Folks, I am temporarily inserting two links for your enjoyment.
First, a spectacular 4-minute tribute to the 100th birthday of the state of Oklahoma. It is called Oklahoma Rising. Click (or paste) the link into your web browser, turn of your speakers and glue your eyes to the monitor. (Will Rogers shows up at about 2:20 for a couple of seconds.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqRX1BEZvxU&mode=related&search=

Second, Carol Mell, a writer from Taos, New Mexico, who attended the Will Rogers Writers Workshop in March wrote a nice piece about me and Will. She also wrote several other short articles about interesting places she visited in Oklahoma. www.newwest.net/humbugmountain

Back to Weekly Comments…

Earth Day, conservation and old catalogues

#453, April 23, 2007

COLUMBUS: Sunday was Earth Day, at least in America. It was started April 22, 1970, a historic day, and we have made tremendous strides in water quality and air quality ever since. About the only open burning you see today is outdoor barbeques. Of course, farmers say that every day is Earth day to a farmer. They know we are entirely dependent on a few inches of the Earth’s crust, so they work every day to preserve it.

One of our leading proponents for preserving the planet is Al Gore. Republicans have been criticizing him because he preaches energy conservation while he has enormous electric bills at home. Well, I read in the paper where he plans to install 33 solar panels on his roof. It’s a wonderful idea, and everybody with a big roof facing south ought to consider it.

But the Town Council where he lives in Belle Meade, Tennessee, said he can place them only “where the neighbors cannot see them.” That’s a tough order. These solar collectors kinda depend on sunshine, so it would hurt their performance if Al had to place ’em inside the house.

If they ‘re upset at solar, suppose Al installed a 300-ft high wind mill in his yard. Or embarrassed them by driving a Prius or E-85 pickup truck.

You know, if these high-fallutin’ neighbors in their million dollar homes look back in their ancestry I bet some of their fortunes came from the production and sale of ethanol. For them, it’s no to sunshine, yes to moonshine.

If these folks are sensitive to solar panels, suppose Sheryl Crow were to move in next door with her plan to ration toilet paper. One sheet of Charmin per day is all. That’ll bring a quick end to recklessly tossing out old L. L. Bean and Nieman-Marcus catalogues. And no more friendly handshakes among neighbors; just wave, that’ll be enough.

How far do some folks want civilization to backtrack in the name of civilization?

Historic quote from Will Rogers:

(For farmers, in the old days) “there would be times when they would be snowed in for the winter without their Montgomery Ward Catalogue.” WA #158, December 20, 1925

(The old pioneer) “wanted to plow up the land that should have been left to grass. We’re just now learning, you know, that we can rob from nature the same way as we can rob from an individual. All he had was an ax, and a plow, and a gun, and he just went out and lived off nature. But really, he thought it was nature he was living off of, but it was really future generations that he was living off of.” Radio broadcast, April 14, 1935