Aside Plastic Bag Mound, ABC’s Sawyer Implores Americans to Use Cloth Bags

Aside Plastic Bag Mound, ABC’s Sawyer Implores Americans to Use Cloth Bags

By Scott Whitlock (Bio | Archive)
April 23, 2007 - 15:58 ET

On the Friday edition of ABC’s “20/20,” Diane Sawyer stood in front of an ABC generated visual aid: A gigantic mound of plastic bags and paper towels.

With no sense of irony, the ABC host then proceeded to lecture viewers on waste and the need to use cloth bags at the supermarket. Referring to plastic bags as “plastic flowers,” Sawyer intoned, “They can take up to 1,000 years to degrade in landfills. So tomorrow, use a cloth bag at the grocery store, and let the trees have some real flowers.”

Of course, the ABC host offered this helpful advice right after another segment on inefficient Americans and the amount of paper towels and plastic bags they dispose of:

Sawyer: “Look all around me. And if every household replace just one of the rolls with a recycled roll, we'd save almost one million trees. And then think of the plastic bags we all use. Do we really need to use all of them? We go through an average of 18,000 plastic bags, each of us, over our lifetimes.”

Sawyer quickly added that, “Before you write to me, we are going to be giving the paper towels and also the plastic bags to charity to be used.” However, considering that all the paper towels had to be taken out of their wrapping (Did ABC recycle them?) and the plastic bags all appear to be tightly tied off (What charity will be using those worn bags?), it’s not clear that ABC is exactly leading by example.

Lecturing Americans on their use of plastic bags isn’t a new phenomenon. In January of 2005, NBC’s “Today” show featured a segment that approvingly noted how San Francisco was considering a 17 cent tax on usage of plastic bags. As the MRC’s Brent Baker noted in a CyberAlert from January 26, 2005, co-host Matt Lauer and (then) co-anchor Katie Couric seemed to approve of the concept:

From the couch, Couric admired the goal of eliminating paper and plastic bags: "That's interesting. We were saying people should bring maybe canvas bags or those big sort of net bags. I think they use those in Europe a lot right?"

Lauer, sitting beside Couric: "They do that a lot, yeah."

Curry: "In, in New York you see a lot of people driving little wheeled, you know, sort of carts. So, you know, really maybe we should think about that again."

Couric, with finger to her cheek: "Hmm."

Lauer: "Hmm. Something to ponder."

For Diane Sawyer, the plastic bag segment wasn’t her first lecture about American wastefulness. Earlier that day, as part of an Earth Day themed show, the “Good Morning America” anchor hosted a segment on the massive consumption of the United States.

A transcript of the “20/20" segment, which aired at 10:18pm on April 20, follows:

Diane Sawyer: “Come with me. I want to show you something about all of us in America, where we plow through so much paper, so many trees. On average, every one of us will use, in our lifetimes, 2,025 rolls of paper towels. Look all around me. And if every household replace just one of the rolls with a recycled roll, we'd save almost one million trees. And then think of the plastic bags we all use. Do we really need to use all of them? We go through an average of 18,000 plastic bags, each of us, over our lifetimes. And before you write to me, we are gonna be giving you the paper towels and also the plastic bags to charity to be used. But think of it this way, if you take all of the land on the Earth and divide it among all of the people on the Earth, each of us has four acres in our custody. So what do we wanna leave behind on our four acres? Trees or plastic bags? Still ahead, what is the single biggest thing the experts say that we could all do that would have the most dramatic effect on the planet tomorrow? We're gonna be telling you that. And we want to know what you think it might be. So send us an e-mail. Take your guess. But coming up right now, another instant gift to give the planet. No wonder they're everywhere, in our trees and fields, those stray plastic flowers. More than 500 billion plastic bags are distributed annually. You use them for just 25 minutes and less than 3% are recycled. They can take up to 1,000 years to degrade in landfills. So tomorrow, use a cloth bag at the grocery store, and let the trees have some real flowers. Lose the plastic bag.”

—Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center.

Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

We were doing just fine wit

April 23, 2007 - 16:19 ET by motherbelt

We were doing just fine with paper bags, until the Democrats decided to "save the trees." Now we're using stupid recycled, hole-filled, flimsy plastic bags that you have to double virtually all the time, and they whine about that. I say let's go back to using paper. And I want to scream when I see those stupid blowers in rest rooms to dry your hands. We use electricity, fired by coal, to dry our hands, in order to save the trees. Save them for what? And as far as trees go, can you say "renewable resource"??????

OK, I've had my little rant. I'm better now.

Mother...You go girl!The libe

April 23, 2007 - 16:21 ET by Clear thinker

Mother...

You go girl!

The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.

Totally agree!You don't even

April 23, 2007 - 16:26 ET by bigtimer

Totally agree!

You don't even want to get me started on logging and the lies.

Great post mb...I too hate those plastic bags.

...got to get to work for a bit...later.

"four acres and a mule"

April 23, 2007 - 16:31 ET by RJ

Well, if you're gonna repeat Diane's claim that I'm due "four acres", I'm gonna repeat my demand "where's my mule?"

Air hand dryers? I never use them. I read long ago that because they recycle the dirty air in the bathroom you're just rubbing germs into your clean skin.

As for the paper towels made from recycled paper, Diane, there's a national company that also makes toilet paper from recycled paper. Bet you wouldn't even consider using that on YOUR tush.....

I don't use the hand dryers b

April 23, 2007 - 16:49 ET by rubylens

I don't use the hand dryers because they just don't work. You could stand there for ten minutes wasting electricity, and your hands would still be damp. Still have to touch the dirty door handle on your way out, too. I usually use the paper towel I dried my hands on to hold the handle with, then I lean back in and toss the paper in the trash can as the door shuts behind me. It really, really annoys me when there are no paper towels in a public bathroom.

Remember those icky cloth rolls that cycled through the dispenser and looked like they hadn't been cleaned since the Kennedy administration? I'm expecting those to make a comeback any day now.

Gee RJ,Maybe if you convinced

April 23, 2007 - 17:28 ET by Blonde

Gee RJ,

Maybe if you convinced Diane she could use TWO squares of recycled instead of one square of the regular kind....

Hi Blonde. Naw, I think D

April 23, 2007 - 18:02 ET by RJ

Hi Blonde. Naw, I think Diane uses some kind of special order extra soft brand.

BTW, if you get a chance, read the entire Sheryl Crow thread. Some pretty funny stuff there, as you can imagine.

we need the new clothing line

April 23, 2007 - 18:15 ET by

we need the new clothing line with removable sleeves for dining in order to save on napkins

that doesn't explain it well

April 23, 2007 - 18:17 ET by

that doesn't explain it well sheryl has designed clothing with sleeves that can be used for wiping your mouth and removed for extra washing or replacing when worn out

I forgot about that. Her ideas sound like Doper-think

April 23, 2007 - 18:22 ET by RJ

I forgot about that. Her ideas sound like Doper-think....ssnnnffff...."hey, man, I got this great idea for disposable sleeves. I mean, like, my nose is running constantly. Wouldn't it be cool to always have a place to wipe it without ruining another shirt sleeve?"

And...."hey, man, I'm always constipated, so why would I need more than one square?"

RJ,Removable sleeves?Spare me

April 23, 2007 - 18:26 ET by Blonde

RJ,

Removable sleeves?

Spare me.

Hasn't this broad ever heard of tablecloths and cloth napkins?

I'm not a domestic goddess by any means, but I iron tableclothes and napkins when I entertain. What is with these liberal idiots?

Blonde, how old IS she?

April 23, 2007 - 18:30 ET by RJ

My attention was grabbed by the concept of wiping your nose, etc, on your sleeve. This broad must be emotionally stunted at about age six.

