As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve got some serious problems facing us, Kids. Islamic terrorism, Iran about to get a nuclear weapon (with a signing bonus from the Obama Regime to boot!), a lawless illegal alien invasion deliberately undertaken by Obama to “remake” the demographics of the country to boost the electoral prospects of Democrats and a still sluggish economy, but fear not. Team Obama is on the case, making sure that the greatest threat to our country is being confronted head on. I refer, of course, to “climate change”, which Barack Obama has said many times is the biggest thing we have to worry about. To put it in his own words from his last State of the Union address ““No challenge – no challenge – poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change,”
And as luck would have it, April 22 is Earth Day, and Barack jetted down to the Everglades to celebrate and to remind us of the importance of this solemn day and to make sure everyone understands how important it is to #ActOnClimate.
Some of you may be scratching you heads wondering just what the heck is this Earth Day thing? As a helpful public service, we present this guide to Earth Day.
What is Earth Day?
According to the website, Earth Day Network,
Each year, Earth Day — April 22 — marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.
The height of hippie and flower-child culture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”. Protest was the order of the day, but saving the planet was not the cause. War raged in Vietnam, and students nationwide increasingly opposed it.
Far out! Students opposed the war, and their opposition was completely based on principle. The fact that but for their student deferments they might be drafted had nothing to do with it.
Has Earth Day existed as long as Earth itself?
No, not at all. As the quote above explains, Earth Day was an offshoot of the anti-Vietnam war protests of the late 1960’s-early 1970’s. The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970, which I think even the dope-smoking hippies who attended the first Earth Day, many of whom have been stoned ever since, can see is a lot later that the first day than Earth existed.
Earth Day was basically a spin-off from the love-ins, peace-ins, teach-ins and other dope-fueled, “counter culture” events of the day. It was to the anti-war movement as The Jeffersons was to All in the Family. (Younger readers: ask your parents, or Google it.) It was a excuse to continue getting high, dancing around while wearing headbands and tie-dyed rags, and otherwise avoiding productive activities.
Whose idea was Earth Day?
That’s not entirely clear. While many credit Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, along with Rep. Pete McCloskey of California, we must not forget the essential contribution of Philadelphia environmental activist and “peacenik” Ira Einhorn, darling of the liberal elites, including the late senator Arlen Spector, who claimed to be the founder.
To quote Wikipedia: “The event was hosted by environmentalist Ira Einhorn.” That is roughly equivalent to describing Charles Manson as a failed musician who tried to promote his career through various Hollywood connections. You see, Mr. Einhorn had a teensy weensy anger management problem, one that resulted in his murdering his girlfriend Holly Maddux and stuffing her body into a trunk that he hid in a closet, an act that was undiscovered until a foul-smelling brown liquid oozing through the ceiling alerted neighbors.
Why did people think Earth Day was necessary?
Promoters of environmentalism in the early 1970’s said lot of scary stuff to convince people that unless we did something dramatic and fast, we were doomed. In retrospect, we can see that, like leisure suits, disco and the presidency of the King of the Useful Idiots, Jimmy Carter, it wasn’t necessary, and was in fact, pretty stupid. This fact ignores those at the time who welcomed the opportunity to have an excuse, water conservation, for not taking obviously necessary showers. Patchouli can only cover up so much.
Why was April 22 chosen as the date to celebrate Earth Day?
Some have noted that April 22 is the anniversary of Lenin’s birth. Coincidence? You be the judge.
What are some of the ideas and policies that resulted from Earth Day?
While most people believe that the Clean Air Act was a child of the enlightened 1970’s, the fact is that the first clean air act was passed in 1963. We can look to Earth Day for the explosion of “green energy” subsidies for boondoggles like Solyndra, a failed company that received a $535 billion loan guarantee and then went bankrupt. Taxpayers were left holding the bag, but it was all for Mother Earth, after all.
There are also the many recycling programs all over our great land. How wonderful to make sure that all that plastic and all those glass bottles get re-used and aren’t just thrown into some landfill. The only problem is is that recycling is another feel-good charade that makes no difference. Of course, the recycling of Marxist platitudes never goes out of style.
Are there holidays to celebrate other planets?
We can’t think of any at this point, but that’s not to say that there is room for some. Given the history of Earth Day, perhaps Uranus Day?
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/toitoisatoko/7351737972/
