Dance of the Reptiles, by Carl Hiaasen

Carl Hiaasen is absolutely one of my favorite novelists.  His hilarious fiction captures life in the crazy world of Florida, with its corrupt politicians, clueless tourists, and environmental nitwits.  As the columns collected in Dance of the Reptiles demonstrate, he has no shortage of material for his novels.

Hiaasen's readers who are unfamiliar with his newspaper columns may be surprised that he comes across less as a humorist and more as a grumpy old man.  Further, although there are hints of his liberal views in his novels, in these columns he shows himself to be a hard-core leftist Democrat.  I'm all for bashing politicians.  Bring it on!  But Hiaasen's bashing is reserved almost exclusively for Republicans.  I won't argue that it's undeserved.  Hypocrisy, corruption, and sheer idiocy run rampant in Washington and among Florida politicians of both parties.  I would appreciate Hiaasen more if he used his wit and insight to focus some attention on Democrats as well.  He should have had plenty of material to bash the inept Obama administration, but the only piece on Obama was a laudatory election night ode to the great bringer of hope and change.

Hiaasen rightly denounces the overbuilding of Florida, the lack of respect for endangered species and their environments, the problems caused by the influx of population, the agriculture industry's flagrant disregard for the environment.  I would guess most Floridians would join him in his complaints, but the problem is he's complaining about the leading economic drivers of the state: tourism, agriculture, and growth and development.  Where would Florida be without these industries?  Hiaasen longs for the Florida he grew up in, wild and free.  Unfortunately, he's never getting it back.

One last word about his liberal views.  I know I am more conservative than many, especially than cynical journalists from South Florida.  I can see his points, and certainly can agree with him on many of his views.  Corruption, waste, incompetence, and stupidity are worth calling out whatever your political persuasion.  But I have to challenge him on one significant point: he argues passionately for the need to preserve habitats and species that are in danger.  I agree it would be a shame to lose a species of plant or animal simply because of flagrant human disregard.  But please, can't he acknowledge that an unborn human is more valuable than any manatee, burrowing owl, or mangrove tree?  In Hiaasen's world, it's safer to be a rare species of plant than a developing baby.  The former must be protected, while the right to kill the latter must be even more passionately protected.  This position is inhumane and, in my opinion, indefensible.

Hiaasen is a very entertaining writer, but his columns are much less entertaining than his novels.  I suspect I would like these better reading one or two a week, rather than reading straight through.  Still, reading about Hiaasen's South Florida made me think every city needs a Hiaasen poke fun at politicians, raise a little ruckus, and call things as they see them.