Thursday, April 22, 2010

Burning Styrofoam or My Earth Day Post

As the days have ticked down to the ridiculous celebration of failed predictions that is Earth Day, I have spent a significant time in my yard, mowing, trimming, edging the sidewalks, cleaning up some crap and getting the flower beds finished.I even sent the kids up a giant pile of mulch.  So before I start in with the derision of a day that is so misguided and driven by politics and collective central planning (including ways to keep the human cockroach from overrunning the pristine beauty of the Earth (except Haiti, which was lost long before the earthquake)), let's look at this in perspective.

I don't know anyone on either side of the political debate that wants dirt in the air, shit in the water, and the land scoured of all that green stuff.  So let's recognize that there's almost no one that doesn't value having a better and cleaner world.

But when it goes from finding ways to better our world (like cleaning up the messes around us) to trying to change our way of life for a half-ass theory, you can bet that we "Earth-hating" conservatives are going to fight.  Because it's the American way of life that, despite creating some real messes, has led to more attempts than any other major country to make our land better and cleaner.

Besides, with their track record, why are we EVER going to believe the global doomsday prophets (including Internet-creator and tree, Algore) when their record has sucked ass.  Doubt it?  Here's a handy list of predicitions from Earth Day crazies past....

So I'll make with the fire tonight, and the burning of styrofoam, and some lining from an old box spring that probably has asbestos in the bastard (which makes for a challenge in burning it.  And as the Earth Day goof do almost nothing to really help the planet, my piss in the ocean will have similar lacking negative effects.  But it does make for some good blog fodder.

Finally, I did break my first compact fluorescent bulb the other day.  After taking the glass that hit the floor away from my son (lest he stick it in his mouth to lick the mercury off), I chucked that puppy in the trash, and it will be on its way to the landfill baby, death-bringing metal and all.  This does dispel the idea that I'd ever chuck them bad boys in to save the planet.  Here's a hint:  If you want sell the Earth-friendly shit, make it worth our while.  In other words, CHEAPER!!!!!!

2 comments:

Satyavati devi dasi said...

Because it's the American way of life that, despite creating some real messes, has led to more attempts than any other major country to make our land better and cleaner.

Because of the tree-hugging, supercrunch granola liberals who have spent the last 30 years fighting the establishment to get industry to clean its shit up.

'The American Way Of Life' would be to systematically exploit the planet until it expires. Can you say 'strip mining'?

So 'The American Way Of Life' you're claiming is really the dedication of people whose entire lives are basically diametrically opposed to everything you believe in and stand for, who have fought desperately to get legislation passed that is finally, at least, starting to make the first bit of a difference.

Patrick M said...

No, that "American way of life' has enabled the granola crowd to have time and energy to devote to this. And because people have the disposable incomes, and the time to try to make things cleaner, it's happening.

But Earth Day isn't as much about making improvements locally to affect things globally as it is to trying to use the planet to advance a political agenda. And you've bought into that.