RJ,Agreed. There is no ther

April 23, 2007 - 18:34 ET by Blonde

RJ,

Agreed. There is no there, there. A head full of air.

Both of them, actually (Diane & Sheryl). What gall to lecture us about recycling! Too bad they're not french (hmmm....) then it would be too much gaul!

RJ, I did read it; it's hil

April 23, 2007 - 19:24 ET by motherbelt

BTW, if you get a chance, read the entire Sheryl Crow thread.--RJ

RJ, I did read it; it's hilarious. I was wondering how this will be enforced. Toilet police? I've got it...you know those "matrons" that used to hand out towels after we washed our hands? They could now hand out "one square" as we go in.... OMG I'm reminded of the Seinfeld episode with Elaine in the restroom without paper, begging the lady in the next stall (Jami Gertz) for "Please, just one square!!" LOL!!

not a square to spare

April 23, 2007 - 19:27 ET by

not a square to spare

botg, you remember!!! Hilar

April 23, 2007 - 19:30 ET by motherbelt

botg, you remember!!! Hilarious, no? My son and I are firm believers that anything that happens in your life can be related to an episode of "Seinfeld". This proves it beyond doubt, don't you think?

well nothing really happened

April 23, 2007 - 19:34 ET by

well nothing really happened today

That's a show!!

April 23, 2007 - 20:48 ET by motherbelt

That's a show!!

Absolutely! and my neighbor

April 23, 2007 - 21:26 ET by

Absolutely! and my neighbor He's a character!

Motherbelt, nice thought but

April 23, 2007 - 19:34 ET by JAB

Motherbelt, nice thought but now I'm confused, do I tip on the way in or wait until my egress, because I may refuse to pay a tip on the way out because of them being stingy with the TP...?

No logic in a lib's way of thinking <scratching head>?!

"Too bad Ignorance isn't painful..."

Well, you might as well tip

April 23, 2007 - 20:59 ET by motherbelt

Well, you might as well tip on the way in, since you know you're only going to get one square.

Sheryl Crow is an idiot, IMO. Even dumber than the toilet police is her idea for the "disposable sleeve". She says besides dining, it would be great for someone with a head cold. Can't you just see someone (not her of course, she would NEVER do it!) walking around with the "product" of their head cold on their sleeve?????

Why in hell does anyone take anything these self-absorbed idiots with delusions of grandeur say, seriously?? Do we really have to pay attention to them just because they have hit songs or have been in movies??????

mb...What I want to know is w

April 23, 2007 - 21:05 ET by bigtimer

mb...

What I want to know is who was dumb enough to buy that design of hers...who in the world is going to buy that..except complete air-head elitists like her that have had their windmill bent too far to the left for quite a long time.

RJ,I read the Sheryl Crow t

April 23, 2007 - 20:57 ET by jmad627

RJ,

I read the Sheryl Crow thread twice, continuing to laugh with tears streeming out my eyes. It is comic relief at it's finest.

Question. Does Diane Sawyer k

April 23, 2007 - 20:32 ET by danbo

Question. Does Diane Sawyer know what going to the grocery store is all about. Or does she just send the maid. It's easy to pontificate if you don't go. Does the maid always bring the right number of cloth bags? Does she walk? Or do you send her in the car or limo?

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken

What you've said is completel

April 23, 2007 - 16:50 ET by mattm

What you've said is completely logical and sensible...which is beyond the likes of Sawyer...(ironic name too, since it refers to a family of wood-cutters)

We were doing just fine w

April 23, 2007 - 16:56 ET by DontFeedTheTrolls

We were doing just fine with paper bags, until the Democrats decided to "save the trees."

Right, and the old bags used to hold as much as one of the supermarket's small, handheld, baskets would hold. Just right for one person to hold with one arm while walking or opening your car or home door. Now you need 2 or 3 plastic bags or 2 or 3 small bags that the stores have switched to.

On top of that, I always use(d) the paper bags for trash can liners. Why spend money on special (expensive) bags that you just throw out?

