Human vs Neanderthal

Posted on by under Election 2020, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

In ordinary times, you would likely never have known the name Adam Kinzinger unless you happen to be from his home state of Illinois.  But, today I think it’s safe to say that at least 85% of the adults in the U.S. know who Adam Kinzinger is.  In case you’re one of the 15% who don’t know, a brief summary …

Adam Kinzinger is a Republican legislator who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2011.  Kinzinger became known for his vocal opposition to Trump’s claims of voter fraud and attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Kinzinger was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection in his second impeachment, and one of only two Republicans to vote to create a select committee to investigate the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, to which he was subsequently appointed.  Due to the open hostility from members of his party, Mr. Kinzinger announced last October that he will not run for re-election in November.  In 2006, Kinzinger was named the Wisconsin Red Cross “Hero of the Year” for wrestling a knife-wielding man to the ground and disarming him after the man had cut the throat of a woman on a street in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Adam has a wife, Sofia, and one son, Christian.

A few days ago, Mr. Kinzinger’s wife, Sofia, received this letter …

I found breathing impossible as tears welled in my eyes when I read that … I could feel the evil, the hate emanating from those words.  For the rest of the evening, I felt on the brink of crying, felt that if I let it start, I would never be able to stop.  There are many people — politicians and religious leaders — whom I despise, whose faces I would spit in given half a chance, but never in my wildest thoughts would I even consider threatening violence against them or their families.  This, my friends, is the difference between a human being and a gun-toting neanderthal.

THIS, my friends, is who we are becoming.  The political divisions in this nation are leading to murder, to corruption, to destruction, and to widespread violence that I believe is inevitable in the coming months.  We the People have allowed politicians, have allowed our own greed, have allowed our sense of entitlement to bring us to this place.  We have forgotten our humanity and somewhere along the way have lost our sense of compassion, of empathy, of caring for others.

When we value our guns more than our children, when we pretend to believe the lies our politicians tell us, even though we know better, and when we believe that somehow one person is better than another because of skin colour, religion, gender affiliation, or any other criteria, then we are contributing to the kind of behaviour that cause this maniac to send this letter to Sofia Kinzinger, contributing to the likes of the teen who went into a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, aiming to murder Black people just because their skin was darker than his.

I hope law enforcement officials are able to track down the writer of that letter and that they will have the guts to prosecute and imprison him, for he does not deserve the privilege of walking on the same streets as the rest of us.  However, it’s more likely they won’t find him, if they even look, and that eventually he may carry out his threat.  And worse yet, he is only one of many such creatures who believe that violence is the solution to their problems.

This nation is rapidly losing its humanity, is becoming a violent banana republic overrun by people who care only for their own fortunes and to hell with those of us who cross them in caring for the greater good.  This letter-writer has convinced me that, while I know there ARE good people in this country, there is no longer a collective good, no longer a majority of people working toward a greater good.  R.I.P. former United States.

43 thoughts on “Human vs Neanderthal”

  1. O.M.G. – this writer must have the intellectual faculties of an ivy leaf! but mostly, it’s the hate that gets to me. And as a Christian I am deeply offended that ppl like that person dare taking that name into their mouth. This has got NOTHING to do with Christianity – but he/she won’t know that because they never learned what that is.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I agree with you on the intellectual abilities of the letter-writer! And a coward, to boot! Yes, the hatred is palpable just reading a copy of the letter … I can only imagine what sort of person could even think about writing such a letter. Sigh. Such is the state of the nation today, I fear.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. OK.
    That piece of sewerage was written by one of those who is the ideal argument for my ‘Educational Prison System’…we’ll not go any further because you know, Jill, how I can worry people with my ideas of ‘The State’.
    Secondly…..sorry ’bout this folk, my pedantic hat is on here.
    Neanderthal were another branch of the of the human species who did not flourish, s’all. They should not be denigrated by association with our own sub-sub-sub species the crawling bottom feeding ignorant bigot.
    (Recommended reading : ‘Kindred’ by anthropologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes).
    OK..I’m done (Summer Solstice, my grumpiest time of the year)

    Liked by 1 person

    • You are right, my friend, that the letter-writer was a piece of human garbage, but even garbage can be dangerous. And worse yet, the germs, the infection, spreads among the ignorant. Sigh.

