Ever known a passionate mensch wannabe prone to go to far, or at least further than their myopic limitations? Chad Kister does a lot of great stuff, but he has a penchant for getting into avoidable sticky situations. I sent copies of this missive to every local media outlet in March of 2001 because Chad was persecuting distant if not coincidental ties.

Chad Kister

You might not know that Chad Kister and I support many of the same causes, as I tend to keep a slightly lower profile.  (That's not easy given my propensity towards megalomaniacal spotlight grabbing.) Usually, I've supported my pet causes by performing at or arranging entertainment for fundraisers and benefits, while Chad seems to prefer oddly gallivanting about in grocery store parking lots, and protesting in front of local businesses with strong ties to our community.

If you're bored, Google for more about that slightly esoteric Big Bear jab.  But that bit about Chad's locally irresponsible behavior is on the mark.   Mr Kister's narcissistic blinders become evident upon analyzing his recent demonstration on supposed anti-corporate / pro-environmental grounds.

Sure he's thinking globally and acting locally, but his interpretation of that adage is flawed.

You want specifics?

Chad Kister and non-brain damaged folks around the world were justifiably upset when BP/Amoco swallowed Solarex, the world's largest solar energy company, making the new BP not only the world's largest petroleum company, but ironically also the largest transnational alternative energy company too. 

This dubious contradiction in ways, means, and ends reached a threshold of sorts when early last year, BP opted to rape and plunder, er, I mean expand drilling operations into relatively pristine Arctic regions at great environmental and monetary cost while sorely under-funding its Solar Division (now called BP Solar.) The situation escalated when President Bush likewise spoke out in favor of such Arctic drilling.

Sigh...

What would you do?

• Contact individuals with considerable strength within the company, like sympathetic BP franchise owners or stockholders?
• Write your congressional rep?
• Besiege BP's chemical plants or regional "bulk plants," like the one on Elliott Street?
• Organize a demonstration at a visible public place, like the County Courthouse or College Green?
• Start a thorough letter writing campaign?
• Or maybe... protest at one of the most locally conscious franchises around, paradoxically, and most unfortunately, and ultimately, somewhat by chance, affiliated with the aforementioned yucky company?

What did Chad Kister do?

I proposed most of these ideas to Chad last Friday, the day of his ill-planned protest in front of Dale's BP, perhaps coincidentally a day when all the gas station's management and administrators, and ironically 90% of the Ohio University student body were out of town.  To his defense, Chad acknowledged my proposals as sound but chose to ignore them while promising to notify the press that he held nothing against Dale's BP... though he was specifically targeting it. 

Most would-be supporters steered clear of BP that day, not in subtle misguided support of Chad's efforts, but to distance themselves from his efforts. From my modest media perusal last week, I failed to notice mention of his token words of contrition.  But again, in Chad's defense, I could find no mention of the event whatsoever.  So much for all those little pieces of recycled paper he wasted littering the town with propaganda about the event.  A simple press release would have been more effective.

Though I usually toss Chad's defenders' quips of, "At least he's doing something," to the wind like stale farts, there is something to be learned here. I think it was Montaigne or Cato who first said, "You can learn much more from a fool than a wise man."

Contact Chad Kister. He's a real motivated go-getter. Maybe he'll listen to reason. He's older now. Maybe he's wiser too.