I see Mayor Miller quoted (in the National Post) as saying "It makes no sense to use oil, scarce oil, for something then throw it away" in reference to his (implied) tax on plastic bags. Uh excuse me Mr. Mayor but the primary use of oil products is for one time use, as fuel. Alternatively he should notice there is a glut of oil so extreme OPEC is cutting production, why does he consider it scarce? If he is consistent then he should plan to stop using oil products in their one time use of fuelling city buses. It's much healthier to walk and the pollution of those famously high polluting diesel buses is a major health hazard where the force of law should be more appropriately applied to protect people. Of course this ban will be a prelude to banning plastic bottles, with likely the same illogic applied.

A little less tongue in cheek I suggest Mayor Miller be honest in his motivations. This about making his government's job easier by making everyone else's life a little harder. This is one more item of the Green agenda of social engineering: imbedding in law alarmist ideas that cannot survive the reasonableness test of will people support it willingly. If he is really so worried about losing the fuel energy in oil then plastic bags will burn well in an incinerator, the best way to reduce the pollution problems of garbage anyway.

"Think of the Children"

There are some letters to the editor of the Era Banner on a local story, we seem to still be a nation of prudes and control freaks.
Here was my reply.

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I had to chuckle (ok I laughed out loud) at people who try to hide behind shrieks of "think of the children" as was expressed in the letter to the editor over a mom trying to care for her kid's nutritional needs. To think that breastfeeding near pool water is more dangerous than the same kids swimming in the same water with the contents from the other end of the child's digestive system: well let's call it unscientific. Others who in their letters equate topless swimming with nudity, well check the dictionary.

More to the larger issue: people need to learn to control their authoritarian tendencies. Just because they hold a differing opinion on something is no reason to interfere and call in security in bullet proof vests. This was not harming anyone and it is very frankly none of their business and we have enough issues with real crimes without inventing them. Despite years of progress unfortunately women are still held to a more restrictive standard than men and that lack of equality should not be tolerated in a supposedly free society. Even more people dealing with the public should not be enforcing those double standards.