Posted on 06/29/2006 10:24:33 AM PDT by presidio9
In today's complicated world, precious few truly black and white, cut and dry issues remain. For me, however, there are at least two: Al Gore really is a dislikeable [expletive deleted] and the destruction of the Earth by human hands would be an incredibly bad thing.
Within a rational environment, these two ideas could be compatible. Sadly, our political and cultural climates aren't ruled by anything close to reason or rational thinking.
This spring, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim unveiled "An Inconvenient Truth," a documentary following former Vice President Gore's campaign to bring about worldwide awareness of global climate change. The film mixes the science of global warming with the story of Gore's commitment to the environment. Unfortunately for Guggenheim (and the planet), the documentary's star attractions global warming and Gore make it hard for many conservative Americans to swallow the message.
The film is, of course, propaganda. Its purpose is to persuade audiences into thinking that global warming is real and a threat. The main difference between the documentary and, for example, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is that the underlying subject the environment is not a partisan issue, though some would like it to be. (For those that missed the Republican and Democratic talking points, liberals are pansy tree-huggers and conservatives are eco-terrorist monsters.)
Generally speaking, it's not difficult for "red state" voters to believe that humans could, in some way, be to blame for the Earth's worsening health but throw Gore and global warming into the mix and things get dicey.
To understand this, we have to start with Gore.
As a conservative, albeit a fairly moderate one, I really, really don't like Al Gore. Most Republicans feel the same way, although they might admit to something stronger hating him. It's not just his association with former President Bill Clinton. It's not even that he was one of the first to vocally oppose the war in Iraq. But for some inexplicable reason, Gore is right up there on the GOP "enemies" list somewhere between Jesse Jackson and Osama bin Laden.
Personally, I don't hate Gore, although anything he says or does certainly gives me suspicious pause. That said, I confess I'm not above hate.
I hate that Gore was involved in shady fundraising on the back steps of the White House.
I hate that when he had the power of the vice presidency, he did nothing with it.
I hate that he ran for president in 2000 with little more than his "lock box."
I hate that he conceded the race, then declared himself the "real" winner.
I hate that the choice was between Al Gore and George W. Bush.
Most of all, however, I hate that Gore, his cronies on the Left and their opponents on the Right have turned the environment into an "us versus them" issue.
Both sides have used the theory of global warming essentially that increased amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases released by the burning of fossil fuels have caused a significant change in global temperatures to divide the electorate. It was an easy task.
For non-believers, it's hard to accept that their cherished lifestyles the indulgent, energy-wasting ways of life passed down by their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents could be destroying the world that they love. Taking responsibility and moving toward change would be like admitting guilt (and, for big business, losing money), so they deny and deny some more grasping for any alternative theory to explain away obvious climate change.
Believers, on the other hand, are more often saddled by hypocrisy than guilt. Although they accept global warming and the human role in it, they do little to curb its causes other than extolling the virtues of hybrid cars. More often, they complain during even-numbered years about the complicity of Republicans, pointing fingers rather than pushing for real reform.
Does global warming exist? The "inconvenient truth" is that it doesn't matter. Even if the theory is hogwash, there are still many other ills caused by the burning of fossil fuels, as well as hundreds of other human activities that are killing the planet. When our soil, air and water are all saturated with toxic wastes, the rainforests are gone and cattle are the Earth's most exotic animals, we may long for the days when someone was blathering about the heat.
Al Gore isn't destroying the Earth we are. Don't be so blindly vindictive that you kill the message because of the messenger.
Great post. Bookmarking.
Pro-Life, turned Pro-Abortion Gore? Conservative? Sounds like a liberal trying to make a slander on someone he really doesn't like.
There was a treaty, beloved by the eco-leninist crowd, that was defeated 98-1 in the US Senate and there was no detail coverage as to why it was defeated.
The vast bulk of all the critcal analyisis is virtually hidden by the media, leftist academics and the like.
A small town journalist is just as likely to be misinformed as Joe SixPack.
I agree. You should browse on over to the discussions on the Darwin topics. Those Darwin apologists are excruciating.
IT's incredible to me that there are actually people that think global warming is more of a threat to us than Islamic terrorists.
I'm more worried about splinters in my backyard fence than I am about so-called global warming.
I'M losing my tolerance for stupidity as I get older, so I don't think I will bother with the Darwin topics. I will read and laugh at the Darwin Awards.
"Nuclear power is the way to go. We need nuclear not because of the Global Warming Hoax but because it is cheaper and renewable."
I am all for nuclear, but I don't think uranium "renews" itself, the amount is finite.
That is true but in a breeder reactor using a mixture of the fissionable U235 the majority of the Uranium in the fuel rods is U238. A percentage of it will be converted into fissionable plutonium which can also be used as a reactor fuel. The plutonium is extracted from the rods and reprocessed for fuel for reactors. Yes the total supply if finite but by using this process we will have literal hundreds of years of fuel. This is also the process we use to obtain the plutonium for our nuclear weapons.
Does global warming exist? The "inconvenient truth" is that it doesn't matter. Even if the theory is hogwash, there are still many other ills caused by the burning of fossil fuels, as well as hundreds of other human activities that are killing the planet. When our soil, air and water are all saturated with toxic wastes, the rainforests are gone and cattle are the Earth's most exotic animals, we may long for the days when someone was blathering about the heat.
Man is destroying the planet.
How much does mankind effect global warming or global cooling? As much as one fart effects air quality in the Huston Astrodome.
I suppose that we could have done better if the election was between GW Bush and Ann Coulter...
Or between Lieberman and Bush. I think I still would have voted for Bush with those choices.
I'm still trying to make sense of this.
Could have something to do with his pathological refusal in 2000 to accept the fact that his constituents were too stupid to mark a ballot and accept defeat, in the process setting the stage for the Bush Derangement Syndrome that has so many seemingly rooting for the enemy in this war.
on the view today tipper had to repeat the mantra "well he did get 500,000 more vote than the other guy" ,yea honey from california and n.y and hubby got all those electoral college votes assigned; just maybe if he had won his own state he would have been PRES. now.
It was either President Bush, global warmingor the White Man.
Take your pick.
(I hate that Gore, his cronies on the Left and their opponents on the Right have turned the environment into an "us versus them" issue.)
Sorry, but the Left, including this writer, have done that by using the Environment issue to clobber capitalism, when capitalism is usually the solutions to problems.
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