Cloning

Cloning is one of those subjects that I have debated in my head over and over again, and through that process I have been able to see many different sides of the issue. I personally tend to place myself among those that do not believe that cloning is necessarily a bad thing. I do know that many people will disagree with me on this, however I do understand and respect the right to their opinion and I believe that there are many moral and ethical questions that are raised with this issue that can make it wrong.

People have cloned plants for centuries, and animals have cloned themselves for just as long. The resulting offspring from these cloning may have the same genetic material as the original donor, but it is by far anything similar to the original. Genetic Makeup does not make the person; we can see that with twins, it is the personal experiences that make the person unique and different, not necessarily genetics.

I believe the real moral issues for human cloning should come from the reasons behind the person’s reason to clone. Cloning a dead loved one is all well and good, but as I stated earlier this will not bring the person back, and at the most it may serve to do nothing more than constantly remind the person of the lost loved one, or worse yet cause an unhealthy fixation with the cloned child. This unhealthy psychological aspect could cause some negative family interactions especially with how the “parents” respond to the other children who are not clones. However cloning someone you love or even yourself to create a child that is related to you for the benefit of having a child is another story all together. This I personally have no problem with, I could see many opportunities for people who for no fault of their own: illness, accident, rape, etc that are unable to conceive or have children to carry on their own genetic code, especially since their inability to have children is not due to genetics, so their “Grandchildren” would in effect be their true next generation. This is itself creates an entirely new family structure, not just on the aspect of what generation is what, but what would the structure of such a family be like… what would it be like to raise your identical twin from birth?

Many people cite religious reasons for cloning to be wring, but like all technology it is a double edged sword. God gave us the ability to grow in knowledge and experience, if he did not intend for humans to ever be able to learn to clone, then he could simply make it impossible to clone a person. (This may actually be the case since the Clonaid claims have never been proven.) I believe personally that a life is a life from the very moment of conception, and I believe that a cloned child is no different, just because the genetic material is the same does not mean that it lacks a soul, God would love it as a unique person. I believe like with all technology the ability to clone is a double edged sword and can create many issues in the future, what is to stop people from enslaving clones as secondary citizens because they were not conceived in a normal way?

My main issue with cloning is on the fact that people and other species tend to weed out genetic shortcomings over time due to selective breeding, if we become a species that reproduces asexually then we keep the same genetic material, we do not evolve and grow as a species.

Ike

Ike… How we loathe you! To quote a political slogan from years past, “We Don’t like Ike!” Of course I am talking about the hurricane that is currently taking aim on the Texas coast with Katrina-like consequences for the southeast, and hopefully none of the Katrina-like damage or any further loss of life for those in its path. Ike has not yet made landfall as of this post, and yet already gas stations are experiencing a shortage, and this particular gas station is forced to ration gas at $40.00 a person. With Ike already having far reaching results, I sincerely hope that he is not as bad as people tend to think he is going to be. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the path of this dangerous deadly storm.

Pearl Pirate

Many years have passed since I graduated all the way back in 2003, and yet those years still have a profound effect on me. I had a chance today to go back to the hallowed grounds of my former high school, and while I was there I had an encounter with my past. I was never one for football or any other sport for that matter, but I had to make my way out to the football field, and while I was there I was faced with the realization that I knew over half of the people on the Honor Board, and I realized how lucky I was to be a Fighting Pirate.

Scarlet's Web

Spiders are fascinating creatures that receive a relatively bad rep, much like snakes, alligators, crocodiles, or pretty much anything else that humans do not deem “warm and fuzzy.” Spiders occupy a special place for me, as do most creepy-crawlies; that does not mean that I like them particularly, but I do hold an intense respect and admiration for the creatures. This may be surprising considering a year ago I was stung by a scorpion that had crawled in my bed, but it was doing what it does. This particular spider is in my back yard, not sure what type it is but it is about an inch long, hairy and grey. In these videos it is having a small feast of Horsefly that had found its way into her web. I have christened her Scarlet… not to be confused with Charlotte.