Save our lake! Beaches are fun! (Oh yeah, it's also a major water source or something.)

First off, another gripe: How come bikey people are always assumed to be anarchists? For that matter, how come most bikey people are anarchists? You guys make me feel like I should feel guilty because I don't think government is such a bad thing so long as we keep watch on it. The country needs to maintain a military at the very least in order to prevent someone else from catching us with our national pants down. The world just doesn't work otherwise; there are too many people itching for a fight. And I'm sorry, I like my depraved modern consumerist conveniences like clean running water. Show me a decentralized grassroots collective that can successfully install and maintain municipal water and sewer systems and I'll show you someone willing to get herself arrested for some good cause. Until then, I'd rather not give the pigs any reason to touch me or even look at me warily.

Which I guess means that I usually ride alone.

Alright, I'm done stereotyping for the day. On to the main event.
Environment Illinois:
Send us your Great Lakes Pictures!

That capitalization is just painful, as well as the unnecessary use of the word "literally" below. I think I'm going to unsubscribe from their mailing list.

"Although public pressure forced BP to promise not to increase its pollution into Lake Michigan, there’s nothing to prevent other polluters from increasing their toxic discharges into the Great Lakes. In fact, approval for other pollution increases is pending elsewhere in the region. With years of progress in cleaning up the lakes, increasing industrial pollution is the LAST thing our Lakes need.

"That’s why we're calling on Governor Blagojevich to prevent future BP fiascos by endorsing a 'no increased pollution' policy in our state.

"We want to literally show the Governor how much we love the Great Lakes--we're setting up an online photo album of Illinoisans enjoying them. We're going to send the Governor a photo album with pictures of our families at the Lakes to drive home this important message: No increased pollution in our waters!

"I'm asking you to contribute a photo of you or your family wading, fishing, running the dog, or lounging on the beach at the Great Lakes or another state waterway. If you love the Lakes, please take a moment to send us your favorite shot!"

No, no, no, this is not the main reason why we made such a fuss about BP dumping (more) in Lake Michigan. It's not just the nation's largest swimming hole, it's our water source, for cryin' out loud. I never, ever go to the beach to "have fun." I never, ever swim in Lake Michigan. Does that make me any less inclined to want to protect the Great Lakes? Do I just say "oh, I never go to the beach, so I don't really care about the pollution anyway"? What kind of a statement is that? Is that really the message that Environment Action Illinois wants to send the governor? Do we honestly believe that the only real value of Illinois' Lake Michigan shoreline is that people enjoy it so much?

And if this whole thing isn't really about the Great Lakes at all but about Illinois waters, then why be so stupid as to invoke the BP fiasco? That was in Indiana. You're obfuscating the issue and critics are going to call you out on it. And then--Bam!--"debate" on a "controversy" where none should exist at all.

I'm tempted to submit a photo of myself holding my Trek water bottle and giving the finger. Now there's a message I do want to send the governor.

Did I say government wasn't such a bad thing? Sigh.


Look, I'm enjoying Lake Michigan.