people that are born here and tend to take it for granted. It was this teacher that taught me to seek the truth of History.
I do not have enough space here to cover the entire history, but I hope that these highlights will peak your interest and you will investigate further. As an aside, if you ever get the chance to get to Washington DC be sure to visit the National Archives and The Library of Congress. In my not so humble opinion the two most important institutions in this country!
So, let us begin with the name William Nell. How many of you have heard of him? No? William Nell was a historian and an award winning black scholar in Boston in the 1830s. He studied law and became one of the first African Americans to hold a post in the federal government. He also was an author. In 1855 he wrote The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution. I’d be willing to bet you’ve never heard of it. It is well worth the read. You might even be able to find it on Amazon.com.
So, to highlight a few of those early Patriots…
James Armistead Lafayette:
James Armistead was one of the most important American spies during the Revolutionary war. He was a slave in Virginia and after the siege of Richmond in 1781 he asked his master, William Armistead, for permission to serve in the cause of American independence. Permission was granted and James joined with General Marquis de Lafayette in the fight for America. General Lafayette dispatched Armistead to the camp of American traitor Benedict Arnold to pose as an escaped slave looking for work. Arnold accepted him and put him to work in the camp, thus placing him near British troops and commanders. Included in this was British Commander-in-chief, Lord Cornwallis. Ironically, Cornwallis so trusted Armistead he employed him to spy on the Americans, thus Armistead became a double agent, feeding correct information to the Americans and false information to the British. It was Armistead’s information that Cornwallis planned to move the British troops that allowed the Americans to defeat the British at the Battle of Yorktown.
Have you seen the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware? Who hasn’t, right? Notice the man at the oar – a black man. Many have identified that man as Prince Whipple. Though, technically, Prince Whipple did not cross the river with Washington in the manner depicted in that painting, he represented the thousands and thousands of African Americans who did fight for American Independence. Prince Whipple fought in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 and the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778. He directly attended General Washington and his staff throughout the Revolution, serving as a soldier and aide at the highest levels.
Peter Salem (1750 – 1816)
Peter Salem was a member of the Massachusetts Minutemen and was involved in a number of important battles, including the battles of Bunker Hill, Concord, and Saratoga (the first American victory of the Revolution). However, it was in the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, that he gained notoriety. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, American troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island assembled at Boston to confront the 5,000 British troops stationed there. The outmanned American forces engaged the British outside the city. The Americans were winning the conflict until they began running out of ammunition. With the Americans near defeat, British commander Major John Pitcairn (who had earlier led the British forces against the Americans at Lexington) mounted the hill and shouted, “The day is ours!” whereupon Salem promptly shot him, sending the British troops into confusion and allowing the Americans to escape safely. Peter Salem was honored before General Washington for his soldierly act.
In fact, a stone monument was erected to Peter Salem at Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1882; and Salem is pictured in the famous painting of John Trumbull titled, “The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill.”
These are but a few of the early patriots of the American Revolution. Let’s look beyond just the military aspect…
Richard Allen (1760 – 1831)
Richard Allen was a man of many firsts. The first black author to gain a copyright, the first black bishop in the United States and the first black person to eulogize an American president. Perhaps most notably, Allen founded one of the most revered institutions in the African-American community: the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. But there was much more to this man. I can’t do him justice in this short space. I you want to know more I highly recommend the book by Richard S Newman titled Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church and the Black Founding Fathers.
So, those are but a few of the thousands. I hope I have at least peaked your curiosity. If you were never taught about these people and are angry, do something constructive with that anger. Go to your local school board and demand to know why they are censoring history. And last but certainly not least.. keep reading. Don’t take my word on this information. Do your own homework. READ everything you can get. Especially read the books I mentioned above.
Next time.. the TRUTH about the 3/5ths clause.. from the source – the Federalist Papers. Another source I strongly recommend you read!
That said, it is February, and hence it is again Black History Month. Another designation I have never been happy with. Why not American History month? Ah well, I be tiltin at windmills as they say. So, here it is, yet another Black History Month. This year’s theme is the Civil War and the struggle for Black Self-Determination. Lots of stuff out there on that, some of it good, some of it not so much. At least they actually go beyond the 1960s! I covered on this blog just which political party it truly was that subjugated the African American peoples in this country so I don’t want to rehash all that. What I do want to do is go back much farther than the Civil War.
In fact, let’s go back to the beginning of the country.
