{"id":60913,"date":"2023-10-03T17:15:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-03T21:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=60913"},"modified":"2023-10-03T17:17:07","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T21:17:07","slug":"today-i-killed-in-the-sense-of-caused-a-death","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=60913","title":{"rendered":"Today, I killed. In the sense of “caused a death.”"},"content":{"rendered":"

A spotted lanternfly.<\/a> My very first squash.<\/p>\n

Here’s how it happened: I was heading over to a hardware store when some large-ish thing flew in front of me and landed on the sidewalk one foot from my foot.<\/p>\n

A lanternfly. What could I do? My momentum was such that I couldn’t easily veer around the critter, even if I wished to. I advanced my right foot, lifted it and brought it down with force.<\/p>\n

That bug was holding a sign saying, “Kill me, please!” I mean, it was offering itself up.<\/p>\n

I have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term Natural Selection…The expression often used by Mr. Herbert Spencer, of the Survival of the Fittest, is more accurate, and is sometimes equally convenient.”<\/em><\/p>\n

— Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species<\/em><\/p>\n

Could that wisdom from Darwin be applied to the erstwhile Speaker of the House of Representatives?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A spotted lanternfly. My very first squash. Here’s how it happened: I was heading over to a hardware store when some large-ish thing flew in front of me and landed on the sidewalk one foot from my foot. A lanternfly. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2586,1175],"tags":[7435,10299,2332,5180,9486],"class_list":["post-60913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mysteries-of-life","category-the-facts-of-life","tag-charles-darwin","tag-herbert-spencer","tag-house-of-representatives","tag-kevin-mccarthy","tag-speaker-of-the-house"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t