James Lovelock

I am well known for being egregiously green with regard to matters that are peripheral to my main interests in life. Would that more of us could make that statement. This brings me to think of James Lovelock who has been up to no good promulgating a viewpoint with which absolutely nobody will be able to make a dime. According to Mr. Lovelock, author of "The Vanishing Face of Gaia", it is too late for the planet to go green to any good effect in the way it is too late for Ben Affleck to...well, you know.

The foundational assumption of "Green" is that the Earth is worth saving. I wonder if the truth of the matter is that we are actually trying to save ourselves, since the Earth will get along just fine without us after we are gone. How much of this is merely a manifestation of ego which postulates that the species that produced American Idol and The Real Housewives of New Jersey must, somehow, manage to survive to bring forth sequels and spin-offs of all sorts?

Perhaps the best way to save the planet is to get rid of all of us.

Sarah Palin

In a televised address, President Richard M. Nixon announced his intention to become the first president in American history to resign. With impeachment proceedings underway regarding his involvement in the Watergate affair, Nixon reacted to pressure from the public and Congress to leave the White House. "By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing which is so desperately needed in America."

This memorable event brought to mind another moment in time when an incumbent abandoned ship, though for reasons less clear. The DNC's Brad Woodhouse put it this way:

"Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way--her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

My own reaction to Sarah Palin has habitually fallen into the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot range and this latest development is no different. Unless I was hallucinating, Sarah Palin likened her action to passing the ball for victory. This would make some sense if one were, indeed, passing the ball to Kobe. However, I don't see the correlation to dropping the ball in mid-court, hoping that the Lieutenant Governor--whose name nobody can cite--can recover it and declaring victory in the process. My failing in comprehension, no doubt, but it is forward-looking speculation at best to be forecasting victory in these circumstances. The American Idol phenomenon continues unabated.

Somewhat isolated as I am here in my (junior) suite, I have not yet been able to determine whether all this isn't just a Borat-style publicity stunt on the part of Tina Fey, which would put the whole event into a perspective that actually makes sense. Time will tell, I suppose.