With the meteoric rise of the Tea Party movement in this country over the last year plus the main stream media (what I call the Democrat Party Propaganda department, or DPPD) has tried in vain to cast the Tea Party movement as racist, bigoted, etc. We hear a lot of black folks on the DPPD stations lamenting how they can’t “identify” with the founders of this country. There is a really good reason for that – because they have been taught a LIE. The real and significant contribution of African Americans in the founding of this country has been DELIBERATELY omitted from the teaching of History in our schools.
I have been a History buff from my early days in High School. I was lucky enough to have an American History teacher that LOVED this country. He was not born here but came here with his parents from Germany to escape Hitler. He loved this country more than a lot of people that are born here and tend to take it for granted. It was this teacher that taught me to seek the truth of History.
I do not have enough space here to cover the entire history, but I hope that these highlights will peak your interest and you will investigate further. As an aside, if you ever get the chance to get to Washington DC be sure to visit the National Archives and The Library of Congress. In my not so humble opinion the two most important institutions in this country!
So, let us begin with the name William Nell. How many of you have heard of him? No? William Nell was a historian and an award winning black scholar in Boston in the 1830s. He studied law and became one of the first African Americans to hold a post in the federal government. He also was an author. In 1855 he wrote The Colored Patriots of the American Revolution. I’d be willing to bet you’ve never heard of it. It is well worth the read. You might even be able to find it on Amazon.com.
So, to highlight a few of those early Patriots…
James Armistead Lafayette:
James Armistead was one of the most important American spies during the Revolutionary war. He was a slave in Virginia and after the siege of Richmond in 1781 he asked his master, William Armistead, for permission to serve in the cause of American independence. Permission was granted and James joined with General Marquis de Lafayette in the fight for America. General Lafayette dispatched Armistead to the camp of American traitor Benedict Arnold to pose as an escaped slave looking for work. Arnold accepted him and put him to work in the camp, thus placing him near British troops and commanders. Included in this was British Commander-in-chief, Lord Cornwallis. Ironically, Cornwallis so trusted Armistead he employed him to spy on the Americans, thus Armistead became a double agent, feeding correct information to the Americans and false information to the British. It was Armistead’s information that Cornwallis planned to move the British troops that allowed the Americans to defeat the British at the Battle of Yorktown.
Have you seen the painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware? Who hasn’t, right? Notice the man at the oar – a black man. Many have identified that man as Prince Whipple. Though, technically, Prince Whipple did not cross the river with Washington in the manner depicted in that painting, he represented the thousands and thousands of African Americans who did fight for American Independence. Prince Whipple fought in the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 and the Battle of Rhode Island in 1778. He directly attended General Washington and his staff throughout the Revolution, serving as a soldier and aide at the highest levels.
Peter Salem (1750 – 1816)
Peter Salem was a member of the Massachusetts Minutemen and was involved in a number of important battles, including the battles of Bunker Hill, Concord, and Saratoga (the first American victory of the Revolution). However, it was in the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, that he gained notoriety. After the battles of Lexington and Concord, American troops from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island assembled at Boston to confront the 5,000 British troops stationed there. The outmanned American forces engaged the British outside the city. The Americans were winning the conflict until they began running out of ammunition. With the Americans near defeat, British commander Major John Pitcairn (who had earlier led the British forces against the Americans at Lexington) mounted the hill and shouted, “The day is ours!” whereupon Salem promptly shot him, sending the British troops into confusion and allowing the Americans to escape safely. Peter Salem was honored before General Washington for his soldierly act.
In fact, a stone monument was erected to Peter Salem at Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1882; and Salem is pictured in the famous painting of John Trumbull titled, “The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill.”
These are but a few of the early patriots of the American Revolution. Let’s look beyond just the military aspect…
Richard Allen (1760 – 1831)
Richard Allen was a man of many firsts. The first black author to gain a copyright, the first black bishop in the United States and the first black person to eulogize an American president. Perhaps most notably, Allen founded one of the most revered institutions in the African-American community: the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. But there was much more to this man. I can’t do him justice in this short space. I you want to know more I highly recommend the book by Richard S Newman titled Freedom’s Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church and the Black Founding Fathers.
So, those are but a few of the thousands. I hope I have at least peaked your curiosity. If you were never taught about these people and are angry, do something constructive with that anger. Go to your local school board and demand to know why they are censoring history. And last but certainly not least.. keep reading. Don’t take my word on this information. Do your own homework. READ everything you can get. Especially read the books I mentioned above.
Next time.. the TRUTH about the 3/5ths clause.. from the source – the Federalist Papers. Another source I strongly recommend you read!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)