back at the end of February:
Here we have the new religion of "Save the Earth Not the People" reverting to an ancient religious practice of "buying indulgences" in which the wealthy could assure their ascent into heaven no matter what their sins through cash payments to the Catholic Church (or in this case the Earth Church). -- Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who's the greenest of them all? @ AMERICAN DIGEST
"By the authority of all the saints, and in mercy towards you, I absolve you from all sins and misdeeds and remit all punishments for ten days." Indulgence - 1517
Today, a little late to the party we find in the New York Times' article:
"The worst of the carbon-offset programs resemble the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences back before the Reformation," said Denis Hayes, the president of the Bullitt Foundation, an environmental grant-making group. "Instead of reducing their carbon footprints, people take private jets and stretch limos, and then think they can buy an indulgence to forgive their sins." Carbon-Neutral Is Hip, but Is It Green?It would seem that even a stopped crock is right twice a year.
P.S. Glenn Reynolds has somebody saying it even earlier at Instapundit.com -
Posted by Vanderleun at April 29, 2006 5:22 PM