Tarred-And-Bothered
I'm not sure if I've ever showed you a picture of the Carpinteria Bluffs...It's a few minutes from our home and it's where I take the dogs to the beach to run.
I usually go early in the morning when there's hardly anyone there. And with the Pacific warmed slightly by August (it's never really warm here), I often take the opportunity to take a morning dip in the ocean wearing a smile to keep me warm.
It's extremely liberating to be in the buff outside and in the water, or outside and on a playground, or in a Sunday school. And I wish that Americans weren't so uptight with nudity. It's really not a big deal. Unless of course, you're my penis. Then, it's a HUGE deal. But, you already know that. Anyway, nudity...there's nothing dirty or shameful about it, unless you don't wipe your ass well enough, or unless...YOU HAVE TAR SMEARED UP YOUR ASS-CHEEKS.
Yeah. Real fucking nice.
About a week ago, I took the dogs to the beach and went for a morning dip. The water was cool, the air slightly humid, and as the waves washed over me, life felt grand.
There's quite a bit of natural tar-seepage along the coast here, thus the oil rigs off-shore. So, I often have to wipe tar off the dog's paws when we get home (with baby oil, it's disgusting) and usually there's a little on the bottoms of my feet.
Well, when I emerged from the water with the dogs loyally awaiting me, I checked the bottoms of my feet and they were COVERED in tar. There were also big smears of it up my legs and as I turned to gander at my own ass, there were nice big swatches of tar mashed in my ass hair.
It was really lovely.
I, in fact, had more than that on me. And when the dogs and I hiked back up the steep bluffs, I peered back down upon the ocean to realize that I had not just encountered "natural" tar-seepage, but I had been swimming in the middle of an oil-slick.
And then, a seal popped its head out of it, smack-dab in the center of it.
You see, there's a seal rookery nearby.
It's where they have their pups and LIVE.
And the whole thing made me sick.
And to think that these backwards, old, narrow-minded men want to further endanger our coasts, our home...while the rest of the world is leaving us behind with new, cleaner technologies for energy...It's beyond embarrassing. It's infuriating. And such limited thought should not only be laughed at, it shouldn't be tolerated.
When old, decrepit John McCain or fucktard George W. Bush says ANYTHING about off-shore drilling, or further destruction of our environment, we should simply reply, "WHAT??? WHAT, DUMB FUCKER?? WHO LET THIS ASSHOLE IN?? GET THIS SHIT OUT OF HERE!! Okay...Now, where were we? Oh yeah, we were talking about progress."
My heart sank when I saw that seal. He or she, didn't have a choice about living in it. These poor animals never do...
An oiled female harbor seal in Herring Bay, Alaska, shows she still knows her pup despite its oil-blackened skin, creamy white underneath.
Imagine...That's a Mother and her baby in that picture.
The whole thing just destroys me...
And to keep myself from going completely bonkers and actually running through playgrounds and Sunday schools naked while laughing maniacally, or tea-bagging Evangelicals in their sleep, or taking big dumps and wrapping them up with condiments and sending them to my favorite politicians, I try to focus that we CAN actually change this gross injustice.
We CAN alter this destructive path...
For one, I'm glad to see that bicycles, motorcycles and
Vespas are on the rise.
And Will and I have been trying (note: I said "trying", not always succeeding) to drive less and when we DO drive, to do so in between 55mph and 60mph, which really conserves our gas. And it's actually more relaxing in the process.
But, I'd like to share some statistics with you that I just recently learned in relation to off-shore drilling:
* New Off-Shore Drilling will bring 1.4 billion gallons per year.
* Fully inflate our tires? 3% efficiency x every American = 1.2 billion gallons per year.
* Every American slows down 5 miles per hour? = 4.8 billion gallons per year.
* Spare tire (obesity) in Americans adds an estimated 1 billion gallons of extra gas per year.
* All this adds up to 7 BILLION GALLONS PER YEAR. Far, far beyond a limited vision of 1.4 billion gallons provided by Off-Shore Drilling.
(source)
Greed and Over-Consumption are ruining what this country and its people are all about.
I have a different vision of Americans and what makes their hearts not just beat, but sing.
And this isn't it.
Idealistic am I??
All the way to the grave, baby...
If you'd like to email an already written letter to your Congressperson and your Senators, you may do so here: No to Offshore Drilling, Yes to Energy Innovation
And if you're so inclined, with clicks of your mouse you may: Tell McCain: No Offshore Drilling
And: Tell Obama: No Offshore Drilling
And just because you've been so patient with my ranting and raving, here are some buns without tar...as far as I can tell.
There might be poo-poo in their cracks, I dunno.
But, it appears as though they're looking to brighter days ahead.
And we should be doing the same.