HUMANITY FOR HABIDATS

By Dan Miller
January 9, 2007

OK, I know, the "d" should be a "t", but it's fine.

Sunday night, traveling along I-440, my wife and I were being entertained and educated by our 8-year old daughter's 9 or 10 minute soliloquy on the plight of wild animals, and how their natural "habidats" are being devoured by developers.
(Yes, she used the word "habidats"..... close enough for an 8-year old using a word I probably didn't use until my 30s)

At one point, she inquired whether there are places in this country protected from human encroachment.... places where animals can run free and flourish.

"Yes," we answered, "there are quite a few protected areas."

"Is there land that the animals own?", she wondered.

"Well no," her mother answered, "animals don't have legal rights of ownership like people."

Then she asked, "Well, is there land somewhere that nobody owns, that anybody can just say they want to own, and take it?"

I thought about it and said, "You know, I'm not sure. I think it's all owned by people or governments now."

I started explaining federal land and squatters.... but that just led to giggles.

When we got home, I kept wondering.... is there any unclaimed land out there somewhere, under the control of no entity, that's just ripe for the taking by whoever might like to have it?
A quick bit of internet research clearly revealed the answer....
No, there is none.

According to a 2005 article in the Chicago Sun-Times; "virtually every square inch of the planet's terrestrial surface has been carved up by the world's 199 officially recognized nations, leaving nothing for those who want to start their own countries except a few barren rocks sticking out of the Arctic Ocean, and maybe a handful of extremely remote coral atolls."

Somehow, that's a bit sad to me.

And in case you're wondering -- thanks to a U.N. treaty -- even the moon and planets are protected and unavailable for personal ownership.

So, have a good day.
Enjoy the weather.
Enjoy the moonlight.
Breathe the air.
It belongs to you and the animals.... and it's free.

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