As predicted, trotting out the “climate change” argument to a caricature of a person like Ernie was a waste of time. Blah! Blah! Blah! Yes, it certainly does seem as if Rivera is making the proverbial mountain out of a mole hill, as these two fight over a hive of bees. Not that saving the bees for their own sake or for the sake of their pollinating is trivial. But it does seem to me that trying to fight the ideological war of The Left and The Right over the environment could have been portrayed more realistically without resorting to the extreme memes of each side. Polluting corporations are not the issue here at all, Mark. As for Ernest, sorry but this is not about Capitalism or “the American Way”, either. But this is a comic strip, after all, even one dedicated to nature and the environment. No time or space for nuance.
As for Cherry and the Garden Club, they seem too preoccupied watching for Mark to unleash his FOJ to get their job done. The way you two women natter, Mark is going to have to trade punches for the rest of the night. Finally, what forest are we talking about (we’re in a garden, remember), and explain what “not” refers to, Mark. I don’t think you hold the deed to the Sunny Soleil Society’s land, do you?
The Daily Trail 
What happened to the shovel in panel 4? If some big guy took the first punch at me, I would use any available weapon to defend myself.
Also, I get annoyed when folks demonize “corporations”. The Sierra Club is a 501(c)4 corporation that Jules probably likes. It is just lazy name calling, as most organizations, including labor unions, are organized as 501(c)5 corporations. Incorporation provides governance and tax structures across the political and economic spectrum.
Agreed. Well, the indifferent, if not reckless, history of corporate interactions with the environment are well known. Maybe not all of them, and probably less than in prior years. And it’s not just corporations, of course. Local and state governments have their own history of environmental abuse. One need only look at Michigan, as an example. HOWEVER, the emphasis here on corporate pollution is grandstanding and irrelevant to the event, like press conferences of politicians who talk around a subject, rather than about it. A cynic would add that incorporation is also a tool to avoid personal responsibility and a way to divert taxes. It’s just not one or the other.
Use the shovel? I agree. But you’d have to be kind of dumb to take a swing at somebody holding a shovel, right? Still, I don’t think Mark is the kind of dude to use a shovel in a one-on-one fight.