The Evening News

So I'm killing a little time before I have to get C from the airport. Figured I'd mess around in the kitchen a little. There is apparently nothing too wonderful on the TV between say 6 and 7 at night so I put on the evening news.

What a mistake.

I typically read the news. Or I listen to it on NPR. In doing so, I can pick and choose my fluff, sensationalism, and avoid a lot of the lurid images that come along with mainstream news.

I saw some pretty lurid images this evening: Footage of the marshes on the Louisiana coast. . .Beautiful brown pelicans slicked to the bone with sticky crude oil. . .suffocated clusters of oysters. . .nests tucked in the beautiful marsh grasses containing delicate eggs smeared and streaked with oil.

Given my educational background and my keen interest especially in birds and shore/marsh environments, these images were enough to nearly induce tears. My stomach churns.

What are we doing?

How did it come to this?

What can I do to reduce our dependence on petroleum and coal - another industry that has a terrible track record of personal health and safety for its employees and that can also destroy ecosystems.

WHAT?!

WHAT?!!!!!

This isn't necessarily the first time I've felt this way and sadly I suspect it won't be the last, but today I'm embarrassed to be a homo sapien.

Our behavior is shameful and appalling.

I'm mad as hell. . .not just for the Louisiana Coast and the Gulf of Mexico. This event is just another sick symptom of an epidemic. It seems our insensitivity, irresponsibility, lack of accountability, and nearly complete disregard for anyone or anything other than ourselves and our "progress" is slowly poisoning our societies, our economies, our environments.

Am I saying there is no hope? Of course not.

Am I advocating we all go back to a primitive-type existence with few creature comforts? No.

Do I think all of humanity is amoral, wretched slime? Absolutely not.

I just think it's time for a substantial paradigm shift.

We don't have to be extremist or revolutionary.

We could just do better.

You obviously haven't heard the last of this rant. . .But I have to go turn off some electronics in our house that run needlessly day and night!

See? Baby steps.

And hope for healthy baby birds.

Try harder. Do better.

Think about the ripple effect of your actions.