      I’m afraid the use of the term ‘neanderthal’ was my error. You’re right … their ‘ignorance’ was because there was no broader knowledge available, whereas this letter-writer lives in a time when great enlightenment is ours for the asking. I did check out the book “Kindred” but … it didn’t sound like something that was up my alley at the moment. Perhaps another time. Oh, and just remember, for our friends in Australia and New Zealand, it’s the Winter Solstice! Perhaps we should go visit Andrea or Barry!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Agreed. ‘Kindred’ is a bit of ‘a read’.

        If I was a very rich single guy I’d keep on the move so I was always in Autumn /Winter. However with all the travel delays (we have a perfect storm of them) by the time I started out I’d keep on ending up in Summer Time!

        Liked by 1 person

        • Yep, that’d be just your luck! Better stay put … heck, I hear from both David and Gary that you’ve had some really nice weather there of late. And be thankful you’re not here, where it’s 94° most of this week!

          Liked by 1 person

              • Don’t worry Jill, if it gets any hotter your local MAGA folk will come along and fire warning shots at the sun, while their rent-a-pastor will read something quite out of context from The Old Testament, explaining it’s all God’s punishment for voting Democrat…..
                That was meant to be satire….🤨

                Liked by 1 person

                • 🤣 Yeah, I knew it was satire! Funny, though … I dozed off in my chair for about 10 minutes this afternoon and I woke thinking that somebody had shot through our front window and I yelled at Miss Goose to “get down under your desk!!!” But, luckily she was upstairs and didn’t hear me, so she doesn’t think I’ve lost my bloomin’ marbles! It was a bit cooler today … only 91°!

                  Liked by 1 person

    • Ok. Now you’ve got my anthropologiclal bug up my gluteas ( BA Anthropology, 1972, MSU). The Neandertals DID thrive. There is evidence of Neandertal remains for almost 100,000 years (about 130,000 BCE to 40,000 BCE). My guess is that they, like the other 3 or 4 or more humans walking the Earth at that time, were murdered by bands of Homo Sapiens and eradicated . Seems to be a genetic trait of our species.

      Liked by 2 people

      • I go with the ideas that Neanderthals being of a smaller population base were unable to survive the climatic changes which affected Humans in general.
        Our current DNA base suggests some Neanderthal linkage which also indicates some sort of absorption.
        Basically, like many a group in this world’s history, they died out.
        Since written records were a long way off back then the question will remain an area of discussion and supposition.

        Liked by 1 person

        • I don’t disagree with anything you have pointed out. I need to make a correction iny own post.There is SOME evidence of early Neandertal presence as early as 400,000BCE. I do have a minor dispute with the idea that “they died out”. Yes,but the quetion is why? We have the evidence that they were thriving UNTIL contact with Homo Sapiens. Whether it was competition for resources or violence, it seems pretty clear (at least to me) that this contact led to the end of the species. Since H. sapiens has a long history of violence as a method of dealing with others, human or not, it seems logical to me that H sapiens were the immediate cause of their demise. I dont accept the climate change argument for the reason that Neandertals were toolmakers who made use of all parts of their environments,vegetation and animal. They also exploited resources from the sea, as demonstrated from finds on Gibraltar. They were not specifically adapted in such a way that they would not have been able to survive climate change. I tend to think of the history of H sapiens replacing other groups of H sapiens…the genocide against Native Americans, the Aryan movements into the Indian subcontinent, replacing the native populations,etc. Seems to be that the more logical reason for the demise of the species would be contact with H sapiens and the results of that. Thanks for the thoughtful post, you got my oldanthropolicial spirit out of the closet.

