A day of Earthly delights where it is the thought that counts

I love Earth Day. Really, I do. Earth Day is one of those perfect examples of how, in more left leaning circles, it is not the result but the intent that matters.

First, in a typical rambling aside, is it a coincidence that Earth Day and Lenin's birthday are one in the same? Not John the Beatles Lenin, the other one. The former Bolshevik revolutionary leader turned room temperature tourist attraction responsible for implementing Karl Marx's, not one of the "brothers Marx", Communist ideals in a so-called practical use. That Lenin. I know, a lot of other people were born today too but Vlad seems to have more in common with many Earth Day devotees than many of the others.

Conservatives often get a bad rap on Earth Day. Probably because most conservative Rappers suck, as does most rap music but I digress. Free market principles are seen to be in conflict with nature's conservancy when in reality nothing is further from the truth. Anti-capitalists will claim business only protects the environment when forced to. The funny thing to me about the previous link, found in a Village Voice article today, is that it is about Los Angeles; the epicenter of all things liberal and people famous for being famously green.

I would argue true conservative business men and woman are very in tune with their environment and realize the preservation of it is a requirement for long term growth, success and sustainment of our species. It is not hard to find a speaker at an Earth Day rally wistfully discussing the coming demise of mankind (sorry, personkind) due to its raping of Mother Earth's resources. The eradication of us from the planet is welcomed. I haven't looked it up but I'll bet my yearly allocation of carbon credits that the American Psychiatric Association has a diagnosed psychosis around the desire for your self or your species to be wiped out. For the sake of expediency, let's just call them nuts.

Look the world over and it becomes obvious the higher level of development that a country achieves the more time, effort and money it can devote to preservation of natural areas and cleaning up previously ravaged ones.

Minds more open and more developed than mine are writing Earth Day articles by the organically grown bushel today. It is too late in this day for me to spend on the research to cite links and quotes. Plus, the longer I stay up tonight, the longer I will have the two 100 Watt bulbs over my head sucking life from the Earth.

The point I feel is important about today is encompassed in this post's title. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to "save the planet". I begrudge their methods and their not so subtly hidden agendas. I also have to laugh at the effort that goes in to a one day event that seems to be less well received year after year. Effort and a lot of generating of landfill filling garbage, using of fossil fuels and just plain expelling of global warming hot air.

A good example of image over substance is the widely covered dimming of lights at New York's Empire State building. Even Sponge Bob Squarepants took a break from his, most likely chauffeured, media tour to attend the event. The lights will be turned off for a whopping sixty seconds to commemorate this august occasion. Turning the lights off in this building for that length of time, in the grand scheme of things, would be about as effective trying to stop a smoke belching freight train full of wonderful energy producing coal by parking your Smart car or Prius across the tracks at the end of a twenty mile straightaway.

Earth Day is a showcase for limousine environmentalists to take private jets across the country to show their support at events where a tree is planted or a factory is protested. The experience, for many, is enough to see them through the remaining smug filled 364 days until next year's Earth Day and another road trip.

Instead of one day, I'd like to see many of these hypocrites walk the walk. Some do. Ed Bagley Jr, besides probably possessing a few psychosis of his own, does live a lifestyle that he preaches. I can respect that and him.

I will probably be accused of being quite cynical but, here is a link to a number of Earth Day related photos of the beautiful people and their activities to save us all from ourselves. I encourage you to keep an eye out for them and, if you get the chance, remind them of their commitment to the planet should they ever stray from their enlightened path.

S2