November 2004 Notebook Entries

Notebook entry, November 28th, 2004

Ok, I think that I have dinked and tweaked on the principles of evolutionary feminism long enough. Today, I tapped out a few minor corrections in spelling and added a few brief items, but I think that they are ready to float out there. Below are the entries. If interested you can read more about evolutionary feminism by clicking here

1st principle: Female choice. Females are the path of our species' regeneration. Rejecting the biblical past, evolutionary feminists do not believe that their bodies are mere receptacles for the glorious male sperm, but are equally important in the dual role of passing genes to the future. It is paramount that the female always, always have freedom to choose the mate of her choice and have control of her body. Thus, if the female only has a limited choice of males, (i.e., fundamentalist Muslins or Evangelical Christians) she will decide mate selection based mainly on resource assessments surrounding those males at the time and location of her selection.

2nd principle: Females do not form coalitions that attack their own species; only males. Overwhelming empirical and historical evidence teaches us that of the 4,000 mammal species on the planet, only two form coalitions to attack their own species. Those two are the (Pan troglodytes) chimpanzees, and (Homo sapiens) humans; in both species, it is only the males that organize and attack. Not once, in recorded history, has the female been noted in this organized activity.

3rh principle: The female is equally competitive in the reproductive process alongside the human male. In an important moment in evolutionary feminism comes from the pen of Anne Campbell in her 2002 book, A Mind of Her Own: the evolutionary psychology of women

"Women have been parodied as the gentle sex in convenient opposition to the belligerent male. Men compete, women do not. Men must compete for sex but what is there for women to compete for?...women must compete for all those requirements that ensure their reproductive success. Competitive reproductive success. When push comes to shove and there is not enough to go around, I am afraid that it must be my progeny, not yours in the next generation. But I will avoid outright violence if I can. Why? Because without me, the chances of my children surviving drop disastrously and offspring survival is the prize that is at stake. Female competition may look different from that of males, but that does not mean that it does not exist. We are competitors - and good ones." P. 310.

This raises an intriguing question: If the female is equally competitive, why is it only now known? Why has it taken humankind its' entire history to reach this finding? That intriguing question leads us to the fourth principle:

4th principle: Genes and Culture interact with each other, with culture contributing the greater influence.

Although we are biological creatures, and the goal is to pass our genes, before we mate physically, we must find a way to solve that biological problem by first learning the social norm rules that surround us. As a species, we have determined that living in groups is best for our survival and that means that we must conform to a consensus that forms around us concerning those behaviors. Those behaviors are controlled by ruling elites who also form and transmit social norms of behavior. We must follow those rules of behavior, and our individual behaviors must be acceptable to those who dominate and control those memes. If we fail to follow those rules, it might mean that we could be banished from the dominate inner circle in which we live. In most cases, if the female choices to live freely outside that circle, (if she can) that means limited resources available for the female to raise her progeny. In most cases, all of us, including the fertile female of reproductive age, freely chooses to follow the social norms.

To answer the intriguing question as to why it took this long for humanity to discover this truth of equal competitiveness? Because the female majority, up till now, thought that the present "institutions" established by social norms, (marriage, etc.) were the best possible way to pass genes into the next generation; there has been no need in the past to change the evolutionary process. Now, with the planet on the verge of destroying itself, dominated by males with support from their female supporters, perhaps the sex that controls the reproductive process is having second thoughts.

Notebook entry, November 27th, 2004

Just landed back in town from California. The kids are doing well, although my daughter Robin, failed to pass the California Bar Exam for the 3rd time -- she missed passing by only 7 points. That is out of a total of 1450 or so. Darn! Ok, one more time kid! Never say, never, etc. Their business is doing fairly well, but tight as there is a general business slowdown; next year should prove the turning point as it will be the fifth year. Granddaughter, Michala is now 20 months and cute as can be. Below are a few family photos taken from the road trip. Enjoy. (by the way, my grandson is only nine years old and is already 145 pounds!

Notebook entry, November 17th, 2004

Diana and I will be heading for the airport in a few hours to see the kids in California. They are both working very hard and long hours to make their business work. I have no doubts that they will succeed. If any two people deserve the American Dream with all its rewards, it is these two.

A friend of ours, Micheal has agreed to join my little film making group that I am organizing in the back of my head. I don't know where all this is going to lead, but I think we are going to create a liberal think tank with various functions, with some emphasis on film making. Micheal is an accomplished part time actor and a brilliant fund raising guru. One of his major passion is politics.

Although, I have only kicked around some of the ideas to Diana, she has expressed strong support, including writing grant proposals. We all sense that liberal think tanks will flourish in the next 20 years reflecting the conservative movement.

Since I am taking my laptop with me, I may be making some notebook entries in California since the kid's house is wired for wi-fi.

Notebook entry, November 13, 2004

Got a cute email a few days ago and thought that I would share it with you. Included, is my response.

