A parliament run by monkeys?

Mood: amused and disturbed all at once
Stage notes: babysitting for the Gaschos

''MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's parliament is to declare support for rights to life and freedom for great apes on Wednesday, apparently the first time any national legislature will have recognized such rights for non-humans. Parliament is to ask the government to adhere to the Great Ape Project, which would mean recognizing that our closest genetic relatives should be part of a "community of equals" with humans, supporters of the resolution said. . ."We were born into a society where humans alone are the sole focus, and we begin to expand to the non-human great apes. It isn't easy for us to see how far that expansion will go, but it's very clear we need to expand beyond humans," Waldau said. . .''

I agree that we should protect the natural world, but arguing that apes have the same inherent worth as a human being is disturbing to me. Rather than raise respect for animals, it simply lowers respect for people. Even natural humanists should recognize the need to focus on improving our ability to love one another before we turn our focus towards ''ape equality''.