A day without NewsBusters is like a day without sunshine.

I'm switching to paper.

April 23, 2007 - 17:51 ET by florida_chad

I'm switching to paper.

They held more. And broke les

April 23, 2007 - 20:34 ET by danbo

They held more. And broke less. You did have to double bag. But you have to do that with plastic also.

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken

danbo & chad,Each have th

April 23, 2007 - 20:39 ET by Blonde

danbo & chad,

Each have their uses.

Just think about a leaky package of steak in a paper (or yuck...cloth) bag. Not too consumer friendly.

See my post a couple of posts down about landfills, burn plants, and recycling.

Too bad these liberals don't know a thing about which they spew.

Blonde. I agree they each hav

April 23, 2007 - 21:30 ET by danbo

Blonde. I agree they each have their own use. I have mine for plastic bags also. I also addressed that earlier also. With my observations of trash and nature.

Where are these dingbats coming from?

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken

Heck, I use paper bags for my

April 26, 2007 - 19:57 ET by Kimberly

Heck, I use paper bags for my recycling. I put paper products in the paper bags, and they all get out to the curb together for recycling.

Meanwhile, all the plastic bags are good for is trashcan lining. They won't hold heavy groceries. You have to double-bag them. The grocery delivery company I use has their own plastic bags that are at least double-thickness and twice the size of the new "T-Shirt" bags. These bags are the size of paper shopping bags. They hold a lot, they don't leak, and they're fantastic bags. I keep them and use them for any occasion that I need a plastic carrying bag.

Here's some irony to chew o

April 23, 2007 - 16:59 ET by Challenger Grim

Here's some irony to chew over: If a family burns/incinerates their garbage, the ashes they end up having in one year amount to about what a similar family's trash from one week. Not only that, but when garbage is burned, it will (of course) be a lot easier to degrade in the environment than if it wasn't.

Of course, then we have the problem of producing even MORE greenhouse gases than we would if everything was shoved into landfills.

Well guess what environmental morons, that's the way things work. You can't eat your cake and have it to. You always have to make a hard choice. (i.e. coal or nuclear power)
What I did today.

Challenger,Actually, the prim

April 23, 2007 - 17:34 ET by Blonde

Challenger,

Actually, the primary landfill gas that is produced is methane...which is why you see pipes on the side of a hill....the gas is recovered, scrubbed, the solid chemicals sold, and the pure gas turned back to energy.

Further, when municipal solid waste is properly incinerated, it also can be turned into energy. For further info...

Finally, the recycling industry is going to "single stream" wherein the consumer may throw all recyclables together, and as the material goes through the "single stream", like items are separated out, to the point of being able to separate out colored glass from clear, etc. The technology is new and very expensive, but if consumers are willing to pay, you'll see more and more sophisticated methods to recycle, while providing ease of use to the ultimate consumer.

These media people are so ignorant it makes me want to scream!

Excellent point Blonde, tha

April 24, 2007 - 11:59 ET by Challenger Grim

Excellent point Blonde, thanks for the update. That link was totally awesome.

Of course, being a computer programmer, I'm always in favor of greater and better efficency.
What I did today.

This kind of lecturing from D

April 23, 2007 - 16:27 ET by rubylens

This kind of lecturing from Diane Sawyer and her ilk always makes my hackles rise. The first thing I want to do is go out and do something completely wasteful just to tick them off.

However, I would actually be willing to use cloth tote bags for my groceries, mainly because those stupid plastic bags are taking over the whole bottom of my pantry. My family saves them for some reason, and I'm always throwing them out, but more just appear all the time. They're endless and annoying and useless--except for being something to scoop the kitty litter "clumps" into. Still have to double and triple them, though, so I don't leave a trail of kitty litter through the house.

ruby, I use them to line my

April 23, 2007 - 19:34 ET by motherbelt

ruby, I use them to line my small trash can under my kitchen sink. And I go through a lot of them, because as I said, you have to double them all the time. I have never in my adult life bought "kitchen bags." And when I get really ticked off over how many of them I have, I confess, I throw a big bunch of them into the trash....I don't always take them back to the market and put them in their recycling can.....I'm so bad LOL.

