asking Al Gore to run in 2008!
From the HuffingtonPost: A Far Too Convenient $mear: Part One
Posted February 26th, 2007 by Janet
By Dave Johnson and James Boyce
Did you really believe they would stand by and watch a Democratic leader validated for his life's work?
No chance in hell. As we have said here before, They destroy our leaders. Note to Senator Obama: spare us the hope and bi-partisanship talk and help us fight back.
Here's what we know, what we think, what we're trying to find out and how you can help.
Last night, Al Gore got very favorable national press and worldwide television exposure.
This afternoon, a group calling itself "The Tennessee Center For Policy Research" sent out a press release denouncing Vice President Gore for the size of his household electrical bills.
Let's start right there. How did they get the utility bills? They also didn't have the courtesy to ask Vice President Gore about them (despite their hollow claim of being non-partisan.) And why would a "think tank" possibly care about what Al Gore spends on gas?
Actually, let's start with a more basic question. Who are these people? Well , a quick check of Alexa reveals their web site gets no traffic. Are they legitimate? Well, again, they claim to be non-partisan but only link to far-right and conservative groups so regardless of what their status is with the IRS, this is a conservative, strongly-leaning Republican organization.
We will be digging through IRS documents tonight because if you follow the money, you always find the answers. We will let you know who their donors are as soon as we can.
This group drops the pebble in the lake and now the machine really goes to work.
Front page of Drudge Report at 5:16 reports this press release from a group no one has ever heard of, who may or may not have stolen Al Gore's utility bills. Now, the lie has legs.
In the last twenty minutes, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research has updated its website TWICE - both with radio interviews. The damage is being done as we watch.
But guess what? We're going to fight back. All of us.
Why? Well, first of all, Al Gore turning his lights on doesn't make him a hypocrite, it makes him a human.
Second, we've seen this game a few too many damn times. The trick is for them to create doubt and distraction. They need to create doubt all around the country about Al Gore. But there is no doubt.
Al Gore is a hero.
Even heroes need help - join us, add to the comments, let's find out everything we can about these guys and stop them in their tracks. Now.
NOTE: this post is a work in progress and will be updated frequently.
Updates
The echo chamber is engaging. Instapundit, Hot Air, Free Republic, WorldNetDaily, TownHall and several others are echoing and amplifying the $mear. RedState, Captain's Quarters. More here and here, here, here, here, here, here, here. Wizbang.
OK, now of course ABC News is picking it up.
A comment at DailyKos: "Hannity got the memo as well and he and Annthrax Coulter are hammering Gore for the same thing tonight."
Tennessee Center's President Drew Johnson comes straight out of the right's network, coming from Exxon-funded American Enterprise Institute and the right-wing-funded National Taxpayers Foundation.
They are part of the right's State Policy Network. According to PFAW,
"SPN is a national network of state-based right-wing organizations in 37 states as well as prominent nationwide right-wing organizations. Through its network SPN advances the public policy ideas of the expansive right-wing political movement on the state and local level."
As of Feb. 16, the Tennessee tax dept. considers them "not a legitimate organization" because of their misrepresenting themselves involving questions about the group's opposition to a state crackdown on drug dealers.
Responding to Drudge's attack, Vice President Gore's office told ThinkProgress:1) Gore's family has taken numerous steps to reduce the carbon footprint of their private residence, including signing up for 100 percent green power through Green Power Switch, installing solar panels, and using compact fluorescent bulbs and other energy saving technology.
2) Gore has had a consistent position of purchasing carbon offsets to offset the family's carbon footprint -- a concept the right-wing fails to understand. Gore's office explains:
What Mr. Gore has asked is that every family calculate their carbon footprint and try to reduce it as much as possible. Once they have done so, he then advocates that they purchase offsets, as the Gore's do, to bring their footprint down to zero.
- Janet's blog
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West Coast Green promotes
West Coast Green promotes sustainable building practices, with content geared toward contractors, building developers and Realtors on Sept
---------------------------
But remember what Harvey
But remember what Harvey Dent said "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain." So be careful Al Gore, you now are a hero.. and it's good you let others help you. Because fixing something it's not as easy as getting some new frigidaire parts for your used fridge.
The Fridge
JoeAnne, you can't be posting links to appliance stores here. ;-}
On the other hand..
Gore, 'The Fridge' headline green building shows
Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal - by Cathy Weselby
http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2008/09/01/newscolumn1.ht...
