The plastic bag conspiracy

Anyone who has visited Livingston in the middle of winter has no doubt seen and heard the plastic grocery bags hung up on the branches of trees in town where they pop and snap in the wind.

It’s an unsightly winter phenomenon, the result of uncorralled trash and unrelenting winds. The problem disappears from sight in the spring when the trees leaf out and the foliage hides the remains of the plastic bags.

I never considered it anything more than a seasonal reminder not to litter, but now I find it may indicate something a bit more sinister.

A Facebook friend from Georgia recently posted a pictu...