Well, I do use them in my lit

April 23, 2007 - 19:54 ET by rubylens

Well, I do use them in my little bathroom trash cans. But a trash can that small in the kitchen just wouldn't work for my family.

Seriously, though, the plastic grocery bags must multiply on their own while we sleep at night, 'cause no matter how many I get rid of, there are at least twice as many in the bottom of the pantry the next day!

I just checked at Amazon, and they have canvas grocery totes for about $3-$4 apiece. I'm seriously considering getting some--not because Diane Sawyer told me to, but because I hate those little evil plastic grocery bags.

I'll bet I've been more environmentally friendly than

April 23, 2007 - 16:36 ET by RJ

I'll bet I've been more environmentally friendly than any of those liberals who preach at us.

Based on that, at the point that any of them provides a list of what they do to reduce their own carbon footprint, I'll pay attention to what they have to say.

RJ...Me too! I recently went

April 23, 2007 - 16:41 ET by Clear thinker

RJ...

Me too!

I recently went around the house collecting all cleaning solutions, paints, solvents and anything else that the enviros state are poisoning our lives, gathered them together and threw them all in our local pristine river.

;-)

The liberal MSM has become an enemy of the USA.

lol

April 23, 2007 - 21:45 ET by dahliatravers

lol

So Diane, What did you do wit

April 23, 2007 - 16:37 ET by upcountrywater

So Diane,

What did you do with all those GOOD paper rolls, after your 30 SECOND view of them..??? Dimming your lights inside and outside , that's your answer, dimwit!

Detonated Plutomium has a very large carbon footprint.

ABC Presents

April 23, 2007 - 16:45 ET by allanf

ABC Presents Diane Sawyer, fresh from her All Dictator tour of the Middle East and North Korea.

Last February you heard Diane sing the praises Kim an Ahmadinejad

Now you can hear Diane tell you how bad you are for going to the supermarket or wiping your counter.

Thank you burka clad blonde dynamite..

“They can take up to

April 23, 2007 - 16:45 ET by Dave R

“They can take up to 1,000 years to degrade in landfills.

Who cares, Diane? They are landfills!

Trees, by the way, are an infinitely renewable resource. A lot of trees can be grown in 1,000 years. Far more than we will ever need.

This republic will not survive the continued neglect of its people.-
Neal Boortz.

Praise Wal-Mart

April 23, 2007 - 16:48 ET by allanf

Why Diane, I think you forgot to praise Wal-Mart for not using any bags at all in its Sam's Club stores!!!!

Wal Mart is also going for bi

April 23, 2007 - 16:51 ET by RJ

Wal Mart is also going for bio-plastics (made from plant matter and bio degradable) in a big way.

Walmart...Bad

April 23, 2007 - 17:14 ET by Cool Arrow

Are we allowed to say we like WalMart in this failing economy?

No. You are NEVER allowed to

April 23, 2007 - 18:22 ET by rubylens

No. You are NEVER allowed to say you like Wal-Mart. Ever.

Four acres, eh? Well, I have

April 23, 2007 - 16:51 ET by ThisnThat

Four acres, eh? Well, I have nearly 4 acres now -- most of it woods and swamp. This winter, we've endured several snowstorms, ice storms, and strong winds. I estimate I've had 1-2 dozen trees knocked down, along with a lot of branches.

Dead trees! OMG. And they were so alive last year. What am I going to do? How do I make amends? And how do I control mother nature?

If each of us have 4 acres, and 10 trees are knocked down by mother nature each year, what is the total waste here? Is this going to be news or what?

I can only shake my head at such fools as Diane Sawyer. They have no sense of reality, no ability to put context into anything they do, and yet they are the ones that have the face to the public. What a sad state of affairs.

