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Show THE ZEPHYR/JUNE-JULY Here’s how Newsweek's writer put it: “Activism is the new chic, and we, the consumers, have become the new activists—saving the world one credit-card transaction at a time.” 2007 You have to wink at the wry idea of saving the planet via a crass commercial scam. But monkeys are gullible critters, and are more likely to send Bono a buck if he’ll send them back a swank T-shirt embossed with a keen logo. It helps if others know you're a member of the Club. What's a poor eco-freak to do? The conservation “movement” is becoming a parody of itself. If this is Tuesday, it must be another Fund Raising dinner party. Where I live, they call it The Green Tie Affair. Dress up like penguins and donate till you drop. If everybody pitches in we can (yes, that phrase again) “save the planet!” Don’t get me wrong, I’m good to go with green light bulbs and thrift store underwear. Reducing our carbon footprint is fine with me. But why stop there? Let's reduce our Footprint, period. Look around. How seriously do the neighbors take global warming? From what I can gather, the hype is already wearing on the garden variety nerves. Assuming that the average American’s attention span is less than 45 seconds, it’s likely that we’re soon going to see grim resignation set in. Those that fear change will suffer. Those who adapt easily to the vicissitudes of life will find new niches and make the most of it. Same as it ever was. But the smart money is on dealing with our myriad ecological problems in toto. We don’t need global warming to justify fixing our mess. We don’t need Al Gore to convince us that we are making fools of ourselves and causing vast suffering in the process. Any third rate idiot gets out of the rain in order to stay dry. But somehow we've allowed our innate myopia to obscure our collective wits. And now we're looking at a planet that’s having trouble supporting the bulk of its residents, human or otherwise. We know better. Alabaster Sculptures y Navajo Rugs Hopi & Navajo Kachinas Slowly reducing the human population to carrying capacity levels would initiate the restoration of the planet's damaged ecosystems, regardless of what climate model we adhere to. Hybrid cars and recycled toilet paper are nice gestures, but of band-aid value. © In the long haul, compassionate family planning will do more for the so-called climate crisis than the next five placebos put together. One can easily envision a great change coming to the planet, not out of character with other seismic changes which occurred during the Earth’s evolution. Cockroaches might end up benefiting tremendously from a warmed globe. So too might gnats, ants, spiders, and even a mammal or two. Deep sea creatures currently residing in volcanic vents may evolve into highly sophisticated critters, eventually becoming high-tech land dwellers. If so, they’Il likely overpopulate, crash, and find their own way into the Hall of Oblivion. e nitty gritty is whether humans will be able to continue our age-old societal tea party if planetary warming becomes a serious pain in the ass. China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, et al, seem more concerned at this point with protein, fast cars, basketball shoes, wi-fi, and military hardware. It’s doubtful they’re sitting around gawking at Brother Al's movie. Let's quit talking and start here: Free condoms! Pueblo Pottery . Hopi, Navajo, Zuni Jewelry Navajo, Ute, Paiute & Papago Baskets Southern Uteh's Finest Selection 100S.MAINSTREET 259.8118 Salut! Side note Call me the Zorro of the Zetetics, but I’m building a bunker 30 feet below the surface, complete with solar panels (atop a cyber-guided antennae) that direct juice to my un- CONSTRUCTION derground batteries. I’m laying in a hydroponic garden, a library of old movies, an iPod with 10,000 songs, and a stash of magic mushrooms for those times when inner vision is New Construction Re-models "High Quality at a Fair Price " CALL (435) 259-5077 after 5 PM required. I’m going to pipe in CNN in order to keep up with how my fellow Americans are handling the projected 135 degree heat index and 70 year drought. It’s going to get weird before it gets better. I figure by my 90th birthday, it'll all be over and I can crawl out to find a whole new planet. : EMAIL YOUR FEEDBACK TO THE ZEPHYR Send your comments to The Zephyr cezephyr@frontiernet.net or write to us P.O. Box 327, Moab, UT 84532 can aeases musk (C) 435.260.8011 CH) 435.259.2339 kelly@moabproperties.com At long last, Stiles gave me a pet of my own... Though having a bear’s ears in my ad has nothing to do with my life’s chosen profession, it is true that I am quite fond of ol’ ursis horribilis, and so once again I will send Stiles a check for an ad that will do little if anything to bring me new customers!!! ARC soe oe That's the sorriest looking dog I ever did see. 150 EAST CENTER ST. MOAB, UT 84532 435.259.5693 FAX: 259.5930 www. moabproperties.com ..albeit an endangered desert tortoise. PAN Nar es eng KAS OI (CQ 435.260.2374 anthony@moabproperties.com |