To cut to the nub of it all, a friend of mine who is a local broadcaster put a little tidbit on his Facebook page and set off a firestorm of stupid. Not his doing, but the thread spiraled out of control to over 60 posts.

He put up a harmless observation: “To celebrate ‘Earth Day’ tomorrow, I’ve a desire to rent a gas guzzling SUV, and rejoice in climate change, (aka global warming).”

Not that he was going to do so, but merely a desire. It’s cold today. About 20 degrees colder than normal. And it has been for a long time. We need some global warming here. Many would call it “Spring” or something similar. We’re all sick of winter and the never ending winter storm warnings that the National Weather Service keeps popping off.

One poster evidently thought that my friend was out of line because his profile photo today (he changes the picture more often than most of us brush our teeth – dentists included) was of Jesus holding a small child.

It seems, according to Mr. Facebook profile and etiquette man-in-charge-and-don’t-you-dare-argue-I’ve-got-the-armband (evidently a self-appointed position), that you cannot mock earth worship if you identify yourself with Jesus. Because it’s arguing a political cause that’s scientifically proven – or something.

He was all over the place (the upset reader) with his venom and then he started calling out other comment makers demanding that they confess to their pastor that they had – well, he needed to vent is all I could deduce. He did call me “troll boy” and I was kind of honored with that accolade. It’s part of my theory that anyone that far out that finds you disgusting is paying you a compliment. It’s rather like finding out that you’ve earned the enmity of Hitler and Stalin on the same topic: IT’S A WIN’1!!1

So, I’m going to check the thread now and again and laugh some more. The offended one said he WAS DONE about 20 posts before he quit posting. People got tired of taunting him is what happened. I imagine he’s waiting for a “really good one” to come along and then he’ll jump back in. Should be classic.

Tomorrow? I’m going to celebrate by taking myself out for a large helping of bacon and firing my semi-automatic black gun. I will drive my S.U.V. to get there. And then I just might drive by the stand of pine trees that I helped plant as a teenager. They were seedlings in 1976. They’re as tall as the sky today. I tend to take a longer view on these things. I don’t remember “the little ice age” but I know that it’s an historical fact. Climate change has been around as long as climates. Constantly changing. It’s pretty arrogant to blame man for the most recent cycle of change. But that’s a blog for another day.

How will you celebrate earth day? Any pagan rituals on the agenda for this pagan holiday? Or will you perhaps conform to the Biblical ideals of stewardship and do a bit of herding and planting. One poster said he’d burn a tire to celebrate. Depending on how cold it is, I might join him just to warm my hands. (Upwind, of course. Those things stink when they burn.)

No matter what you plan, have a blessed day. And try to be civil on Facebook. Fact is, not much of anyone cares what you say when it’s a vicious rant about other people’s faith and their mother’s sexual proclivities.

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