          Liked by 2 people

          • Sorry for the delay in replying, aside from my usual set of wayward circumstances (Jill knows me well enough) I wanted to give this matter some thought and reflection.
            ‘Neanderthal’ as a subject is a source of much debate, speculation and informed opinion. The depth of Rebecca Wragg Sykes’ research on the species in her book ‘Kindred’ matched by her current conclusions makes this worthwhile read.
            The problem I personally have with placing blame wholly upon Homo Sapiens is codifying into the species then with the values we have now. This in turn presents its own problems because holding the resultant view than Neanderthals ‘died out’ suggests an adherence to the blasphemy of Social Darwinism and that Homo Sapiens in some Nietzschean way were right to do whatever they did. It is therefore necessary to contextualise the eras and environments. At that stage of the development of the Homo I would suggest the motivational drives were more attuned to survival than aggression. It would seem that the two species co-existed for 3,000 – 5,000 years which again would indicate aggression was not a principal factor.
            Although aggression is one hypotheses amongst several, aggression at this stage of Homo history is comparable to that of other species when competition for general resources occurs and is difficult to judge on the moral basis which applies today.
            The kind of aggression which covers eradication or subjugation by one group of Homo by another is not likely to have occurred until the arrival of Neolithic Pastoral some 7,000 years ago and competition for land as a resource began. Long after the demise of The Neanderthal. It is at this stage that communities start to develop complex settlements which in turn will develop into societies and eventually nation states, and starting the cycles of Conquest and War. From there in can be argued our skills in the development of tools began to outstrip our social awareness for co-operation. Thus we are still locked into the basic conflict for resources shared with other species, when we have the capacity to avoid this arising.
            We therefore run the risk of being a species facing extinction by failing to adapt beyond the basic urges of our ancestors of our arrival ‘Out of Africa’
            Over to you.

            Liked by 2 people

  4. Thank you for sharing!!.. while it is not to be taken lightly, people like the individual that wrote the letter are cowards by nature and use such methods in an effort to intimidate another.. this has happened many times in history’s past but did not have the technology for it to be well known… with today’s technology, not only are we more aware of what is going on, but can use that technology to prevent this from happening… no doubt there are individuals looking into the matter as we speak… 🙂

    Until we meet again..
    May your day be touched
    by a bit of Irish luck,
    Brightened by a song
    in your heart,
    And warmed by the smiles
    of people you love.
    (Irish Saying)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Quite true, my friend. We know they are cowards, but the thing is that the cowards are the ones toting the AR-15s, the ones that would have no qualms about shooting a woman or a child, or even an unarmed man. They are cowards, but they are still a menace to a peaceful society. You’re right … we have the technology available to stop such things, to ferret out the ‘bad guys’ … but then, think back to Uvalde Texas where we had supposedly well-trained police officers armed, some with assault weapons, and it took them over an hour to gather the courage to enter the school, by which time it was too late for 19 children and two teachers. Having the technology and knowing when/how to use it aren’t always synonymous. Sigh. After watching today’s live hearings of the January 6th committee, I wonder what is to become of this nation, my friend. I think we could all use a bit of that Irish luck about now! Thanks, Dutch!

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  7. I m sure that Christianity say you don’t Put the sins of the father on the child. Not that the father has any sins I just mention it for biblical correctness. Mor people should be inspired by the heroism of Adam Kinzinger and by h way he has stood by his word asa politician. I wish more people had his courage.
    cwtch

    Liked by 4 people

    • This letter-writer, who I am assuming to be a male, is no more a Christian than I am … he’s no more a human than the lowest of all creatures. Adam Kinzinger is a good man, even if he IS a Republican, and neither he nor his family deserve this. Sigh. This nation no longer has a collective conscience. I’m ashamed to be a part of the human species today.
      Cwtch

      Liked by 3 people

  8. This is truly horrendous. Can you imagine what kind of sun human creatures are lurking out there even perhaps on our own towns…it is frightening indeed.

