Once again, I should be outraged, but instead I find myself simply bemused at someone's arrogant stupidity.  Bemused because he said it right out there in front of the entire world, exposing his idiocy for all to see.  What more can I add to that?

As you may have heard, Earth Hour is one hour a year when businesses and individuals are urged to turn out any inessential lights.  The electricity savings can be substantial, but it is primarily a reminder, and a show of personal commitment to the environment.  Electricity is expensive, and if everyone turned off just one extra light a year, we would save a shocking amount of money in electricity fees, as well as a considerable amount of carbon emissions and fossil fuels.

Is turning off a lamp once a year for an hour going to save the planet?  No, but it reminds people that we would like to.  And if everyone makes a small change, it can add up quickly.  (This is also known as the Superman 2 Theory of Economics, which later became the Office Space Theory of Economics.)

Rush Limbaugh however turned ON every light in his house, AND sent his private jet on a useless round trip to California.  Why?  I will give you his explanation in his own words:

to not conform with the tug of popular sentiment, which is a bunch of sheep.  I refuse to be a sheep!  I refuse to be a lemming, and I refuse to accept stupid, idiotic, erroneous premises.  This premise being that if we all turned our lights out, somehow we're making a statement for the future of saving the planet.  It's absurd.  So rather than just not turn my lights off... Wherever there are liberals, Roberta, I oppose them.

So in order to avoid mindlessly conforming to popular sentiment, Rush Limbaugh mindlessly anti-conforms to popular sentiment.  I love it!  How, I ask you, how is that any better? 

And how is it absurd to, in Rush's own words, "make a statement for the future of saving the planet"?

If Rush had actually considered the issues and data behind Earth Hour, he would have realized that wasting electricity is just the same as wasting money.  (Something he blasts the Obama administration for doing all the time.)  Furthermore, electricity wastes fossil fuels.  Flying an empty jet on purpose wastes fossil fuel, as well.  Even if Rush does not believe that fossil fuels are harmful to the environment (he doesn't) and even if Rush does not believe that our supply of fossil fuels is limited (he doesn't) surely he can get behind the idea of NOT WASTING THINGS?

What really got me laughing is that Rush's followers have all begun calling into his show proudly proclaiming how much gasoline and/or electricity they have wasted recently.  Here's an earlier quote from Rush:

Just because some actor goes on Larry King Live or some leftist environmental group says, "Everybody turn your lights off for an hour," why would you do it?  Why do they get the benefit of the doubt that their premise, that their reason is honorable and good and worthwhile?  Why would you turn yours off just because these people say to do it?

Well... just because Rush Limbaugh says "Everybody turn your lights ON for an hour," why would you do it?  But no, Rush's listeners are behaving just as badly as the "sheep" following the examples of "leftist environmental groups."  Worse, even, because there is no defense in favor of needlessly wasting fossil fuels or electricity.

This is one of those times when I really do have to step back and wonder whether Rush is, as his cousin asserted, a self-parody.  The right wing's Steven Colbert.  (At the very least, they both make me laugh!)