Parade of Liars

The line of cars was endless. Hundreds of them, bumper to bumper, heading south and out of the city. I wish I could show you a picture of it because it wasn't until I saw it for myself, in the early darkness, with all those headlights pointed at me, that I realized that Ottawans don't give a damn about environmental concerns.
You tell me. Nearly every car I passed had only one person in it. I guess the discomfort that people feel at waiting to be picked up somewhere outside the city to carpool in to a central location has something to do with the loss of freedom of movement. It could be that we're lousy conversationalists first thing in the morning or that being twenty minutes early is too much to sacrifice for the overall health of our environment.
It could be that the word environment has lost its meaning because we say it over and over again, in magazines, on the radio and in newspapers.
Perhaps we should talk about ecosystems because while the effects of hundreds of cars trundling past seems a little removed from our concerns about global warming and fresh water supplies, we certainly don't need to go far to discover what effect this has on ecosystems like the Rideau river.
I know a few people who live along that river and they say it's been too polluted to swim safely in for years. The only thing left is to put the boat in and roar up and down the river and admire the perfect lawns and enormous houses that have supplanted the flora and fauna.
The reason I know that most of us feel some sort of embarrassment about our disregard for environmental issues is that no one will come right out and say, "I don't give a shit about the environment if it means I have to give up my car, my boat, my green lawn and my right to manipulate the world for my own purposes."
It's okay. You can do it. It beats mouthing the words, in sync with the leftist, save the whale do-gooders while privately and actively destroying our resources.
C'mon, I'm a hypocrite too. I pretend to care about recycling and then throw tin cans in the garbage. And then I act outraged when George Bush criticizes Kyoto. Join the revolution. It's all about giving up the pretense that you care.
If you're wondering who would join such a cause, just wander outside the city at five o'clock and take a seat at the side of the road. Then watch the parade of liars pass by who will, with one mouth, deride big industry for their lack of concern for the environment and with the other mouth defend their right to consume, pollute and destroy their own ecosystems because they feel uncomfortable and inconvenienced.
It will make you feel sick, too.