"In America there are two classes of travel: first class, and with children." - Robert Benchley

I got more sleep last night than is usual for me, almost eight hours. The problem is that at 6 a.m. my mind feels rested, and that has it a bit manic. My brain is all over the wall thinking about things that, later today will seem beyond foolish...or worse.
So why am I starting my blog post now? My sons' voices in my head are saying: "Step away from the computer before you get yourself into trouble."
But what fun would that be?

I think we may be near the end of anyone putting any stock in Darwinian evolution, It's looking more and more indefensible because of the premise that the fittest survive and the defective eventually perish. We've got way too much evidence that the human race is getting dumber at an unprecedented rate. We're putting the lie to evolution.

Consider the now raging debate over 3-D printable plastic guns. The guy who has (!) published the plans on the internet says he's done so on the basis of principle and first amendment rights. Hogwash.
The self-righteous opposition says this will lead to all the bad guys getting untraceable "ghost" guns. Nonsense.
The "publisher" doesn't care a whit about any amendment to any document. He wants his 15 minutes, wanted to do something cool, and maybe make a few bucks along the way. He's a geek who is goal driven and decided to take on this challenge. He succeeded. He could have set out to make the side script for a '59 Chevy fleetside (currently made out of unobtanium) but he's from Texas and so knows more about guns than old vehicles. Thus his attention went to that instead of truck parts.
Re. the politicians' dump truck load of manure, are we really supposed to believe that gangsters and hit persons are going to buy a 3-D printer selling for several thousand dollars and "print" a plastic gun over the course of several days, then take the risk of test firing the thing (!) when they can go downtown and buy a Glock with the serial number ground off for $150? C'mon, man.
Or that terrorists with connections to rogue states haven't had this technology for five years and got beat out by a millennial from Texas?
"Now they can get through airport security with a gun that can't be detected."
Are you sure they haven't already done that? How would you know if it is undetectable? Then again, why would they take the risk? Why not just buy an AK-47 when they get there? Forged documents are a lot easier to make than plastic guns and the doofus behind the gun counter at Walmart can barely read, never mind detect a fake driver's license.
Nope, no reasonable person is going to hang on to the theory of evolution. The dumbest don't just survive, they thrive.

More evidence: we now expect Facebook to protect us from deceptive posts designed to influence our votes or intended to malign some social, ethnic, or sexual minority. Zuckerberg gets hauled before Congress to explain why his site allows individuals to publish hateful (whatever the definition of that word is) things.
Like this is something new and preventable.
"Fake news!" As though that phenomenon was invented in 2015.
Anybody remember the word propaganda? Or think that our govt. doesn't try to influence public opinion through covert methods, both here and abroad? Every elected politician in D.C. and your state capital stretches the truth and prints things most favorable to their re-election, has an "opposition research team" to dig up flimsy dirt on their opponents, and chooses to omit data unfavorable to their positions.
Hey, they elected Maxine Waters!
Do people not have some obligation to use their mental faculties to filter out what is obviously garbage? Or have our individual and collective minds completely atrophied?
Evolution? Bah, humbug!

True story: The Swedish crown jewels that date back to the early 1600's were stolen from a public display at NOON yesterday by a group of thieves who made off in a speedboat via a set of interconnected lakes in Stockholm. The authorities have no idea who the crooks are or where they went. But it's OK because the cops said those items are "unsellable."
As though it would never occur to the bad guys to remove the gems or melt down the gold.
That thing in the middle is a "golden orb" which was apparently a symbol of the monarchy.
I have no idea.

As I type this I'm watching Cat #1 sitting on the railing near the hummingbird feeder. The birds are getting careless, flying closer and closer to the cat, and he's taken notice. I won't be surprised if he nails one of them with a swat of his paw.

It's now 7:05 and time to feed the goats and chickens. I think I'm going to hit Publish and come back tonight to write a separate post. By that time my mind should have settled down some and returned to what passes for normal in my world.

Mind how you go.