This week, I discovered how much Bill Maher is was respected by breastfeeding mamas. He represents liberal values, after all, and he's funny. He's on late-night when many of we mamas are desperately trying to calm a fussy child, or trying to regain our sense of "hip" after putting little ones to bed. But this week he reminded us all that, by doing what we've been told by pediatricians and our hippie mama circles is the "right thing" -- for the environment, for our children's health, for their brains and even for the long-term battle against obesity -- we're making enemies. Namely, Bill Maher. His rant against breastfeeding in public, especially, at Applebee's (bonehead comment of the year: "there's no principle at work here other than being too lazy to either plan ahead or cover up" -- sorry Bill, a baby's hunger just isn't the sort of thing you "plan"), showed us all that doing good is terrifically unpopular. Even, to this icon we respect, nauseating.

I remember back when I was a kid, and people were really starting to pay attention to the environment in my crunchy hippy hometown of Portland, Oregon. I also remember how embarrassed I was that my mom carried ratty cloth bags she'd made to haul our books from the library, our groceries from the market; I remember recoiling at the thought of compost heaps; I remember my anger and frustration at being asked to cut the grass with the mechanical mower. Yup. Back then, being resource-smart wasn't cool. It was stinky, weird, a little desperate. It made you seem poor.

I thought things had changed a little.