Question: What do former Vice President Al Gore and Super Bowl champ William “The Refrigerator” Perry have in common? Answer: They’re both guests of honor at Silicon Valley building conferences in September.
Gore will speak at the West Coast Green conference at McEnery San Jose Convention Center on Sept. 27. West Coast Green promotes sustainable building practices, with content geared toward contractors, building developers and Realtors on Sept. 25-26 and general information for homeowners on Sept. 27. For more information, visit www.westcoastgreen.com.
Perry will be on hand at the Northern California Facilities Expo at the Santa Clara Convention Center on Sept. 24. An estimated 5,000 building owners, facilities managers and purchasing managers are expected to attend the two-day trade show to learn about intelligent buildings and see the latest products in energy efficiency. Details are at www.facilitiesexpo.com.
What's next for Gore
www.Charlie Pedersen.com
Since it's pretty clear Al Gore will not run for president, he should use his prestige to get the candidates to focus on the issues. Since we've heard "The Inconvenient Truth", and
understood that Bush's policies and actions are "An Assault on Reason", he needs
to take on the issue that "Global Waring " will accelerate the degradation of our American dream way before global warming does, but for the same reasons: Energy and Water policies and lack of real committment to massive volumes of clean energy and fresh water. Most conflict zones are surrounded by the issues of energy and water, and often other mineral resources. The goals like 35 billion gallons of bio-fuel or 35mpg by 2020 are
proof that noone is serious about the enegy and water crises. Southern California is projecting 30% less fresh water next year. Whether Iraq or Sudan/Darfur, the issue of oil and water are the underlying issue. Someone needs to put these issues in the consiousness of the American and World communities. All candidates are living in denial and are campaigning in the shadow of the Lobbyists. Show the synergy of global warming and global waring.
Obama says Al can play an important role
when Obama wins 2008 bid. Read that in some recent press release. I'm still holding out! ABOUT THE WATER SUPPLY ISSUE, I am interested in technology for desalinization. I figure it might also help the rise in ocean tides.
Desalination
www.Charlie Pedersen.com
What's holding back desalination is its high production cost, ie. energy cost. The largest user of desalination on the planet is Saudi Arabia...what a surprise. Noone in the political realm has drawn the relationship between high energy and fresh water cost and famine, war, and generally bad political decisions. East Africa, Southwestern United States, Mexico, major parts of China and Asia, and the Middle East all torn between water and energy issues. Don't believe anything you read about the free market or high cost
of energy alternatives. The world uses 430 + quadrillion btu's of energy, equivalent of 1.3 trillion gallons, annually, and is expected to double over the next 25 years. So any numbers
thrown out by Bush or anyone else is usually bullshit. 35 billion gallons of biomass fuel...35 mpg by 2020. Please, give us a break. Understand the volume. Understand that without a distribution system, there is no alternative fuel or water strategy. Understand that
the problem is intrinsically cross border. This is where Gore needs to push the political process. From the higher ground as a non-candidate. Global waring will devastate (devastate, not destroy) humanity way before global warming...but importantly for the very same reason. Only the people can stand up to the oligarcy,oligopoly,cartel combination that pretend to be the free market. This is where "the Inconvenient Truth" and an "An Assault on Reason", needs to go...a "Return to Reason" and free markets guided by a committment to change, and yes with cross border cooperation and regulation. Yes, we are in an addiction to denial, but we need the other 11 steps. Desalination, yes, with
renewable energy and nuclear cogeneration strategies, an integrated approach.
Al Gore / Danny O'Dell
Al
As you know the Governmental Coop of 911 is now falling away. No one has been able to justify the US Government killing so many of their own citizens.
The Republican Party is about to suffer a tremendous blow by election. I understand all that you have done. The litigation I am involved with against the Joint Chiefs of Staff will bring to light the cold blooded killers involved. Including George Bush, Dick Chaney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice and George Tenet.
I am including here my most recent filing.
You are the only one at this time that will be able to keep this country on track during the Trials.
There will be great tribulation in the hearts of America while the Truth is proved.
I ask no other man.
