Housekeeping

It's getting on that time of year again....beginning with all the ghosts and goblins of Halloween, the days are getting shorter and in some areas there'll soon be snow (if it hasn't begun already).

Global Crystal Ball   rcw 2010

It's hard to tell what's normal in weather anymore; winter in San Francisco used to be chilly and rainy....now it's anybody's guess.  Last year it was rather mild, the year before that was frigid cold and very rainy.  Of course Jack was away, so that didn't help.

But aside from personal inclement scenarios, truth be told I believe that global warming is occurring. Some people don't agree...or at least don't think that humans are mainly responsible.  Personally, I believe we are.  Who else? The cows?  In and of themselves, bovines-and for that fact all critters that I know of-help create green house gas.  But they don't cause the other noxious and polluting chemicals and byproducts...we do.

We can't deny it and do have to figure out how to change things.  Our country is divided on so many issues, and global warming is one of them.  One side thinks that we have to cut everything to the bone and go without technology to save the planet, the other thinks there's nothing wrong and that we should continue doing what we do.

Both sides, to my way of thinking, are wrong.  The first because it is too austere, most people won't buy into it.....especially if part of the austerity includes taxes on top of sacrifice.  The latter is wrong because it is just plain old fashioned denial through either ignorance or obstinacy-maybe both.

When trying to resolve a problem it's best to work with the facts at hand, at least for starters.  Try to see how to make the existing components operate in a way, that in this case creates resolution. Creating a valid and workable compromise is the goal.

In this case we have our future.  On piled on the scale of consideration we have, in pan A-the whole global warming contingency-lock, stock and barrel.  See? Al Gore's sitting right up there at his desk getting a massage.  In the other scale pan we have piled all things denying global warming.  This includes the big industries, politicians and lobbyists who have so far made a comfortable living protecting their interests.
Hmmmm.

There's actually another component not talked about yet in this illustration....Us.  Where are we, the regular John and Joan Does of this country?  Oh we're there, crushed under the weight of everybody else in each given pile. Ouch!

Somewhere beyond all these piles is the truth....the truth that we have to do something. Our world is ill and not getting any better.  We have to grow up, face some facts and make some changes

It's good that we're exploring space, planning trips to Mars and all that....but we can't leave good old Earth behind looking like a big pile of stinking rubble! That's just not neighborly! We got this place on a sweetheart deal; no security deposit, no hidden charges. The least thing we can do is clean it up before we move out!  That's only fair.

So for today, Fifty Five Is The New House Keeping-taking care of our home, the planet, while we still can.