..it takes up to 1,000 years.

April 23, 2007 - 16:58 ET by rimsky

..it takes up to 1,000 years.. if every household would replace just one of the rolls we could save a million trees.. we go through an average of 18,000 plastic bags.. more than 500 billion plastic bags are distributed annually.. OMG!!!!!!

Open wide, Swallow hard America!!

I don't know about the rest

April 23, 2007 - 17:00 ET by MightyMouth

I don't know about the rest of you "planet killers", but I recycle!

"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...

Maybe next time, Diane coul

April 23, 2007 - 17:04 ET by Dave in Texas

Maybe next time, Diane could do a report on all those billboards that ABC throws up everywhere, every fall advertising their new shows. Do they use recycled paper? What happens to the paper after their lease on the billboard runs out?

As for those canvas bags. I know exactly what would happen if I tried to use those things. Every time I came in, the clerk would try to ring them up as something I purchased. Assuming that didn't happen, the sacker would completely ignore them and just put everything in plastic bags anyway... including my canvas bags. None of this would matter anyway, because after a month, the bags would be so soaked with dried blood, poultry juice, milk, and fruit juice, that I would just throw them away.

Rather than using all that ga

April 23, 2007 - 17:12 ET by Cool Arrow

Rather than using all that gasoline to visit her fellow bags, she could have had an employee send an electronic picture of them.

SARCASM ALERT... At least

April 23, 2007 - 17:13 ET by TexasOptimist

SARCASM ALERT...

At least people like Diane Sawyer, Sheryl Crow, Laurie David, Sam Champion, and others are TRYING to help the global environment. Us conservatives do not care about the global environment. We want to see the planet become unlivable, the air become too dirty to breathe, the water too dirty to drink. Shame on us.

George W. Bush is not a full-fledged conservative, but I still support his presidency. I'd rather have him as president than ANY of the Democrats.
Merry Christmas 2007.

Personally, I want to suffoca

April 23, 2007 - 17:21 ET by rubylens

Personally, I want to suffocate in a giant mountain of used plastic grocery bags.

Or

April 23, 2007 - 17:36 ET by Cool Arrow

Or die sniffing Cheryl Crow's Methane cakes.

LOL! No, those can be recycle

April 23, 2007 - 17:40 ET by rubylens

LOL! No, those can be recycled by burning them for home heating fuel. ;-)

Record cold

April 23, 2007 - 18:15 ET by Cool Arrow

Record Cold sweeps through the northeast. Heating fuel runs out and people heat homes with CROW STOOLS

talk about not seeing the forrest for all the trees...

April 23, 2007 - 17:29 ET by c5then

Sawyer and ABC are worried about platic bags going to landfills and didn't even mention the paper bags that are already made from recycled paper and come from a very renewable resource??

If I remember correctly, these plastic bags came about because of all the enviro-activists who were concerned about all the trees being used.

By the way, doesn't plastic require petroleum to produce?

So...we listened to them once and were given a worse "solution" than we already were using...what makes anyone think this time will be different?

Hey, does anybody know what l

April 23, 2007 - 17:38 ET by rubylens

Hey, does anybody know what libs think of Diane Sawyer's and Sheryl Crow's suggestions? I looked at dKos and DU, but didn't see anything. I'm surprised because Crow's suggestions were all over the news today. I would think that at least some of them would have reacted like Rosie did to Crow's one-square TP idea and realized how idiotic that one was. They'd probably applaud the cloth grocery bag idea, though.

