I avoided the whole Al Gore goes to Washington spectacle today but I confess. This afternoon I did switch over to C-SPAN for a few minutes to check in on what was going on. It was the Senate committee's turn with Al and sitting behind him was Tipper, who from her appearance thinks she is still much younger than she is. Her long blonde hair, parted in the center, and makeup looked more like one of her daughter's, but whatever. I kind of feel sorry for her. She glared at Hillary, softly, as Hillary asked questions of Al. Not surprising. But, the funny thing was the guy sitting behind Tipper. He was doing that head bobbing thing, trying not to look like he was falling asleep. He was entertaining.
I had two problems with Al's performance, and believe me it is all about the performance, with just the brief time I watched. First, the audience was allowed to burst into applause for their hero without any calls for decorum. The chair of the committee is Barbara Boxer, so I suppose it's to be expected. Also, Al has this annoying habit of exaggeration. He admitted in an interview not long ago that exaggerating points was the most effective way to come across to an audience.
Everything is a planetary emergency, a catastrophic event just about to happen. Reminds one of the old Clinton days. Remember when every issue du jour was a 'crisis' and had to be dealt with yesterday? It turned out to be the justification of taxing our brains out. This is Al's grand plan, too, according to what he was telling Hillary. Complete across the board conformity from everyone and all companies is the only solution acceptable to Her Highness and Al agreed.
As I see the issue, most everyone agrees that the planet is warming. One degree warmer over the past century, according to what I have read. However, there is great differing of opinions among the scientific community as to cause and reasons. I think that most is cyclical and only a fraction man made through out the world. Yes, we can all make adjustments in personal consumptions, but those out there like Al Gore also must be held accountable to walk the walk. Simply buying carbon offsets is not the answer. To a limousine liberal like Al, all he has to do to combat his imprint on earth is throw money at it. One expert said there is no way he funds enough offsets to make up for his energy consumption at the one mansion in Tennessee alone, much less his other homes.
See, you can find people to acknowledge just about any point of view at this stage of the debate. Remember, 30 years ago it was the next ice age coming.
Exaggerating and theatrics, while entertaining, serve no useful purpose to people truly trying to get the message out.
Some years ago I was living in south Louisiana and joined a group forming to figure out how to get our parish (county) to have recycling and home pickup of the recycled goods as the city provided to those living within the city limits. We did tons of environmental research and I did lots of reading on my own for my own interests. All of this is nothing new. Just because Al Gore, a politician, has found his niche in spreading the word doesn't mean he is the 'prophet' he was proclaimed to be by a congressman today. Yes, a prophet.
Maybe I should go into the prophet business. Al's being rewarded handsomely.
Yesterday the committees heard testimony from others on the subject of global warming, leading up to Al's big day. One was a man named Hansen from NASA. He claimed the evil administration and NASA were silencing him on his findings on global warming. This from a man who has conducted 1500 interviews to date, 15 in the month after saying he was being muzzled by the evil White House alone. Oh yeah, he admitted to Congress he violated NASA policy about notifying them of press interviews. That's quite a lot of talking for someone claiming to be muzzled.
Some statements said to gin up the crowd during speeches on the severity of global warming are just irresponsible. John Edwards said that potential global warming in the next 75 years "will make world war look like heaven." Really? World War? And Ellen Goodman, in a recent column, linked global warming skeptics to the Holocaust deniers. Is that a productive way to present an opinion?
It is possible to elevate the discussion and disagree without simply being disagreeable. Name calling isn't mature or an intelligent way to debate. The politicians continue to show us that.
There are more pressing issues than global warming, I think.
My husband's former Iraqi colleague called last night and thanked the husband for his letter of recommendation for residency in this country and they chatted for a bit. Today he was to learn if his application to stay here and go for residency in America, in Michigan, is successful or not.
There are more pressing issues than global warming, I think.
5 comments:
1. Unless John "Pretty Boy" Edwards has been to heaven, he hasn't a clue... I really doubt if he'll ever know what it is like anyway.
2. Gore: "the planet has a fever"... no dear... you had a fever that fried your brain.
3. OK. If a bigger part of the problem is the methane gas from the millions of cattle and sheep and horses than it is the cars... then shouldn't there be less of a problem today when there are fewer people using horses and keeping horses and those huge herds of buffalo that used to "cover the rolling hills and plains of the midwest and west like a sea of black" are gone... why wouldn't it not balance out. Scientists with actual science rather than saying the planet has a "fever", point out other warm periods of time. Actually, in the beginning when God created the earth it was a greenhouse. There were no storms, no rain. The water came up through the soil and the moisture in the air was enough to make the whole world a lush green environment. It wasn't until Adam's downfall and even later that this changed...OK so in some way it is our fault. It had never rained until the time of Noah...so man survived in a greenhouse environment. We adapt.
One of the news guys mentioned that Gore was a Nobel Prize winner... did I miss this? Please say it isn't so... although I have doubted the validity of the Nobel Prize for many years now.. especially in the area of the Peace Prize. If they are giving a scientific one to Gore... then I would hope there would be an outcry in the REAL scientific community.
BTW... Do you suppose Al Gore has his own version of Harvey?
The list of special treatments and rule breakings during these Gore *hearings* was no surprise, was it? He is such a loser.
Someone I know locally who is a serious (a matter of opinion) environmental activist came out with a much publicized list of things one should (not could) do to improve the *situation*. First, FIRST, on the list was *bury your car, literally*.
Nothing he suggested after Number 1 made any impact on me because of the ridiculous idea that we all bury our cars. My first thought was Where? Would there be a declared day to bury? How would you get back home after the burying?
Now this 45 year old guy rides a bicycle everywhere so he is practicing his preaching. I don't think he owns a car. He also doesn't have a paying job either, but I'm guessing his dad and mom do.
I took great pleasure, by muting whatever it was that mentioned Gore's name the past few days, with high irritation because he was mentioned so often. The man is a dangerous clown, another Darling while he attacks the present admin., the left is glad to use him.
Facts won't matter if a Democrat becomes President and they keep Congress. There will be Hell to pay
I believe Earth is cyclical in it's habits, like the seasons, taking as long, or as short, as she chooses.
I think this though, that we are more likely to poison ourselves by the dumping of waste and hazardous material all over the earth. Talking like that though, may find the Left enlisting me as another Stooge.
Thanks for keeping me abreast of the goings on. I have A*L on my computer, and they find the most awful photos of these characters to put on the sites...Gore, Hillary, McCain. They all look pretty scary.
Thanks to Paul, AC, and Srp, and you for articulating so well.
Yep...loved your post and the comments.
I watched Al's documentary and saw the same 'ole Al. Remember he invented the internet! What scares me is that the Democrats are going after the 20-30 year olds and are sucking them in. They seem to be blindly loyal to that party.
These people are too young to understand the impact that the Clinton "dark ages" did to us, but they will if Demoncrates take the office. As Paul said: "Facts won't matter if a Democrat becomes President and they keep Congress. There will be Hell to pay."
I am totally scared!
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