2.7.07......these are them...
The Ecobabbleists will add greatly to the mix.
I'm certain.
We better be able to manage a grin, now and then, or these 'interesting times' may get the best of us all.
One thing to take a look at right off the bat is TV ads for 'Eco Friendly' corporations.
Many of these ads, and the positive actions they portray, are legally mandated public services gone bad.
Major polluters...those who got caught flaunting waste disposal restrictions, must, by law, make the environmentally favorable changes they tout as their new philosophy, while being forced to use a good sized portion of their Ad Budget on public awareness.
The law didn't say they couldn't spin things in a favorable direction.
We don't need to know that the other option was huge fines, and jail time for top execs.
Waste companies seen as generous builders of public facilities.
Paper companies which dumped countless millions of gallons of poisonous waste into rivers and streams, viewed as leading the charge to a new consciousness.
Petro Chems...need I say more?
Heh, heh...
Pretty clever, fellas.
But, sleazeball behavior like that got us here.
Not gonna cut it anymore.
Ecobabble will see to that.
Right alongside, will be throngs of smug, 'told ya so', Mother Earth Journal types.
...piece of advice for those of you who fit the above profile...
Give yourself a hearty 'attaboy', and dig in.
Rise above 'told ya so'.
You had the vision, and the courage of your convictions.
Don't become snide little twits, now that it's your moment to shine.
I know many of you have the capacity to do just that.
Intellectual smugness is not conducive to progress.
It's just a defense mechanism...useful while underground...
Smother it.
The big kids wanna play your game, now.
Let 'em.
Play 'em like a Brookie on your new Orvis, in that pristine Montana stream you dream about.
Remember that ol' Radical Hippie stuff.
If you want the moon, demand the stars.
That way, everybody wins.
You get the moon.
The opposition gets to feel they graciously gave in to only the most reasonable of your demands.
No one walks away from the table defeated.
Oh, yeah.
That's the kind of 'confusion to the enemy' stuff you'll be encountering.
Let's discuss the nature of the beast.
Take fishermen, for example.
For years, we've heard about overfishing.
Well, I think the first person who ever used a net, would have caught every fish in the sea, on day one, if possible.
The pure excitement would have made stopping, until the boat was about to sink, seem foolish.
There was absolutely no reason to think that there was anything wrong with this.
This guy developed the net, for cryin' out loud.
After years of struggle...a better way...
How would he have known he'd caught, and killed every fish on day one?
Until he tried to show off the net to his buddies, on day two.
What the...?
Oops!
We tend to learn after the fact.
In the big picture, it's only been a few years since the overfishing concept reached the public consciousness.
Today, every school child has some awareness of the issue.
That's pretty good.
But, not near good enough for today's world.
The trick is to use the developing overfishing awareness to good end.
How did it happen?
The first step was study, leading to quotas, leading to indications of rising fish stocks, leading, in turn, to further management of fisheries worldwide...for those who follow the rules...
That's a perfect microcosm of the problem we face today.
Realistically, in about fifty years, we've raised global consciousness on a fairly important issue.
Even the most optimistic see Global Warming as hypercritical in thirty years.
I have no idea where that number comes from, but it's the one I've heard used.
Fifty years to come up with a somewhat workable plan for the world's fisheries.
Thirty years, at best, to fix Global Warming...really fix it...not just have a hopeful program in place...
I think we better forget the studies, quotas, more studies, and further management of this problem.
Otherwise, those preparing the final, crucial study will be choking on carbon fumes, while they tell the survivors it didn't quite pan out the way we hoped...faulty intelligence, and that sort of thing...you know...
NOTE...
Much like the Petro Chem we are discussing, each link will be a further refined version of the same thing...
I believe that's the way to solve the problem.
Exactly what is the problem?
Let's get that straight first.
I added the ism, to ecobabble, because we may need some religious fervor behind this solution...
I realize that this comes at you pretty fast.
Let's hope it's fast enough, because once the Bandwagon Jumping Olympics gets started, you won't know which way to turn.
Get it now, while its fresh, from a Hard Bitten, New Age, Eco Freak...that's the kind of blend we're gonna be looking for...count on it!
