That's a damn lie.
Posted on 03/21/2007 7:38:32 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Al Gore -- star of an Oscar-winning movie, former U.S. vice president and the object of 2008 presidential speculation -- on Wednesday took his crusade against global warming to Capitol Hill.
Glad-handing like the lifelong politician he was until losing the 2000 presidential race to George W. Bush, Gore called his return to Congress "an emotional occasion."
But he did not mince words on what he termed the current climate crisis: "Our world faces a true planetary emergency."
Before a joint House panel dealing with energy, air quality and the environment and the Senate Environment and Public Works committee, Gore stressed the need for quick action.
Under often contentious but consistently civil questioning at both hearings, Gore discussed the risks of sea level rise, stronger storms, more wildfires and other ills associated with global climate change, and urged an immediate freeze on U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
After that, he said, the United States should begin a program of sharp reductions in carbon emissions "to reach at least 90 percent reductions by 2050." He also proposed a tax on carbon emissions.
Gore, a Democrat who represented Tennessee in Congress before serving as vice president under President Bill Clinton, had enough star power to pack a large hearing room and require three overflow rooms -- two for the public and one for media.
He has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and has prompted intense curiosity in Washington about whether another presidential bid is in prospect. So far, he has said no but has not categorically ruled it out.
CARBON-NEUTRAL GORE?
Sen. James Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican and Washington's most vocal skeptic about the human causes of global warming, pressed Gore to commit to cutting his personal home energy consumption to no more than what the average American household consumes -- without paying for carbon offsets, which Inhofe dismissed as "gimmicks used by the wealthy."
Gore demurred, but later said, "We live a carbon-neutral life, senator, and both of my businesses are carbon-neutral. We buy green energy, we do not contribute to the problem that I am joining with others to solve."
Living a carbon-neutral life means calculating how much climate-damaging carbon you emit, cutting emissions where possible and balancing the rest by buying so-called carbon offsets, such as shares in windmills or by planting trees.
Gore has lately faced public questions about his personal "carbon footprint," especially at his home in Tennessee. An aide noted that Gore and his wife Tipper drove to Wednesday's hearing in a black hybrid vehicle.
At the House hearing, he was flanked by cardboard boxes that he said contained some 516,000 letters calling for congressional action to stop global warming.
"This problem is burning a hole at the top of the world in the ice cover that is one of the principle ways our planet cools itself," Gore said. "If it goes, it won't come back on any timescale relevant to the human species."
Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, questioned the scientific basis for global warming as presented in "An Inconvenient Truth," the Academy Award-winning documentary that featured Gore.
Barton said a carbon tax would "harm the American family" adding, "A Kyoto-style cap and trade system will mainly increase the cost of electricity."
As for Gore's proposed freeze on carbon emissions, Barton said it would mean "no new industry, no new people and no new cars."
Other legislators, including former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, said they agreed with much of what Gore said about climate change and its effects, but questioned the economics of tackling the problem and wondered whether any U.S. measures would put it at a competitive disadvantage with countries like China and India.
Comments from and about Al
"The ozone layer is burning off, that's why the Artic Ice caps are melting and could be gone in 34 years".
"The earth is shaking... so many earthquakes"!
"The fires in California being caused by global warming"! The fires in California are caused by the leftist environmental wackos not allowing cutting and clearing!!
"We could lose Greenland"!
"These studies just came out 3 days ago." We're doomed!!!!
Al Gore says he doesn't recognize the quote from his own book!!! Al is backing away from the 10 year statements is all we have--except that he now says he made it starting last year based on scientists(Jim Hassen) he trusts. Hassan comparing our government to Nazi Germany
"The planet has a fever"! IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE?? How do you stick a thermometer up the planet's butt? Al's new theme song.... Fever...Peggy Lee
Now he's saying Reagan was against nuclear arms . Reagan was greatly concerned about nuclear war. His solution was for the good guys (us) to win the Cold War and for the bad guys (the Soviets) to lose.
No Nuclear Power plants or Coal Fired plants in this country but Ok for China, China is building a Coal fired plant every 4 days............his solution for us : windmills on your house.
All my life people have joked that eventually they would tax the air we breathe. He just advocated it.
Does he not know that plants USE CO2 to make oxygen?
Global Warming is big business. Follow the money.
He wants to legislate his carbon offset sham? He's an idiot in search of a village.
Liberals believe that anthropogenic global warming is real and Islamist extremism is a hoax.
In an unrelated story, FNC is reporting that deep snow (five and a half feet, four feet above normal) in Anchorage, Alaska it's driving the moose onto the city streets.
Cow farts and swamp gas overwhelm the man made parts of emissions. Even the UN acknowledges this. So the science is settled. Ban cows, plug volcanoes and burn down and fill the swamps.
Gore's new grandson is named Oscar. HOLLYWOOD | Al Gore now has a movie with an Oscar and a grandson named Oscar.
We're going to drown in the rising seas!!!!! Considering where I am, maybe I could end up with beach front property.
What has happened is that there were 20 million Mexicans and others from South America who all came from the south suddenly. When they did this the Earth tilted and became hotter. So, if they all would go home the problem would be fixed!
IMO, all Liberals are certifiable lunatics. Gore is one of the head "lunatics" followed by Queen Hillary, Nancy Pelosi, Jack Murtha, and the list goes on.
What a fraud. Windmills don't absorb carbon. And although trees can, it takes over 150 years for a tree to absorb a ton of CO2. And when the tree dies, it releases the carbon back into the environment.
Anyone else notice the strange skin coloring? Like he went out in the sun after taking his antipsychotic drugs but without a sunscreen?
Now, I could have sworn that using the word "Crusade" was offensive to Muslims. Oh! That's right! Gore is a Democrat! Democrats can say and do whatever they want. Silly me!
Bedtime for Gonzo : )
I was driving by Fox on in the living room today as they talked about Algore and his "testimony", then they put some Czech (seems he may have been a president of something but I didn't catch it)guy on that was saying that Globull warming is the new religion and on and on in a most blistering attack on the whole lie I have ever heard. Any body else catch this and could send me to it?
He's a NO BS'er, that's for sure.
Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus, seen here in January 2007, has challenged the science behind global warming and compared "ambitious environmentalism" to communism in testimony to the US Congress released on Wednesday.(AFP/File/Wojtek Radwanski)
The planet DOES have a fever!!! It is SICK with LIBERALISM, and we should stick the thermometer in WASHINGTON!!!
High Priest Gore has threatened to smite the unbelievers with signs and wonders if they do not repent.
--
Do a test 'schtick' in California first, Please!
--
HA HA HAAAA! Good one, Al! How do I get a piece of the action?
Thanks, NR, I was playing dumb, but was infinitely amused Fox ran his speech right after they did a spot on Algores testimony today...
darn, I got played again. ;-)
I missed the whole darn thing.. I'll wait for his next movie..
Beyond Oblivion..
Was the moron Gore himself? Or the hack who misquoted him?
You can freeze the growth of CO2 emissions, but you can't freeze carbon emissions. That would mean shutting down every fossil fueled power plant on earth, all home and commercial building HVAC, and every vehicle to boot. On the other hand, maybe that would finally waken people to the dangers of the GW envirowackos.
Shows what you know. That discoloration is obviously the result of a one degree increase in the average air temperature in arctic regions over the last century. By the year 2100 this dude will look like Michael Jackson, and be remembered as a similar figure.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.