From: LittleRed324@aol.com [mailto:LittleRed324@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 07, 2004 12:06 PM
To: wspriggs@evoyage.com
Subject: Hello Mr. Spriggs

Dear Mr. William A. Spriggs,
My name is Erin Conroy and I am a senior at Loudoun Valley High School in Purcellville, VA. I came across your website as I was researching for my AP Psychology class. I found your thinking and personal statement fascinating, and I agree with you on many levels. I am actually writing you this email because I was wondering if you have ever been a speaker at a high school graduation. I am secretary for the senior class at my school, and we are currently looking for the perfect speaker to inspire us to accomplish our goals in the future, as we prepare to venture out into the world. As I finished reading about your life, the idea of you sharing your experiences and thoughts with my class entered my mind. I would love to hear back from you, and hear your input regarding being our graduation speaker.
Thank you for your time and I hope to hear back from you. I have not yet discussed this with my fellow senior class officers, however, I imagine they would be just as thrilled with the idea as I am.
Thank you,
Erin Conroy

William A. Spriggs [mailto:wspriggs@evoyage.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 5:14 AM
To: 'LittleRed324@aol.com'
Subject: RE: Hello Mr. Spriggs

Dear Erin.

I am deeply honored and flattered

No, I have never been a speaker at a high school graduation.

Although, honored, I am at a loss to understand at how can I “inspire us to accomplish our goals in the future” when the only thing I’ve accomplished is to keep my mailman’s job for the past 24 years. If I were considered for an honorary degree, or considered for a Nobel peace prize, then I could see the “inspiration.”

Well, I’m not saying no, but after you consult with your fellow class officers, I think that you will agree with them that I’m not all that inspirational and should be put on the bottom of a long list of names.

Good luck with your studies in the future and enjoy the Voyage

Bill Spriggs @ Evolution’s Voyage

LittleRed324@aol.com [mailto:LittleRed324@aol.com]
Sent: Friday, November 12, 2004 10:05 PM
To: wspriggs@evoyage.com
Subject: Re: Hello Mr. Spriggs

Dear Mr. Spriggs,
Thank you for responding to my email. I appreciate your honesty and still think you could have made a great speaker, however, I understand the concerns. Well, I hope all is going good foryou and again appreciate your response.

Sincerely,
Erin Conroy

Notebook entry, November 11, 2004

Happy birthday to me; I am 59 years old today.

It is also Veteran's Day here in America. I have stopped watching television news here because it is so slanted politically to the conservative view. The males in control have no courage to tell the truth. I fine that not viewing the news also gives me more time to ponder thoughts more clearly, and quite frankly, I should have done this a long time ago.

Diana and I are getting ready to visit my kids in California for the Thanksgiving holiday period here in America. This represents the first time that I have left the Postal job during this busy holiday season. It is mentally and physically draining.

I have about 364 days until I am eligible to retire and Diana and I are seriously discussing the possibility of my staying at home and she remaining at work for several more years. It would involve more duties on my part, including house cleaning, food shopping, and cleaning of the house. Basically, we would reverse roles. I am willing to do these things because of the possibility of more creative time available. Time has become more valuable to me than money.

Notebook entry, November 5, 2004

Well, surprise, surprise, surprise. The Republicans have won re-election and have more power then ever before. All the exit polls showing that Kerry would win, (including myself) were wrong, and now that it is three days from the election, the finger pointing has just begun as the dust settles. It seems that most of the blame is going to be laid to the Democratic stand on "moral values." Basically, we are talking about God, Guns, and Gays.

I believe that the election and the finger pointing on "moral issues" has had a profound effect on myself as well.

As for Gays, I strongly feel that homophobia goes hand in hand with femphobia and anti-female choice. Nature will not stand for this, nor will I.

As for God, many of the "moral" issues that these conservatives plea as their moral compass, is pointing in the wrong direction as the poor are being trampled in the dust by those who are more fortunate. Nature will not stand for this either; nor will I.

As for Guns, I argue that if truly believe in God, you have all the strength you need and I ask the question of gun owners, what are you afraid of? I believe the answer can be found in evolutionary terms.

The election represents a turning point in my life as I have decided to combine my two passions (evolutionary psychology, and in particular, evolutionary feminism; politics; and film making (that is three, but film making is too new yet to be considered a passion of mine). What it means is that the studying on new avenues to approach evolutionary psychology will slow to a crawl and it is now time to merge these interests into film from what I have learned and put them into a medium that can be further shared with the common people.

I do believe that my country is on a path to destroying, not only itself, but also is putting the planet in grave danger.

There are many of us in America that believe that the Republicans have managed to manipulate the voting machines with soft ware, and many doubt that votes really would counted properly. Only time will tell, but you can feel the tone of change coming. We are now more divided as a nation then ever before, and things will get worst before they get better.

Notebook entry, November 2, 2004, 5:29am

Today is election day in America . From all indications it appears that there will be record turnout at the polls. News reports having coming in over the past several weeks from polls that vote early and the wait to cast ballots has been as high as several hours. People don't stand in line for hours to keep the status quo; people stand in long lines to make a difference in the way things have been going. I'm predicting Kerry will win with an easy victory. Unless of course, the Bush people have found a way to disrupt the vote and change the software on the voting machines.

An interesting article today in The New York Times, online edition by James Gorman. It says "SIDE EFFECTS" above the title of the article: I Drill; Therefore, I am. Chimpanzees Seem to Agree, so the article is really a social commentary, and not a report on science.

It seems that Chimpanzees have been videotaped with tool kits. Not just sticks as reported before, but three different kinds of sticks for different jobs.

"In the current issue of The American Naturalist three researchers have published "New Insights Into Chimpanzees, Tools and Termites From the Congo Basin. Crickette Sanz of Washington University in St. Louis and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany; Dave Morgan of Cambridge University and the Wildlife Conservation Society; and Steve Gulick of Wildland Security used remote cameras set at termite mounds to get hours of videotape of chimps catching and eating termites."