Roll out the green carpet

Well here we are on MLK Jr. Day, which also happens to be the day before America’s first black president gets sworn into office. Prepare to hear the word “historic” thrown around like a Frisbee over the next 48 hours or so. With good reason, of course, but we’re hoping the Lincoln and JFK comparisons end soon, if only because we’re nervous about only comparing Obama to people who didn’t live through their terms. We voted for the guy, after all, and we’d rather not jinx his chances of sticking around.

But another (more relevant) “historic” element of his upcoming presidency is his green inaugural ball; apparently every last detail of the event has been made as eco-friendly as possible. The PR Newswire reports that “GEM electric cars will be used to transport many of the event’s speakers. VIP guests will sip on water produced by an Ecoloblue atmospheric water generator…food and beverages will be organic and local [and] power for a portion of the event will come from a biodiesel generator.” We know that Obama understands conservation to be a communal effort, and we know that he gets frustrated with people who think that someone else will cover for their wastefulness, but it’s good to see him make an immediate and public effort to set an example for the rest of us.

Of course, leave it to Fox News to completely miss the point. “If Hollywood stars and bigwigs really cared about the environment,” say the critics, “they’d choose not to come to Washington at all. Rather than generate tons of emissions in their private jets and gas-guzzling SUVs, they’d have a better chance of saving the Earth if they just stayed home.” They also cite numbers from the Institute for Liberty (who don’t divulge how they gathered their data) regarding the amount of pollution said jets and SUVs are using, as if Obama was everyone’s dad and somehow responsible for how people travel to his events.

All Obama can do, really, is make sure that said inaugural events are as green as possible, because those are the only things he has direct control over. But it’s hard to expect rational commentary from a bunch of stooges who honestly think Sean Hannity is the voice of the people.