My Earth Day Birthday

Today is Earth Day, and perhaps not coincidentally my birthday. I point this out not in search of salutations, or condolences as the case may be, but as an example of the irony found everywhere in our wild little universe. I appreciate the humor of it; being not merely a conservative but the worst kind of conservative, a social conservative, I can still get the joke. Many people will delight in the opportunity to point this out to me nonetheless as they wish me Happy Earth, I mean Birthday, Marty. But the fact is that, though funny, the joke really has no basis in reality.

I don't understand why so many folks out there believe that conservatives have no respect for the planet or her environment. The very fact that we refer to Mother Earth in the feminine demonstrates the great respect we have for her.

We readily acknowledge that good stewardship is right and proper, not only as God has given us this gift of a place to live (and we should honor it on that point alone), but because our own interests command it. We cannot continue as a race without maintaining our world properly.

So plant a tree today if you so desire. Cultivate a field, or begin using cleaner burning fuels if that is your mission in life. I certainly won't stop you. So long as you don't make it into a cause which puts Earth ahead of people, those living, breathing people with eternal souls that matter much more than dirt and leaves, we can coexist happily.

In the meantime, I'll burn charcoal as I roast bratwurst and Italian sausage and hoist a brew or two in the back yard. Yessiree, I'll pollute the atmosphere with charcoal fumes as I prepare a birthday feast. Hey, I'm still a conservative. I have to do something that fits the stereotype. That's my part of the joke.