If you complain about the obscene profits reaped by the greedy fossil fuel companies, why don’t you likewise complain about the obscene profits other companies make? Consider this: even at its current high price, gasoline doesn’t cost as much as bottled water! We stupid Americans spend BILLIONS of dollars every year buying tap water in little plastic bottles. Compare the cost of finding, extracting, transporting, refining, & distributing gasoline with the cost of filling little plastic bottles with tap water! The profit margin on bottled water is criminal! (Those greedy water barons are laughing all the way to the bank!) Please, let’s at least be judicious with our contempt of greedy profiteers… |||| ---- ---- Before you ridicule this comparison, consider the massive amount of damage the water industry does to our fragile planet: Billions of little plastic bottles leach in our landfills forever… Massive amounts of nasty pollutants result from manufacturing the little plastic bottles… Massive amount of nasty carbon emissions come from the thousands of delivery vehicles that are daily dedicated to transporting and delivering this expensive product. We complain about relying on imported oil, and then contribute to the profit of greedy water barons in Fiji and Europe!

What did George Washington’s banner say that contributed to the British’s defeat? Exactly what was on Abraham Lincoln’s banner that brought an end to slavery? What should be on the banner that prevents the next terrorist attack on American soil? ----- ----- Equating patriotism with hanging banners from Mt. Rushmore, or from a bridge in Mexico is not only irrational… it cheapens the honor of REAL patriots. ----- ----- It’s sad that Greenpeace has nothing more than news stunts to justify the millions of dollars they siphon from you. ----- ----- (Do you really think that chiding Obama on a Rushmore banner will cause him to conform?)

So, what have I learned about the mindset of the average visitor to the Greenpeace web world? Here are my personal thoughts and opinions: Most of you are sincerely concerned about our environment and want to participate in improving it. Many of you are guided more by emotion than reason, and can be blinded by that emotion, some to the point of denying reality. Some of you are ardent left-wing ideologues who wholeheartedly believe that the most effective way to save the planet is to stage outlandish events and publish sensational videos. There are some who are mindless alarmists; others of you are just good old fashioned dreamers. Me? I like to think I’m pragmatic. Sustainability is good on its own merit… no agenda required. What about you?

It’s true… I’m not a believer in the Greenpeace M.O., though I do believe that many of their goals are admirable. How can anyone not want to save the planet and the animals? I agree that global warming is occurring. I agree that there are many businesses reaping financial reward from harvesting earth’s bounty, and that some of them are not responsible stewards of our common resources. I also believe in freedom of speech and the rule of law. ----- ----- I started the “rational” blog as an attempt to satisfy my curiosity; I wasn’t interested in antagonizing supporters or generating dissent… I merely wanted to gauge the mindsets of those who frequent the Greenpeace world. I believe that my premise is sound: humankind does not cause global warming, and our efforts to manipulate the climate would be better spent on more solvable and urgent problems. Contrary to conventional dogma, the debate is NOT finished. This has been the crux of all of my posts. I am well aware that this position is considered by many of you to be out of touch with reality and radically misguided. The bulk of real-worldians say the same about you! This is the nature of politics. ----- ----- Recently, I posted a comment on John Hocevar’s post: “Massimo Cappitta is a thug.” My comment was deemed to be illegitimate and quickly deleted by the Greenpeace blogmaster, who had every right to do so. The purpose of this website is to inform supporters and to encourage involvement with Greenpeace campaigns. My comment was truthful and sincere, but contrary to the mission and justly deleted. I have no complaint. ----- ----- So, what have I learned about the mindset of the average visitor to the Greenpeace web world? Here are my personal thoughts and opinions: Most of you are sincerely concerned about our environment and want to participate in improving it. Many of you are guided more by emotion than reason, and can be blinded by that emotion, some to the point of denying reality. Some of you are ardent left-wing ideologues who wholeheartedly believe that the most effective way to save the planet is to stage outlandish events and publish sensational videos. There are some who are mindless alarmists; others of you are just good old fashioned dreamers. ----- ----- The good news is America is a great country, and there’s room for all of us! We allow and encourage diverse and lively dialog. Somehow, in spite of the throbbing extremists on opposing sides, goodness and reason seems to prevail. The American system works, and it’s ok to be proud of that fact…

There are so many urgent problems on our planet today… some that will reach their catastrophic result in minutes, and others that might reach it in decades. By nature, the certainty of distant catastrophes can not be as defined as those in progress right now. In view of the urgency of catastrophes occurring RIGHT NOW, versus the scientific uncertainty of distant catastrophes, we should be ashamed and embarrassed of our monumental waste of valuable resources spent on "fighting" global warming. I am embarrassed to be a part of it. You should be ashamed too. Please read this Michael Crichton speech with an open mind: (Don’t be put-off by the title.) http://www.crichton-official.com/speech-ourenvironmentalfuture.html