Exxon and its Carbon Cabal

For years, my pals AC and DB have been warning me about global warming. As usual, I pretended to listen while wondering silently to myself which hair spray really gave my shiny locks the best hold. By the way, I favor Pantene. I know it's passé, but sometimes the classics work best.

I saw my pals recently in Boulder. It was darn cold there; meanwhile Vegas was enjoying another late start to spring. AC and DB read me a story about disappearing bee colonies in Florida, and how that could well mark the beginning of the end. Turns out the disappearing bees may be linked to cell phones.

They've been telling me for years that we've been ruining our environment, and our bodies. I had no idea what they were talking about. I mean I'm a healthy 46 year-old gal going through menopause, suffering the early effects of osteopenia, arthritis and debilitating headaches; all normal signs of aging, right? I dunno . . . I sure like my processed food and chemicals.

I have only myself to blame. However, on the bigger issue of global warming, I can't take credit for that alone. No, to share in my guilt there is that wonder of PR, that master of spin, the protector of large marketing departments: Exxon.

In 2006, Exxon doled out dough to 41 climate skeptic groups to groups like American Enterprise Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Heartland Institute, Frontiers of Freedom and others. Collectively, the groups are known among their nay-sayers as the Carbon Cabal.

The CC has spent the last ten years trying to "inform" the public about global warming due to manmade CO2 pollution. These groups help Exxon color op-ed pages with "arguments against action to curb rampant carbon emissions, they appear on Fox and right-wing talk shows to blast "liberal" or my favorite, "owl-hooting, tree hugging, morons" for "alarming" the public on global warming.

Since 1998, Exxon has spent $23 million proving denial-ain't-just-a-river.

Oh Exxon, it's not global warming that is the issue. Don't you listen to your own conservative spin-masters? It's climate change. Climate change. Remember those words, Exxon. You wouldn't want to scare the world, would you?

Good-bye to the Girls

In a world where people behave badly, seven years ago i found a retreat. Yes, you guessed it. The Gilmore Girls.

Oh shut up. I know that the world is falling apart: war, hunger, poverty, oppression. I can' take Xanax all the time to deal with the stress of it all. Where there is no Xanax, there is Gilmore Girls.

True to this blog of people behaving badly, I have the beloved stars of Gilmore Girls to blame for the cancellation: they didn't want to come back. Or they wanted more money. It depends on which stories you read and believe. Either way, it's their fault for the show being cancelled. Thanks gals, I guess I'll have my doctor refill my Xanax.

Of course, the producers could let the girls go and keep the show going with the support cast. I've never enjoyed a show more where the support cast carried the show. Kirk, Taylor, Miss Patty, Michele, and especially Emily Gilmore, you are the ones I will miss most. And Lane and her band of misfits, and of course, Mrs. Kim.

Go gently into the cancelled night my TV friends. I'll see you in reruns and on DVD.

Yawn. Religion Again?

In an effort to be fair and balanced (I've never tried this before, but I've got this list of 1,000 things to do before I die. . .) I am posting the below quote from Barack Obama. I do not like what he says. I disagree with him (though factually he is right, I disagree with the sentiment). Keep your religion to yourself, unless you want to bore us. Give us some new rhetoric.

"Secularists are wrong when they ask believers to leave their religion at the door before entering into the public square. Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Williams Jennings Bryan, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King - indeed, the majority of great reformers in American history - were not only motivated by faith, but repeatedly used religious language to argue for their cause. To say that men and women should not inject their "personal morality" into public policy debates is a practical absurdity."

--Senator, Barack Obama
Call to Renewal Conference, June 28, 2006.

"Call me absurd."
--Binx
Lablogda, May 13, 2007

Of course, Obama said that almost a year ago. It will be interesting to see, as we get closer to the 2008 elections, how much he keeps his faith. I don't think this political yarn (or yawn) will bode well with Democrats. Then, on the other hand, if he's the frontrunner, what else are we going to do? Let another Republican in office for another 4 years. Na-uh.

Save me Jesus!

Good Quote

I'm getting tired of this question: Obama, Clinton, Edwards, who will be the next President? Who knows, right, it's too soon, and maybe it will be Rudy or some other Republican. Whatever happens, I heard a quote I like, and I wish W would remember this more (and a few other Republicans, too).

". . . That’s the great thing about the democratic party. You can have a position that wasn’t given to you by a speechwriter."
Bryan Schweitzer
Governor, Montana

Maybe this guy should run.

Friday's Rant

I haven't blogged in a while, not since the death of our cat Liza. Since Miss Manners has not tackled the question of how long one appropriately mourns the loss of a beloved pet, I thought I'd give the blog a rest. But I think I'm back, especially as death is a time for reflection, and during this time, I have reflected a lot and come up with a few things I think are true:

1) My cat Sammy Davis, Jr does not miss his sister Liza, but he does notice that she's gone, therefore, it makes him nervous. What's next? He's thinking. "Death for Sammy?" No fear, kitty, but please, stop waking Mommy and Daddy up at 5:00am. We are not farmers and you do not need to eat that early.
2) On a recent trip to Denver, I realized that Boulder, which is smaller, has more energy. You do not have to be a big city to have energy. Denver, listen up: cities should not be clean, nor should its citizens be so darn friendly. It's Denver, not Mayberry. I had the same problem with Vancouver this summer. Give me grit, a few homeless people, some nasty hookers on the street corner, and I'm happy. That's why I love LA. Angry drivers, dirty streets, whores (I'm talking about the wannabe actors/screenwiriters/producers/directors/etc), hookers and, of course, agents: what's not to love -- or write about? Of course, Boulder has none of those things, but it has good bars every ten feet, which is the number one rule for what makes a city good.
3) George W. Bush still sucks, and instead of everyone who voted for him apologizing to me for ruining the country, I feel they need to slit their damn wrist. You voted for Bush? You suck, buddy. You suck. End of story, go away.
4) Real Estate agents are the new lawyers. We have our house for sale in Vegas and these people are not interested in working for their money. They want a cookie-cutter approach to real estate: your white trash neighbor's house is worth x, therefore your house is worth the same. Lot size, location, upgrades, etc just don't count anymore. If your neighbor goes into foreclosure, watch out, you just lost 100k on your house and the real estate agents are like lemmings jumping off the deep discount cliff.
5) Why does no one talk about Condoleeza Rice's odd overbite? We talk about W's eyes, Dick's heart, why not Condi's unfortunate smile? Huh?
6) People who are trashy never know they are trashy. God needs to put this in the bible and make it an 11th Commandment.

Okay, that's it till I feel like ranting about something new. Probably George W, no doubt.