Re: [RC] Wild Horses Letter in NY Times..on the mark - Truman Prevatt
While I really don't care one way or the other. An internal combustion
engine is an internal combustion engine - independent if it is made by
Ford or GM. Down to some level of detail it is the same.
DNA is the biological equivalent - abet a much better one. DNA is the
alphabet one which all the words that make up life are based. It is
pretty well established that it is a finite alphabet, actually
surprisingly small, and the rules for the composition using this
alphabet are today coming into fairly sharp focus. Two animials are
the same (or same species) if down to some level the DNA structure is
equivalent. The DNA structure of two individuals will be slightly
different but that is down in the nits of the DNA structure. What
makes it a Ford vs. GM engine is in the nits.
I would suspect characterization on any other level that DNA identity
is driven for political reasons rather than scientific reasons. If one
wants to argue the fine points of this particular piece of work - which
I don't - they need to argue on the basis of the minor differences in
the DNA structure rather than on pseudo political basis.
Bottom line the status of the wild horses does have a huge political
component. For my money neither side owns any claim to political
purity in this argument, be it a NY Times reporter or the honorable
Senator from MT.
Truman
PS: I've never seen anyone claim a ring reck rheassnt was the same as a
wild turkey.
Sisu West Ranch wrote:
"....that claims that the wild horses are in fact the same
genetically as those that evolved in the North America which calls into
question the assumption that the wild horses are all feral...."
This does not change the fact that
there were no horses or burros in North America in 1492. All horses in
N America are decended from horses raised and owned and transported to
N America by persons. Thus they are different than the native animals
who got to N America by flying, walking or swimming.
By the way, I also consider the Ring
Neck Pheasant to be different than a wild Turkey, even though both are
regulated game species.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser
2994 Mittower Road
Victor, MT 59875
