Al's still not walking the talk
We continued our lives as usual last evening while parts of the planet, some of Nashville included, turned out their lights for an hour to demonstrate their solidarity with the planet. Never mind that the celebrations themselves probably used up more electricity than if everyone had just stayed home. Never mind we're healthier and more prosperous as a result of human achievement and people all over the planet would love to even have the option of turning lights on or off. The World Wildlife Fund told us to vote either for the planet or global warming. Who made them the election commission on this? We voted none of the above last night.
One of the children did wonder aloud what Al Gore was doing. Of course, none of us cared enough about it to check into it. But, our TCPR donations paid off one more time when Drew Johnson drove by the manse and noticed the Gore's also voted 'none of the above':
"The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion.
I [kid] you not, my friends, the savior of the environment couldn’t be bothered to turn off the gaudy lights that show off his goofy trees." Hat tip AC Kleinheider
Suggested reading: Casa del Krum stuffs the ballot box.
1 comment:
This is an issue I'm really drawn on.
On the one hand, the whole "turn the lights off for an hour" bit was basically risible. It was the sort of public awareness move that neither contributes to the cause being promoted nor impresses the seriousness of that cause on the uninitiated. (And, because of those two points, the sort of PA move that only makes people roll their eyes.)
But the issue itself is deeply important. It's one that's hard to be passionate about, because the roadblocks to tackling it seem nigh insurmountable. And, as a result, the people who are passionate about it tend to come off as unserious, either pushing obviously insignificant changes for the sake of public interest or prophesizing doom.
Which is all to say that voting "none of the above" is a borderline tragic prospect, but, I suspect, a very common one.
(Also, if I'd known that "policy research" involved stalking outside of Al Gore's house? I would have been a public policy major in an instant. Live and learn, I suppose.)
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