Environmentalism

Hope that everyone had a good "Earth Day." My family celebrated by cutting down a tree and cooking dinner over its wood--we called our guests to the table with a CFC air horn as well. Count me dubious about the idea that something as heavy as octane will tend to get up into the upper atmosphere. I vividly remember how some "Boy Scout water" (gasoline) I used to ignite a pile of brush burned on a hot summer day; flames around my ankles (glad I was wearing jeans). Heavy gases tend to stay low.

That said, I was thinking this morning about the various ways environmentalism is manifested. Now I'm not opposed to using less energy and having a cleaner lifestyle. I don't believe, however, that current environmentalism--in particular the Hollywood variety--has the answers we really want.

To wit, I remember that in the 1970s, "environmentalism" often meant "deathtrap car" (remember those Civics and Novas?) or "malaria" due to the end of DDT use. In the 1980s and 1990s, it meant "unemployment" via EPA edict (still does for that matter) and "heat stroke" due to the CFC ban.

Today, it apparently means not only deathtrap cars, heat stroke, and malaria, but also "cholera." No kidding. Apparantly, the apogee of Hollyweird environmentalism is to eschew the use of ordinary amounts of toilet paper, and sometimes even the "water closet" itself. In short, they're eschewing the lessons given to Moses 3500 years ago about keeping one's excretions separate from one's living quarters and person.

Call me weird, but I'll take Moses' definition of environmentalism over Sheryl Crow's any day.