CAS NO 06-50773K
UNITED STATES BANKRUPCY COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
SAN ANTONIO DIVISION
JURY
In re
DANNY THOMAS O’DELL
Vs RESET PER ORDER
NO. SA-06-CA-
00881WRF
5th CIRCUIT
OLSEN A. MARION
BUSH W. GEORGE
TENET GEORGE
ZHENG YUGUAG
YANG SHUYIN
YANCEY VIKI
YAMNICKY JOHN
WHITTINGTON LESLIE
TEAGUE SANDRA
TAYLOR LEONARD
TAYLOR HILDA
STEUERLE NORMA
SPEISMAN ROBERT
SOPPER MARI-RAE
SIMMONS GEORGE
SAMARTINO JOHN
REUBEN TODD
RAINES LISA
PLOGER ZANDRA
PLOGER ROBERT
PENINGER ROBERT
ORNEDO RUBEN
OLSON BARBARA
NEWTON CHRISTOPH
MENCHACA DORA
MAY RENEE
LEWIS JEBNNIFER
LEE DONG
KINCAID KAREN
KHAN NORMA
KENNEDY YVONNE
KELLER CHANDLER
JUDGE ANN
JACOBY STEVEN
JACK BRYAN
HEIDENBERGER MICHELLE
HALL STANLEY
GRAY IAN
GABRIEL RICHARD
FLAGG WILSON
FLAGG DARLENE
FERGUSON JANES
FALKENBERG ZOE
FALKENBERG CHARLES
EDWARDS BABARA
DROZ CHUCK
DILLARD EDDIE
DICKENS RODNEY
DEBEUNEURE JAMES
COTTON ASIA
CLARL SARAH
CHARLEBOIS DAVID
CASWELL WILLIAM
CALLEY SUZANNE
BURLINGAME CHARLES
BROWN BERNARD
BOOTH MARY JANE
BETRU YENENEH
AMBROSE PAUL
BUSH BARBARA
LOIZEAUX JACK
CROSS CLAIM CAUSE 636993 TRAVIS COUNTY TEXAS
COUNTER SUIT CAUSE 4495 BLANCO COUNTY TEXAS
ADDENDUM
CREDITOR CHALENGE
Now Comes Danny O’Dell filing this his Cross Claim Cause 636993 Travis County
Texas, Counter Suit Cause 4495 Blanco County Texas, Addendum Creditor Challenge.
Filed in accordance to United States Bankruptcy Code, United States Rules of Civil
Procedure and the United States Constitution and would show to the jurisdiction the
following to wit:
COUNTER SUIT
The list of names of parties is of the cadavers (dead bodies) that were taken from the
False Flag attack on the pentagon during the 911 Governmental coop. Included are the
top litigants involved Bush Barbara, Bush W George with Tenet George. In this cause
these person and their estates are being sued. Because of the unwillingness of these
parties to present evidence in this cause leading to the obstruction of Justice by Judge
Royal Ferguson Federal District Western Division of Texas and Judge Guilford Jones,
Burnet County Texas. Restitution from each person and or estate is herby demanded.
DEMAND IN DISCLOSURE
Demand in disclosure is now made against these person and their estates of all
information involving this cause.
CROSS CLAIM
The Movant Danny O’Dell has the right by law to counter sue all passengers, pilots and
crews in Flight 11, Flight 175, Flight 77, Flight 93 and any and all pronounced heroes, for
obstruction of justice. The Movant sues now for the estimated 266 cadavers and all Jewry
and values in their possessions.
JURY TRIAL
Jury of 12 persons is herby demanded.
Filed this 4th day of March in the year of our Lord 2007
Submitted
Danny O’Dell
105 Kendalia Circle
Spring Branch Texas 78070
CERTIFICATION
The above affixed signature certifies that a true and exact copy of this legal filing has been sent to the proper jurisdiction
I think that Al Gore should
I think that Al Gore should turn this around and make it a positive point. Too many people think that to be an environmentalist you have to commit yourself to eating lentils and sleeping in a tent. The soundbite Al Gore should try to get out is:
To be an environmentalist, you don't have to do without - you just have to do your part.
This is a capitalist society and of course our top people are going to have the good life - now it's time to talk about who has the good life with carbon offsets and solar cells, and who wants to see the rich pay their fair share of the taxes. The goal here isn't to go back to the nineteenth century, but to go forward (a little late) to the twenty-first with cheap, clean, sustainable energy.
That's what I've been saying
That's what I've been saying all along.
But many enviros keep focusing on various sacrifices thus only helping the wingers to keep their stereotype alive.
When Gore will testify in March he should explain how voluntary carbon markets work, how
services like TVA's Green Power Switch can be made more affordable for more people but he should not say that people should give up what they already have, as they won't do it anyway.