TP

April 23, 2007 - 19:15 ET by Emma Grump

After hearing Sheryl's idea, I'm sold. As we speak, we have the grandchildren separating the plies on the roll in the upstairs bathroom. Also, to save precious water, the toilet will only be flushed after the family has finished defecating for the day. Thankfully, Grandpa suffers from irregularity, and requires less paper and water than the rest of the family. What a money-saver he is! The children, bless their hearts, are doing all this in the dark, so as to conserve precious electricity, and when they are finished, will be riding their bikes home, so as to conserve precious gasoline. Sometimes I complain about how cold it is in the house (53 degrees), but after all, we are conserving precious fuel oil. Gotta run - I think I just heard someone flush .......

actually i don't need to cons

April 23, 2007 - 19:33 ET by

actually i don't need to conserve water cuz i have a new low flush toilet. Where it used to take 2.5 gallons per flush it now takes only 1.5 thus i save 1 gallon each time. NOW it takes 3 flushes to do what used to take 1 flush. SO my total saving is 3 gallons per flush on what used to take 2.5 gallons. THUS they owe me a half gallon for each time i use the toilet. Going Green is sooo cool

I like your math. I think a l

April 23, 2007 - 22:06 ET by danbo

I like your math. I think a lot of libs use that math,

I bet you counted the people at the 300 million man march.

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken

Is your computer being powere

April 23, 2007 - 21:34 ET by rubylens

Is your computer being powered by hamsters on little wheels?

Sure McCain would gladly join

April 23, 2007 - 17:40 ET by bigtimer

Sure McCain would gladly join Sawyer like he did Crow not long ago with all their sentiments.

He made a speech today and had the audacity to talk about oil and dependency on other countries, terrorists....blah blah blah...he is the very one that could of voted to let us drill here in ANWR and did not, we lost by one lousy vote.

I will never forget it...and he will never get my vote, but he is never going to win the primaries anyway...the hypocrite.

The media can keep spinning the reason McCain is losing is because of his support of the war all they want, he is losing because he is a RINO...and people do not forget how he has voted.

Period.

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Apr23/0,4670,McCainEnergy,00.html

Bag lady

April 23, 2007 - 18:38 ET by acumen

Darn the luck, missed another compelling piece by Sawyer. Did Diane happen to tell the bag ladies in her audience what type of bag Sawyer's delivery service uses to bring purchases up to her Manhattan highrise?

Burn it, dern it

April 23, 2007 - 19:18 ET by viluzion

I live in the sticks and have a burning barrel which I use to dispose of paper, plastic and anything that will burn when I am finished with it. This practice reduces considerably the number of plastic trash bags (required for trash pickup where I live) that I have to send to the landfill. Everybody should have a burning barrel or pit.

Yeah, I'm not too keen on my

April 23, 2007 - 19:50 ET by rubylens

Yeah, I'm not too keen on my suburban neighbors, whose houses are about 12 feet from mine, burning trash so close to my house.

But I used to live in the country as a child, and we had a burning barrel. Very efficient, I agree.

You know, vil, the bad thing

April 23, 2007 - 19:51 ET by MobiusStrip

You know, vil, the bad thing about that is that burning plastic turns out some very nasty carcinogenic chemicals. Don't get downwind. But then the stuff settles somewhere- the landfill is better.

You know Mobius, I have alot

April 23, 2007 - 20:01 ET by JAB

You know Mobius, I have alot of scrap pieces of "Pressure Treated Lumber" left over from building my deck.

Should I;

1) burn it and stay up-wind or

2) put in the local landfill?

Your insite on carcinogins is eagerly awaited. I would hate to have the termites get into them and get cancer.

"Too bad Ignorance isn't painful..."

I have a burning barrell, p

April 23, 2007 - 20:47 ET by SarahAnnie

I have a burning barrell, plus a Dumpster (that for some ungodly reason only gets emptied twice a month, but moving on), and burn a LOT of our trash. Banana peels, orange rinds, etc. get thrown into the garden, natch. Burning things has yet to cause any of my cows to be born with 3 heads, so I'm really not all that concerned about what gets spewed into the air.

Oh, and I use Wal-mart bags instead of styrofoam packing peanuts when sending care packages to South Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Crumple 'em up, and I've had no complaints with squished cookies yet.

Nebraskans for War: Peace through Strength

Sarah..I too use the plastic

April 23, 2007 - 20:54 ET by bigtimer

Sarah..

