Turkeys and more turkeys


Although we have several types of wildlife that occasionally roam our property, the funniest has to be the frequent band of turkeys that show up. These guys arrived just as we were leaving for work today. They're an ugly bunch, not the kind you want to carve up and serve for a nice meal on Thanksgiving.
The other 'turkey' I saw this morning was on the tollway driving a 50-foot RV. Getting away from home and enjoying the outdoors doesn't really jive with firing up a rolling living room and packing everything you own into it for a family vacation. I must admit though, that some of the memories I have of traveling as a kid involved my parents borrowing an RV and heading to Florida, but I still would prefer to connect a little more with nature when I sleep away from home. But I digress...
I was willing to give this particular RV driver the benefit of the doubt this morning once I noticed his Michigan plates, but that was before I saw the gas-guzzling appendage he was towing behind the RV. Usually you see old farts towing a compact car of some sort to use as a kind of getaway vehicle once they parking the house on wheels in one spot. But that wasn't good enough for this guy.
He was actually towing a Chevy Suburban. I shudder to think about the gas mileage he was getting with that setup. A massive RV, towing the biggest SUV that Chevy makes. I'll take a guess at something around 10 mpg. Now granted, maybe the guy has all sorts of coin to blow on simply getting to and from his vacation spot, but aside from that he must have absolutely no conscience about what he's doing to the atmosphere. Maybe if he's that loaded he can drop some coin on buying some carbon-offset credits to make up for what he's burning on the family trucksters.
I really couldn't believe it. I know (rolling my eyes) we should be able to do whatever the hell it is we want, right? It's America after all.
I just don't see it that way. Our quest to live the American dream and pursue our happiness in whatever manner we see fit will ultimately cost us more than we can possibly imagine in terms of energy costs, pollution cleanup, or anything else you can think of that relates to our excess.
I'm reminded of the movie Wall-E from last summer. While billed as a kids movie, the subject matter is actually way over their heads and provides a stinging criticism of the lifestyle we've grown accustomed to on this planet, particularly in America (although I don't think they specifically target the US in the movie).
I really didn't intend to get this high up on my soap box this morning, but those of you that know me well also know that there isn't anything that flips my crazy switch more than environmental recklessness. (wondering to myself....so why is it that I haven't found a job in that realm yet?)