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

It's not easy being THE

Sitting in traffic on the way to work this morning, at that moment when the hot brewed liquid of life I so greedily consumed released its magic into my bloodstream and my eyes opened, I had a realization. I owe Paris Hilton an apology.

You see, I've been hard in my comments toward the rich little hotel heiress. In an obsessive manner befitting a restraining order, I've ranted to everyone from a college tour group from Paris, France to a bartender in Paris, Texas about how the dead between the ears spoilt one was amazingly,famous for being famous and that I wished all manner of pestilence would rain down upon her. Yeah I was vicious in my distain.

Was I jealous of her fame or was I morally outraged at the “one night” (WARNING: this link contains adult material) that it took her to, pardon the pun, rise to it? I mean, surely it isn't her fault that the press began its fawning. Is it? Did she ask for it by placing herself in the public eye? It's not like she could control the photographers at the many runways she walked down or the night club openings she so often attended. She was just being her and the press forced itself upon her and then her upon us.

She's just a poor little rich girl after all. One the world seems to love, adore, admire and to which they ascribe talents well beyond any she has exhibited.

It could be worse couldn't it? It's not like the media helped her, as someone without demonstrated leadership skills, to be put in charge of anything important right? As I sat in my car under the Red Roof in which I was driving down the road, I though about the power of celebrity and that given enough of it, someone could go far. Farther than anyone could imagine: from relative obscurity to “king of the world; in a meteoric rise that begins One night in Boston and culminates one hot night in Chicago with a sycophantic crowd of devotees chanting in hysterical euphoria like underage girls at an Akon concert. Or even like Akon chanting hysterically for underage girls!

The Courtyard near my office is a place of gathering where conversations range from the latest movies to the Best Western swing dance club in town. Political discussions where being good at being elected is touted as a reason for being elected. Where community organization demonstrates leadership and questionable associations don't require questioning. Where celebrity instills confidence and greatness seems destined. There seems to be the joy of a Holiday in everyone's mood regarding political futures while doubt and skepticism clouds the financial outlook. It's amazing what celebrity can do.

We talk about Paris too. Not the city of lights Paris. We talk about THE Paris. You know THE ONE. She just broke up with her boyfriend and is back on the market. She'll find the right one someday. The one she is to Marry Ought to be sure to get a pre-nuptial agreement.

The fickle press can turn very quickly. Well maybe not but hopefully soon they will examine more closely the real person. We will find the things we should have known before anointing her to a position of social influence.

She is now hunting for a BFF and many in the running are retreads and throwbacks to previous times. We've seen them before. If she isn't careful the bloom will fall from her rosy glow and she'll be exposed for who she is. Once that happens and we see the real ONE, we will have to decide if the devotion afforded her is warranted and should continue. Eventually she will have to do something! Pray it is the right thing.

I feel just a little bad for judging her harshly. I suppose it was a knee jerk reaction to having an onslaught of one sided, biased media stories thrust on me in an effort to promote her. Then again, it could be that I saw through the veiled coverage to the real person and didn't allow myself to be influenced. All I can do now is watch and Hope for the best along with the devotees.

Oh well, I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

S2