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June 26, 2008
Better Check the Water Supply in Spain
Rick Moran
Could this be some kind of terrorist attack? Someone must have put something in the water drunk by members of the Spanish parliament. That's the only explanation I can think of that would justify this bit of jaw dropping idiocy:
Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.
Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.
"This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project. "Go down in the history of humanity" ... as the dumbest, the most ridiculous, the most mind blowing action ever taken by the representatives of a free society.
How far behind can giving chimps the right to vote be?
As a practical matter, this is what the new law will mean:
Keeping apes for circuses, television commercials or filming will also be forbidden and breaking the new laws will become an offence under Spain's penal code.
Keeping an estimated 315 apes in Spanish zoos will not be illegal, but supporters of the bill say conditions will need to improve drastically in 70 percent of establishments to comply with the new law. Apes are not humans. They may be genetically close to humans but all studies show that their brains work in much different ways than ours. They may be self aware (so are dolphins and whales), they may have the ability to use tools (so do some other animals). They have an "emotional life" (as do most mammals).
In short, they are not that much different than other animals. And comparing them to humans only shows a complete lack of faith in humanity and what the "divine spark" of intelligence, awareness, and love means to our species.
Human rights for apes? Get a grip guys. Everyone wants to see the animals treated humanely. But to treat them like humans? Get out of town.
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