We don’t want to rub anyone the wrong way, but we do feelobliged to take a swipe at a celebrity’s recent comments regardinghow many squares of toilet paper are needed when answering nature’scall.

In writing her blog while on a two-week Stop Global WarmingCollege Tour with environmentalist Laurie David, singer Sheryl Crowproposed a limit on the number of squares that could be used duringone sitting.

“Now, I don’t want to rob any law-abiding American of his or herGod-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough peoplethat we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit,except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could berequired,” Crow wrote.

Talk about environmentalism running amuck! Even left wing looneyRosie O’Donnell, with a comment about something to do with the sizeof her posterior, realized the absurdity of a toilet paperlimit.

On a more serious note, a considerable part of this area’seconomy rolls along on the strength of paper products, be theycardboard boxes, stationery, newsprint and yes, even toiletpaper.

Neighboring Lawrence County is home to the Georgia-PacificMonticello mill that produces the boxes that companies use to shipa wide variety of products around the world. Many of the trees usedto make those boxes come from Lincoln, Lawrence, Franklin andCopiah counteis and other parts of Southwest Mississippi, as wellas the rest of the state.

While other states may grow fruits, vegetables and other naturalgoodies, trees are Mississippi’s “row crop.”

Through proper replanting and management practices here, treesare a renewable resource that has provided billions of dollars ineconomic impact over the years. Tree-hugging environmentalistnotions like toilet paper limits would reduce demand for the paperproducts that are made from trees and therefore could threaten theeconomic well-being of many area families and businesses.

Protecting the environment is a worthy goal. But the notion of atoilet paper limit should go the same way as toilet paper itself -down the toilet.