Soap Gets In Your Eyes

As always, life imitates P.J. O’Rourke, and Mark Hemingway spots this amusing juxtaposition:

P. J. O’Rourke, The Weekly Standard, Febuary 9, 2009:

The next great government crusade will be against soap. The president will appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission, which will determine that soap releases polluting grime into the ecosystem, leads to aquifer depletion, and contains fatty acids that laboratory studies have shown to be acidic and not fat-free . . .

Associated Press, March 27, 2009:

SPOKANE, Wash. — The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don’t work as well. Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation’s strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states.

But it’s not easy to get sparkling dishes when you go green.

O’Rourke was also just ahead of the curve late last year on the desire for newspapers to belly up to the government trough and request their own bailout money.