Saturday, December 13, 2008

Can Bill Clinton Save the Planet?

CNN just posted a story with the following headline: Bill Clinton Broadens Plans to Save Planet.  I pictured the planet flying off its axis and going dangerously close to the sun when William Jefferson Clinton flies to the rescue and pushes the planet back into its regular orbit.  With this in mind, I clicked on the story and it basically said that Clinton's organization partnered with the State of Arkansas to fight climate change.  I was so infuriated that CNN had mislead me that I wrote the following comment:

"Bill Clinton broadens plans to save planet?!? What a ridiculous headline. Bill Clinton cannot save the planet. Bill Clinton can't even save 1/10,000 of the planet. To have any plans to save the planet is outrageous. And then, to broaden those plans? Unconscionable. Here is an appropriate headline for you, CNN:

"Bill Clinton partners with Arkansas to fight climate change"

It's not perfect and I'm sure there are better options, but at least it is somewhat reasonable. Maybe people like sensational headlines, but your headlines should seem at least partially plausible.

Understand, this is not a partisan bashing of Bill Clinton and his "plans"; it is a non-partisan bashing of bad headlines, bad journalism, and bad taste. Shape up or I will broaden my plans to destroy the sun…where will you be then?"

On another note, how arrogant are we to think that any of us can save the planet?  The planet has been around for a looooongggg time.  It has suffered some pretty serious disasters and somehow always manages to bounce back.  I think it can handle some humans driving in SUVs.  And, if it can't, the planet will simply get rid of said humans and their SUVs.  This doesn't mean we shouldn't be wise stewards of the planet on which we live - regardless of whether or not we can have an impact on it; just that we should be realistic about our smallness in relation to the planet.

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