I Suppose It"s Inevitable

The Nonhuman Rights Project has filed suit in New York to vest chimpanzees with the official legal status of "legal personhood".  This would involve vesting them with freedom, and the legal right to make choices about their habitat, diet, and choice of mate.  I suppose this was inevitable.  There was nothing mentioned in the suit about whether they would have the right to vote, but I suspect it's just a matter of time.
 
According to Stephen M. Wise, founder of NhRP, the criteria for "legal personhood" includes that the animal "must be able to desire things, and to act in an intentional manner to acquire those things".  Chimps meet that criteria, according to him.  And actually, humans may have a lock on the first part, but about half of us, in this country at least, are a little shaky on "acting in an intentional manner to acquire…etc", preferring to wait around until the State takes it away from somebody who earned it, and gives it to them for free.  

By that criteria, the conservatives in this country meet the criteria for "legal personhood", but the leftists do not.  

At a time when the concept of individual freedom for humans is being subordinated by the left in favor of that which serves the interests of the collective, we are seeing chimpanzees on a track that leads to individual freedom.  If this suit is successful, one wonders what chimps will do with their freedom.  What kind of country would they set up?  Some sort of banana republic, no doubt.  Sorry, couldn't help myself.  What will they do when they find out Obamacare is mandatory?   

Maybe the left doesn't have a problem with the concept of Freedom per se.  Maybe they just think it's being squandered on the wrong species.

Maybe they have a point.