Tuesday, November 25, 2008

robert redford on drilling

Robert Redford has been blogging at The Huffington Post and last night appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show to talk about "quiet" legislation that would open up land in Southern Utah, in and around many National Parks, such as one of my favorites, Arches. i hadn't known much about the move, which Redford calls "cynical." i wouldn't go with "cynical," myself. "devious," to be sure. nevertheless. it's a minor criticism of Mr. Redford's critical prowess. because where he gets it completely is in his understanding of the ironic rhetoric of the legislation. he argues:

Words alone cannot do justice to the beauty of these places, but they do capture the absurdity of the Bush plan. Oil and gas drilling in Desolation Canyon? Industrial development along the meandering Green River? The thought makes one wince.

speaking of clunky rhetoric: a few days ago, i saw a woman getting in to her car at the Sam's Club parking lot. she had a bumper sticker that read "DRILL HERE. DRILL NOW. PAY LESS!" it made me sad. you might say that it hurt my feelings. because, i mean, i can be as Darwinian as the next guy, but come on. there are limits to my greed (i like to think). and is it so easy to declare one's contempt for unspeakable beauty, and, oh, the future? i suppose that when you're driving away, it is.

but so, learning about the obnoxious move to pass drilling legislation that bypasses environmental protections and the National Park Service and the Endangered Species Act and basic human decency (i've seen this before -- upper adminsitration makes Big Ugly Move during Summer months, when faculty are away), i'm sadder.

but so now, to contact my representatives.

3 comments:

pensum said...

That bumper sticker got me to thinking: are you sure she wasn't simply a prostitute with a creative marketing plan?

pensum said...

I got to thinking my previous comment might have come off as somewhat inappropriate which i would like to apologize for.

in my disgust for the "drill, baby, drill" attitude what i was crudely attempting to highlight was the inherent ignorance--whether of the facts, the consequences, etc.--of such a view, even to the effect it has on one's own life. all of which seems amply illustrated by that woman's obliviousness to the obvious sexual reading of her bumper sticker.

bonnie lenore kyburz said...

no need for concern, pensum. i wrote about the bumper sticker because i felt a similarly unpleasant sentiment rising within me when i saw it. feel free ...