    Liked by 3 people

  10. Jill, this person and those like him is lower than a Neanderthal, barely hominid. I said the same thing to SoM recently. He stated that men have not changed their nature since they descended from trees. The hominids who descended from the trees were not men, not human, not even Neanderthals yet! Not to insult the great apes, but those hominids were still unintuitive animals. Just like the writer of that letter!!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, I agree. I’ve done with the conversation with SoM … it’s like talking to a brick wall and I just stopped responding at all. Humans are ever-changing, ever-evolving, but he refuses to see … there is none so blind as the one who refuses to see, or to hear, or to listen. I’ve got better things to do with my time than the back-and-forth with SoM.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Which is why I banned him from my site. But I am still working on the other other guy. I am planting seeds. They might not come to fruition, but they won’t gtow if they are not planted.

        Liked by 1 person

  11. Jill, my oh my. This person obviously reads a different bible than I did. Also, this person must be reading a different US constitution as well. It is terribly unfortunate that Adam Kinzinger’s wife received this. It is terribly unfortunate that Kinzinger gets death threats. It should matter that he continues to call the former president for his deceit and instigating an insurrection after getting such threats.

    But, here are two more paragraphs that define who Kinzinger is regarding his military service. From his website:

    “Prior to being elected to Congress, Kinzinger served in the Air Force in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He has always been a strong supporter of U.S. leadership in the Middle East, and he was among the first members of Congress to call for airstrikes against ISIS. He continues to focus on eradicating this threat with a comprehensive and detailed strategy.

    In 2007, he received the United States Air Force Airman’s Medal for saving the life of a young woman who was being violently attacked. He wrestled the knife away from the attacker and pinned him to the ground until the police arrived. He was also awarded the National Guard’s Valley Forge Cross for Heroism and was selected as the Southeastern Wisconsin American Red Cross Hero of the Year.”

    So, here is a guy who has taken the oath twice now as an Air Force pilot and Congressman. And, he and his wife have to get letters like this. I would love for the FBI to track this letter and go knock on this person’s door.

    Keith

    Liked by 6 people

    • Indeed, Keith … I think his religion is nowhere near the Christianity of most of my friends! I am still just appalled. Thank you so much for adding the information about Representative Kinzinger’s background … he is obviously an all-around GOOD man who does NOT deserve to be threatened and harassed, even by members of his own party. Yes, I hope the FBI does find this letter-writer … perhaps they will, for he obviously isn’t too smart.

      Liked by 4 people

      • Thanks Jill. I just called Rep. Kinzinger and left another voicemail thanking him for his political courage and telling him how sorry I was that he and his wife are getting death threats. I don’t like to name call, but a friend would use the term “idiot fringe” to define those who send death threats. What makes it more troublesome is the person’s equating his actions with the more Christian behavior. For some reason, I did not recall Jesus making death threats, even when he was about to be crucified. Keith

        Liked by 3 people

        • “Idiot fringe” is possibly and probably a bit naive, Keith. This is a fringe only in that it is the fringe of the larger group that believe the cult idiotology that they are the Chosen of their version of a god, Donald J. TRUMP, Jr.
          The weirdest part is, Donald Trump is not a Christian, practising or otherwise. He is a conman through and through. He will say anything he considers necessary to sway his followers, even as he spouts the Big Lie, knowing inside he got his ass whipped, but having a giant ego that refuses to let him accept the reality he knows is so gruesomely true.
          I do agree, however, not just the fringe, but the whole group is full of idiots!

          Liked by 2 people

        • I sent him a message as well, thanking him and telling him that in my book he is a good man. “Idiot fringe” works, though my own terminology would be far more … um … ‘forceful’. From what I know about Christianity, no, I don’t think Jesus would have been a fan of death threats and violence. I think peace and love were the messages he was trying to convey. Seems to be very little of either in today’s Republican Party.

          Liked by 1 person

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