The Depths People Will Go For Vanity Lawns

I've already shared my disdain for the American obsession with lawn perfection. I have infinite disdain for the use and overuse of chemicals at all cost (literally, morally, ethically and healthfully) to begin with. But when they're used to maintain that synthetic patch of blue green supposedly to impress neighbors, that only impresses me that these lawn-lusters care more about those blades of grass than the health of their family, pets and whether they're polluting their neighbor's ground water, their environment and destroying all beneficial organisms who have the misfortune of dwelling within your property line.

But now the superficiality which drives the misplaced priorities of so many ill-informed or voluntarily-deaf-on-the-subject homeowners has gone even deeper. Like hundreds or even thousands of feet deeper. Tapping into aquifers and underground streams, crashing through increasingly fragile bedrock in droves, to dig deeper wells. No. Not for drinking water. Not for human sustainability. But to water their lawns and keep their petunias and little-green-meatball-shaped landscape plants irrigated.

According to THIS ARTICLE in The Wall Street Journal, affluent McMansioners in the Middle Atlantic states are using their chump change (which can amount to 1/3 of some people's annual salaries) to dig incredibly deep private wells for private use solely to water their manicured acres and circumvent drought restrictions placed upon use of municipal water for such petty purposes. Just because you may have rights to that water under your property, doesn't mean you have the moral or ethical right to squander a precious natural resource (especially in times of drought) to maintain a few little green meatball-foundation plants, a pot of petunias or a lawn, which will just go dormant and bounce back when some rains and cooler weather return.

The fact that the continued practice of tapping into these aquifers may destroy the bedrock and surrounding ground structure; the fact that this could impact water supplies of those less well off and dependent on more shallow wells; the fact that even municipalities ultimately depend on underground water supplies; the fact that imposition of drought restrictions are increasing as more and more parts of this nation become parched; and the fact that using a precious, natural resource necessary for human viability for such (pardon the pun) 'shallow', fatuous purposes is beyond frivolous. It's shameful. In a world where water will also become as scarce and coveted as oil, it's shameful and provides yet another reasons for foreign nations to hate us.

The rich get richer and greener lawns, too. As if the later matters.

GOP VP Nomineee Or "How To Pander To Women"

When I heard the news the other afternoon announcing who McCain's 'camp' chose for his veep candidate (as I doubt it was McCain himself since he only met the woman once, and I doubt they exchange Christmas cards or anything), I nearly spit out my second cup of coffee. Now you have to understand just how important my second daily intake of caffeine is to me. So losing part of it on the kitchen table had to be elicited by some pretty heavy shit.

Rather than stomp my feet and rant and rave (which I did later), I tried to imagine the conversation that went on in the now smoke-free backrooms of McCain HQ:

"This Obama's got charisma up the wazoo, John. You've got nothing. We need to deal another hand. A whole new hand with a wild card. A gender card! Yeah, that's it, a gender card."

"We've got a pantyhose-load of disillusioned Hillary supporters about to jump the Democratic ship and are swimming toward the Red Boat in protest. So it's obvious they don't give a rat's ass about Republican policy. It's apparent they're willing to whore their Democratic principles in favor of "The Sisterhood". They've made it quite plain to the rest of the voting public that it isn't - and never was - about the issues or platform. To them it's all about shattering that damned glass ceiling of theirs. So.....let's give them a substitute to kick who can kick her spike heels through that glass roof. Just take Hillary's head off the token woman's body and plunk Palin's on there. Shoot. They'll never know the difference! We're golden, old man. After all...they're just women."

In short, the decision to pick this unknown, oil-whore from Alaska to be the person waiting in the wings should this old man kick the bucket while in office - if he's elected that is - is nothing short of pandering to the entire female population of this country and specifically, to the Hillary supporters. Are these women so blinded by the fact that their candidate is out of the Big Picture, they've given the 'talking heads',political hacks and GOP-party poopers all indications that their votes are up for grabs by anyone with a vagina?

That possible scenario would crystallize the condescending disdain many Republican pundits & "good Ole Boys" hold for the female voters specifically. If, in fact, the Hillary Clinton supporters do hitch up their skirts and abandon their mentor's party for Old Man McCain's same-o same-o republican politics of the past 8 lo-o-o-ong years to make kissy face with Palin, then it makes me sick and ashamed of my gender.

WOMEN FOR HILLARY! She lost! Get over it! Get on with the principles and issues she purported to support. Continue what she started, which wasn't a single-minded, feminist (of which I've been one for over 30 years - a feminist, not single minded that is) issue of 'getting a woman in the white house' at all costs. She advocated a woman in the white house (if not her) not just because it would be a female, but because it would be someone capable and the best candidate. Damn. I want to see a women in that Oval Office before I leave this mortal coil. You bet your vote I do. But not on pandering or "quota" terms.

This smoke and make-up mirror switcheroo of McCain is only aiming to get a pair of heels in the Veep's seat. Who's wearing them is irrelevant. if you look at her credentials, that patently obvious. Are disillusioned ,female-Hillary-supporters that desperate for the Republican's crumbs? Wake up, women! Smell the caffe latté being served up to serve up to you with those crumbs. (Make that "serve down to you".) See this condescension for what it is: a slap in the face, an "atta girl", a pinch in the butt and a rub up against you in the subway by these slithery, mealy-mouthed, lying bastards who couldn't give a rat's ass about that Glass Ceiling. Except if they could stand under it and look up your skirt.

Open your eyes! If you believed in the issues - especially those pertaining to women - that Mrs. Clinton put forth, then keep supporting those issues even if you can no longer support the former candidate. Remember, Sarah Palin - if you do your research - holds the diametric opposite of your former candidate's stand on most issues that are a priority to you..as women and as citizens. Ask yourself: Would she want you to vote for McCain simply because he's now got a woman on his ticket? Even though I didn't personally support her, I seriously doubt she would be that bitter - and downright petty or ignorant - to bite her political nose to spite her face, so to speak? Are you all 12 or something? It's your country, God dammit! It's our future. It's not a high school prom queen election.

***September 3rd Addendum to this post: I'd like to kiss the sneakers that he wears, of Jon Stewart for jumping on this with the sarcastic, yet truthful ferocity that he and his writers did last Friday night when this was announced. The piece, as "reported", by one of his on-air "reporters", Samantha Bee, was priceless, accurate to a painful fault and to give it the highest praise I can...I couldn't have written it any better myself. :)

Wally World Satire Or Truth?

I'm sure there's a lot of formerly unemployed citizens who have only been able to find employment at WalMart and rely on Wally's paycheck(?). I'm even more certain there are a lot of unemployed citizens who are unemployed BECAUSE of Walmart.

See THE BIG BOX MART VIDEO