Not because someone disagrees with me (we all know where I stand in terms of political lines), that happens. It is entirely acceptable to have different opinions. But, isn't there a line you can't be willing to cross? Like, perhaps, "I will not be dumb on purpose."
This is the image that sparked the whole thing:
.....
My immediate reaction was stunned silence. Are people that desperate in today's political climate that they will make willfully ignorant statements like this one and other people will not only by into it, but promote this viewpoint?
Politics aside, lets think about this for a moment. (Given the vocabulary presentation level of the man in the photo, I'll explain carefully and slowly.) Lizards that make good boots, as it is so eloquently stated, are also reptiles. Do you know what reptiles do for the environment?
Reptiles are very beneficial. They are an important part of the food chain in controlling rodents, feeding on carrion and alligators are important even by creating dens and gator holes that help protect wetland species in droughts.
Reptiles impose an important check on insect and rodent populations. Some of the most venomous snakes in the world such as the Indian cobra actually prevent the spread of disease-carrying rodents, even in urban centers, so their usefulness often outweighs their danger. However, far more benign reptiles also act to control populations of pests.
According to the website Animal Bytes from Busch Gardens, crocodiles and alligators also prevent overpopulation of fish species in coastal regions and wetlands, which is pivotal in keeping these aquatic ecosystems healthy and balanced. A healthy aquatic ecosystem is instrumental for fisheries that make their living in these environments.
But, they pretty much just make a nice pair of boots. Do you even live on this planet?
I can hear the counter argument now. "What's one species of lizard compared to lack of dependency on foreign oil?"
Number one, the Keystone XL pipeline will NOT remove our need for foreign fossil fuels, not by a long shot. Second, importing it from Canada and Mexico is still importing it. Third, I wonder how many other species got the same consideration before they were made extinct? Perhaps the Tasmanian tiger, the Zanzibar leopard, the Madeiran large white moth, where loss of habitat due to construction as well as pollution from agricultural fertilizers are two major causes of the species' decline.
Those are only 3 of a list of species that have gone extinct in our quest for "progress" that isn't really all that progressive. The Keystone XL pipeline project, the tar sands it creates, are dirty and nasty forms of fuel which will further pollute the environment and harm ALL living creatures. What happens when we find OURSELVES on the endangered list?
As for the EPA itself, the tagline under that meme from the previous poster said "The EPA is just another of Obama's anti-domestic oil puppets".
.... -headshake-
The EPA, or Environmental Protection Agency, is responsible for the fact that they can no longer put asbestos in your insulation and for that fact that you don't have to drink water contaminated with urine, fecal matter, lead, toxic waste, industrial runoff, and a list of other nasty things. The address climate change, the protection of endangered species and they have the power to make CORPORATIONS pay for what they do to the environment in the name of profit.
How is that a puppet of anything? And how, for the love of clean water, can you think its a bad thing?
I suppose, if you can save .10 cents at the gas pump, the wiping out a whole species is alright, not to mention destroying hundreds of acres of ecosystem. Who needs trees and land and water and clean air to breathe and stuff?
Oh. Right. We do.
