• These aren't very fashionable, but thanks to Isaac Shepherd for the photo.

Anyone surprised that Congress doesn't have a clue? As Mark Twain once said, "Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."

Here's more from Grist.com's David Roberts on lack of understanding between Congress and the American population where environmental regulation is concerned:

As everyone knows by now, Republicans have launched a massive, coordinated assault on EPA, attempting to block its greenhouse gas regulations, its air and water regulations, and in some cases its very existence. In the surreal hothouse atmosphere of the Beltway, where anti-government radicals are ascendant and everybody's watching the same three cable news channels, this can seem reasonable -- even inevitable.

But if we can collectively pull our heads out of the Beltway's ass and take in a wider view of the country, it quickly becomes clear that the Republican attack on EPA is radically unpopular with voters across parties and demographics.

The latest evidence comes from a nationwide survey done by the American Lung Association in partnership with polling firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner. Even for those of us who understand the public's fondness for clean air, the results are striking.

The top line is this: The public overwhelmingly supports EPA in updating Clean Air Act standards and overwhelmingly opposes congressional efforts to block EPA. When it comes to clean air, the public trusts EPA far more than Congress.

Read the rest of this post, and see all the pretty graphs explaining the survey's results, here.

You know, David's right, Congress could avoid situations like this if they'd take their heads out of their asses — and their financial backer's asses — spent time in their districts and actually talked to the people (and not just the people with fat wallets).

Further reading:

• What is coal's true cost? — Grist.org
• Knowing what you spend on energy can cut usage by more than half — Grist.org
• Extreme weather, warming link is strong, studies say — MSNBC.com

Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman is an independent journalist who contributes commentary on Creative Loafing's CLog blog four days a week in addition to writing for several other local media organizations. To learn more, click the links or follow Rhi on Twitter.