Bullfrogs Are Republicans!

American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

I am fascinated by frogs.  And toads.  They’re just one of those creatures that are ugly and beautiful at the same time.  I am amazed at their eyes, the texture of their bodies, at the way they reproduce, at the sounds they make. 

As part of their Nature series, PBS aired a documentary on frogs, called “Frogs: The Thin Green Line.”  Of course, when it comes to news and documentaries, PBS is the leftist headquarters.  It is a rare occasion that you may see a program, which purely deals with science, or history, or culture.  There is always an undertone, which involves an implicit attack on some type of conservative entity or a person.

I was hoping, really hoping, that the program on frogs will be on frogs.  But poor green creatures were fading into the background.  My husband said to me, “You do realize that all they’re going to talk about is how extinct these frogs will become.”  “I know, I know,” I said, “but usually they talk about extinction toward the end, I think I can deal with that.”

Obviously, I am far too hopeful, and I need to tone it down.  It was not the ending of the program that was dedicated to false assumptions of extinction.  Alas, it was the beginning, middle, and end.  Looking back, I actually cannot believe that I stuck with it.

The researchers focused on a few areas around the world, namely Panama and the United States.  Frogs are getting attacked by a fungus, known as Chytrid, and are dying off, in rapid numbers.  The “scientists” are rescuing the frogs, and while they are treating them for a virus, they are also trying to figure out how can they make the frogs healthier.

Panamanian golden frog (Atelopus zeteki)

Looking at the program as a whole now, what strikes me is the fact that there are no scientific facts.  The researchers and scientists who work on such matters are highly emotional, almost irrational, I dare say.  One of them said that she [the female frog he was holding] somehow knows that they [scientists] are trying to help.  That is something a very young child would say who is still learning about his external world.  I would not expect it from a researcher.

If indeed there are frogs that are endangered in some way, then by all means, let us try to save them.  But let us leave ideology out of it.

What is alarming is not that certain species of frogs are going to be extinct, or that there is global climate change.  What is alarming is the lack of hard, concrete data, empirical evidence to prove such theories.  If indeed there is climate change (and let’s face it, climate is indeed changing all the time), and if indeed frogs are dying off, then provide us with facts.  Otherwise, it’s just an emotional mish mash, and I can’t trust that.

That is just one part of the issue.  Another is a strange habit of assigning human descriptors and qualities to the animals.  Now that the frogs have been taken out of their natural habitat, they are, according to the narration of the program, now, refugees.  That did not go well with me, having been a refugee myself.

Inevitably, every environmental problem can be blamed on conservatives.  Working in one of the swamps in the United States, the researchers conclude that one type of frog species left the area because of the algae bloom, and that bull frogs took over the area.  In case you are wondering how bull frogs got there, it was the “entrepreneurs” who brought the frogs to the area in order to breed them, sell them?  Why they have brought them was not clear, but just so you know, bull frogs are obviously either Conservatives and/or Republicans. 

According to the data, the extinction status for bullfrogs is LC—least concern.  So, I suppose logical conclusion is that the conservatives are not leaving this planet any time soon.

The researchers then proceeded to take the bull frogs to the lab and inject them with the virus that supposedly develops in the frogs that are near extinction to see how well they take it.  The bull frogs did not take it well (and yet they did not die either), and the scientists had a satisfying smile on their faces.  Did someone say sadism?

It all started to look like the theatre of the absurd. 

But somehow, today’s environmentalist tangles himself up in many ideological knots.  After inspecting one of the ponds where frogs used to live, the researcher (reluctantly) concludes that the main cause of frog disappearance is a birth control pill.  People in the surrounding area are occasionally dumping birth control pills down the drain, which end up in the nearby pond.

I care for this planet of ours.  Earth is not my trashcan, and all forms of life should not be abused.  I am always curious about plants and animals, and the design that they embody.  What amazes me is that those who protect the environment, those who fervently protect animals and see animal cells as a life form, do not see the same in human beings.

If one is “pro-life” (to use that terribly misunderstood term), then one is pro-environment, pro-clean air, pro-rivers, pro-seas, pro-trees, pro-frogs, and yes, pro-human.  It is revealing that assigning human qualities to animals is a way to be pro-human, when in reality, today’s environmentalist asks us to disappear into the nothingness and become part of the silence. 

What’s missing is joy.  Being a fatalist or an alarmist has never appealed to me, one way or the other.  Today’s environmentalist is no different from today’s evangelical apocalyptalist.  The end is near.  They are certain of it.  And the rest of us are living in ignorance and will pay for it.

Instead of constantly negating life, and affirming the “no,” why don’t we take the time and see the utter beauty and amazingly complex design of life?  Why don’t we literally smell the coffee and the roses, and the lilacs?  Why don’t we enjoy the taste of blueberries?  Why don’t we begin experiencing awe for this beautiful planet of ours?

Justice itself begins with the respect for life.