Such talk would only backfire, and in fact it has already backfired -- which is why I can't stand enviro groups like Greenpeace and Friends of Earth. These people do not want to accept that we have a capitalist system and Americans always want to have more not less.
In case someone doesn't know
These are the recommendations from the movie's website
REDUCE YOUR IMPACT AT HOME
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/index.html
'Move to a smaller house' or 'don't live in a house that is 10,000 sq feet or larger' are not among them.
ENERGY BI$$ HEIST
Common sense would tell us people use energy unless they live in a totally remote area that has no capabilities for power. Now in the case of Al Gore and his utility bill coming up public, try looking at the utility company and see what their policy is on private billings to users. May be the leak is there. Or another option, how secure is Al Gore's mail box, how he gets his mail at home? Or it could be at the U.S. Post Office itself.
I saw a commercial on television several times where there are individuals who for whatever reason wait and lurk to find peoples trash and get information that way. With Al Gore being so popular and visible you could see why certain people fear him and consider him a threat as the next potential United States President. My point is there are probably a variety of ways that people have access to one's private information and we all should tear up or shred all documents we are discarding so that they do not become public once it has left your hand. Another useful tip that I have learned through years of living experience is be careful who you share information with as chances are your neighbor or friend or whoever could be that leakor if they know you are high profile or just one to be gossiped about.
This Al Gore utility leak matter could be a lesson for all of us. Let us try and protect ourselves in areas that we think are private and do all we can to alleviate vulnerabilities to divulging information to others that we do not want to share. Human nature at times gets the best of us and we babble when we shouldn't babble and learn to hold our tongue when we should be holding our tongue. You all have a pleasant journey ahead as we try to see if we can get Al Gore to be the next 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination. Take Care. This is wanbligi.
Strange but utility bills in
Strange but utility bills in Tennessee are public record. Anyone can get it if he requests it from the utility.
Turns out that Gore's bills were requested by the Tennessean which then showed them to this right wing group. Unclear why they choose them.
The utility denied the wingnuts contacted them or that they gave them any info.
And as it turns out they exaggerated the house's consumption by 30,000 kwh.
Moreover they compared it to the national average which includes mobil homes and apartments in all climate regions in the country, while the same Dep. of Energy document reveals that in Tennessee (along with a few other states in the South) the average consumption is actually the highest in the country, 50% higher than the national average. The winger bastards knew this but they chose the national average because than they could have the soundbit that Gore's consumption is 20 times more than the national average.
In reality it's just 3 times more than the average in that climate region and the pre sq foot consumption is actually lower than average in the Gore house.
They of course failed to find out how many people actually used this energy as if it would be the same if one person consumes 191,000 kwh and if 10 and they didn't check whether the average
was based on 2006 or a different period. 2006 had record heat during the summer and everyone's consumption went up as a result.
Not as easy as it used to be
"This Al Gore utility leak matter could be a lesson for all of us. Let us try and protect ourselves in areas that we think are private and do all we can to alleviate vulnerabilites to divulging information to others that we do not want to share."
--wanbligi--
I just wanted to ad another possibilty.
Don't forget the wire-taps, and all the other programs that a guy, who spends time in and out of the country, and even speaks poorly of this administration in the Middle East, might attract.
The days of MLK Jr. should have taught us that just because YOU have nothing to hide, doesn't mean that Government has a right to go through everybodies business, both public and private.
How'd Teddy Kennedy get on the no-fly list?
How many times do you think someone gets called a traitor or gets accused of "Emboldening the enemy" before they get on Cheney's list? You know, that 1% theory, fella'.
Whether you put it on the Net or not, almost everything makes it there.
mad donkey points out wire-taps
In response to the wire-taps and other programs directed at high profile or government targeted individuals. It is very difficult for me to comprehend that our government would treat its own citizens in such a way as to invalidate their rights on their own soil.
Why I have come forth during this time brings me to the reasons why Al Gore was not truly elected as the President of the United States in 2000. I was never so disillusioned before in seeing how that whole count, recount, and ultimately with the U.S. Supreme Court becoming involved and deciding against Gore and the rest is history. To this day, I was impacted by what transpired in 2000 and I can only speak for myself but that is why I am here today to see if I can make a difference in this 2008 Presidential Election.
Those that believe in diplomacy are correct when they see that as one of the major factors we have encountered in Iraq when we failed to adequately pursue in reaching out and understanding neighbors to Iraq in helping solve that dilemma that is costing us in not only lives but billions and billions of taxpayer dollars.