I too use the plastic bags for packing...I mail a lot of stuff that needs cushioned, works great.

Thanks for the time, effort and work you do for sending those cookies to our troops...my gratitude for what you do is endless too...without saying, that goes for our troops, past and present.

vil,You are exactly right.Peo

April 23, 2007 - 20:01 ET by bigtimer

vil,

You are exactly right.

People would be surprised, I do not even need the use of a garbage disposal, the only trash I have are/is cans, aluminum in other words, and bottles or anything glass....there may be exceptions, but very few.

I've been making a carbon foot-print most of my life, in more ways that one...lol!

Sawyer

April 23, 2007 - 19:45 ET by pocomoco

But, Diane, those landfills make such great golf courses.

Sawyer

April 23, 2007 - 20:23 ET by pocomoco

Today, Diane Sawyer donned her social scientists hat and lectured us why plastic bags are bad, bad, bad for America.

Whereas last week, she donned her international political hat and lectured us why appeasement is good, good, good for America.

Quite frankly, Sawyers hats, no matter which one she dons each day, are full of it and she is an embarrassment to her profession, as sleazy as it already is.

<insert footage of goose w

April 23, 2007 - 20:25 ET by

Gee, Ms Sawyer. I use those p

April 23, 2007 - 20:25 ET by danbo

Gee, Ms Sawyer. I use those plastic bags when I walk my dog. If you'd rather I just leave the doggy poo.. I know you don't like walking your dog, as you bought a bigger penthouse so the dog can just go on the terrace. Should I just send you my two girls gifts?

On a more serious note. After Katrina came through. There were plastic bags every where. In the top of trees. Far out in the marsh. Deep in the woods. It was like someone detonated a bag bomb. I figure I'd be seeing those bags till I died. But you know. I don't see them like I did. And it has changed my thinking. Now some bags were picked up. I picked up a bunch. But it looks like most are becoming a part of nature. I even find bits of bags as part of bird nests.

When I started diving, I though I should pick up the trash I found on the ocean bottom. Untill I realized there were tiny shrimp and fish hiding in and living in those bottles, cans, pipes etc.

Ask any diver. A wrecked ship, an oil platform isn't a man made thing that ruins the oceans. They provide wonderful homes to marine life. Nature loves them.

Sure there are problems. But nature has a wonderful way of using what you consider our self centeredness.

I know the Greens will scream at me. But man isn't seperate from nature. But part of nature. And nature often uses what you don't like.

"The urge to save humanity is almost always a false front for the urge to rule.” H.L. Mencken

If my wife were to have eve

April 24, 2007 - 00:07 ET by Right2thePoint

If my wife were to have ever met a toll troll over one square or two she would have just hauled back and slapped them silly. I am of a similar mind.

DamnWe have two libs saying

April 24, 2007 - 00:11 ET by Right2thePoint

Damn

We have two libs saying absurd things in one week. Did Cheryl think she was somhow covering for Harry Reid?

Diane Sawyer is a highly-educ

April 24, 2007 - 01:00 ET by maggieqpublic

Diane Sawyer is a highly-educated, successful American businesswoman. But does she not understand that most of her viewers have jobs, shop for their own groceries, launder clothing, clean their homes, and prepare the vast majority of their meals? Her “green” lectures are patronizing.

And Sheryl Crow/Laurie David. Has it ever occurred to them that many Americans prefer scientific debate by real scientists… rather than the rambling verbal assaults of a couple of bored, aging wannabes?

Must be about time again for Barbra Streisand to critique the President’s Harvard grades. Still waiting for her to post a diploma on the wall.

Hemp???

April 24, 2007 - 11:27 ET by squarehead67

Imagine if the Republicans started a campaign to convert Tobacco farms into Industrial Hemp farms….The lefty’s heads would spin. Hemp grows faster that trees, produces more oxygen and so on.

It’s a simple solution for the demand for pulp!

Just say no to plastic.