We have to stand up for what is right and that is why we need to stay united in our efforts to make a difference in this 2008 Presidential Election. I for one voted for Al Gore in 2000 and I stand behind him now if he does decide to run as the next 2008 Democratic Presidential Nominee.
Thank you for the opportunity to express one's self on this forum and hope you all have strength and wisdom ahead as we move further on into the presidential election cycle.
This is wanbligi.
"Misinformation" and "Manufactured outrage"
It is obviously going to be contaminated by the "conspiracy theory" stereotyping, but it should not be a surprise to any American that people have used this very same tactic against political enemies in the past.
Only now they just have do some marketing research, and what they find people polling against, they find a way to make fit. "Hypocrite, rich, elite, liberal, crazy, unpatriotic, treasonous," etc... It doesn't matter what the facts are, or even if they are facts, it is the spin and the "power words." Just like the eighties. "Changing paradigms" and "revolutionizing outside the box." Which is boardroom for "JUST SELL IT!" I don't care if you have to lie, I don't care if you have to run Silkwood off the road, I don't care if you have to stand on 42nd St. giving little kids a free camel ride with the purchase of every box of Camel cigs... SELL OR DIE.
The people who defended Nixon always said that Nixon was impeached for doing what everyone did... Like how all Presidents get to do anything, or I think Schlesinger called it the Imperial Presidency. He was a guy in the know, on many things.
I think that we have reached a "thresh hold moment," either people realize that they are being sold down the river by the mainstream, or it'll take another Harpers ferry type of incident. The reason the world hates us, and we don't understand, is they don't live here. Hollywood? International. Americans rely on American broadcasting... Just about everything else is outsourced. But news people have to be "patriotic Americans." Why did so many Americans believe War with Iraq was necessary, while the rest of the world seemed to say "Fools rush in?" Why did so many think 9/11 and Iraq were connected?
We are loaded with misinformation for hours everyday. The more political campaigns become ad campaigns, the less honest our politics will be.
Just crunching numbers on "images" and fitting people into peg-holes. And you can fit anyone into any peg-hole if you have the right "hammer." Anyone.
This Is a Major Screw Up
I agree with middleman. I am a long time Gore supporter so I only have bias in his favor. But I cannot defend or excuse him buying a mansion that have exhorbitent energy bills.
Middleman understands that even if you use renewables such as solar, a lot of oil is still in the supply chain.
In addition, it's simpy wasteful and stupid. If you care about the environment, you don't live in large houses. I have the money to live in a large house, no problem. But I choose to live in a 1.500 square foot home for a family of 4, plus 2 dogs. Why, because I would be ASHAMED to live in a big house or to drive a big car. Why is Al Gore not ashamed? Perhaps he is used to luxury??
And this is the most shameful point, which I hope the media does NOT pick up. George W Bush happens to have a ranch that is more environmentally friendly than Gore's mansion.. His ranch in Texas uses renewables and recycles water.
tsk tsk tsk
============================================================
The land includes seven canyons and three miles (5 km) of frontage along Rainey Creek and the Middle Bosque River. It is a part of land settled in the mid-19th century by German immigrant Heinrich Englebrecht, who raised turkeys and hogs there and donated some of it to found the Canaan Baptist Church (the "Prairie Chapel").
Buildings on the land built by the Englebrechts were refurbished for new uses, such as Secret Service quarters and guest houses. Bush and his wife had David Heymann, then an associate professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, design a 10,000 ft² (930 m²) honey-colored native limestone single-level home on the site. Over half of that area is from a 10 foot (3 m) wide limestone porch that encircles the house. The house was built by members of a religious community from nearby Elm Mott, Texas and wasn't completed until after his inauguration.
The passive-solar house is positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and walls of the residence. Geothermal heat pumps circulate water through pipes buried 300 feet (100 m) deep in the ground. A 40,000 US gallon (151 m³) underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water from the cistern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the four-bedroom home. Photographs of the interior of the house indicate a sophisticated take on rough-hewn living, with generous English-style club chairs covered in what appears to be printed Fortuny linen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_Chapel_Ranch
You don't know a lot of details
Energy usage in that mansion is not exhorbitent at all. It's actually below average.
The press release claimed that Al Gore's home in Nashville consumed 221,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity last year compared to a national average of 10,656 kWh per household. I have no idea whether the number cited for Gore's house is correct, but let's assume it is. The 10,656 number comes from data published by the Department of Energy. But it's an average of all households nationwide (including apartment units and mobile homes) and across all climate regions. As it turns out, the region in which Gore lives--the East South Central--has the highest per household energy usage of any climate region in the country, a good 50% higher than the national average quoted in the press release (I assume this is due to the combination of cold winters and hot, muggy summers). So that's misleading in and of itself.
The Department of Energy lists the average nationwide energy consumption per household as 10,656 kwh and the average consumption per square foot as 13.7 kwh. But for the East South Central region (Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi), the average is 15,447 kwh per household and 19.83 kwh per square foot. As you state in your post, Gore’s consumption is 19.43 kwh per square foot, which is less than the average.
http://www.anonymousliberal.com/2007/02/gores-energy-use.html
Actually it's even lower, 19.1 kwh, as the think tank's data is false. They exaggerated by 30,000 kwh.
The Gores used about 191,000 kilowatt hours in 2006, according to bills reviewed by The Associated Press. The typical Nashville household uses about 15,600 kilowatt-hours per year.
The group said that Gore used nearly 221,000 kilowatt hours last year and that his average monthly electric bill was $1,359. Johnson said his group got its figures from Nashville Electric Service.
But company spokeswoman Laurie Parker said the utility never got a request from the policy center and never gave it any information.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GORE_ELECTRIC_BILL?SITE=FLTAM&SEC...
So you have a problem with Gore having a mansion instead of a smaller house even if he uses green power? Why? And why are you suprised that Gore has that house? He bought it in 2001, it's not a new thing.
Unless you know how many people use that house and for what purpose you don't have a case.
Do you know the per capita consumption?
You don't want to compare a factory to a family home, do you? You shouldn't compare Gore's house to an average family home either. They have two offices, a guest house and security which an average guy does not need.
Now, why couldn't they use that energy if it comes from green power and if they pay for offsets? That's far more than the average American does, including you. Is your carbon footprint zero?
Nevertheless he never told anyone to move to a smaller house but to make them carbon neutral -- which is what he has done with his own. If he had called for the desctructions of buildings larger than, say, 5000 sq feet, your argument would be credible. But he never said anything like that -- and it wouldn't make any sense anyway.
The goal is to reduce CO2 emission not to eliminate 10,000 sq feet buildings.
If you have the money how much green power do you pay for? How much do you pay for offsets? Your lower consumption will not reduce overall CO2 emission but more green projects will.
Seems to me that you promote the stereotype that real enviromentalists cannot have a very high standard of living. That they have to sacrifice.
This is exactly the image the right wing has used against enviromentalists for years and which is why so many Americans believe that enviros want to destroy the economy, reject modern lifestyle and are against capitalism. You will not achieve much if you continue to urge people to give up this or give up that.
This is what I'm talking about:
"Even right-wingers who know that "global warming" is a crock do not seem to grasp what the tree-huggers are demanding. Liberals want mass starvation and human devastation.
Simply consider what noted climatologists Al Gore and Melissa Etheridge are demanding that we do to combat their nutty conjectures about "global warming." They want us to starve the productive sector of fossil fuel and allow the world's factories to grind to a halt. This means an end to material growth and a cataclysmic reduction in wealth.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucac/20070228/cm_ucac/letthemeattofu
"
The new Google HQ will run on renewable energy. They will use a bunch of energy. It's not a cheap place. Will you complain about that, too?
Right now Obama is running Gore is not.
The last I checked Obama is in the race for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination and that is what he is doing. Now well, with the electricity bills for Al Gore, that's another story. Who cares? I am sure Al Gore can answer that one for himself if he wants. As for the rest of us conserve as much as we can and use as little as possible. Makes sense to me. If and when Al Gore jumps into this 2008 Presidential race all we can do is speculate. Take care and thank you for the opportunity. This is wanbligi.
Address This With Facts
On the one hand, the Conservative media is distorting the facts. On the other hand, the Gore camp has not done a sufficient job of clarifying the facts. Until people understand what "Green Power Switch" is -- the Gore smear campaign will continue to carry some bite.
It certainly would seem hypocritical if Gore was telling us to cut down on fuel consumtion if he wasn't doing the same. Heating a swimming pool sounds like pretty conspicuous consumption to those of us who don't even have an unheated pool ! Gore's use of fuel sounds pretty over the top when we hear the dollar amount of his fuel bills. BUT - this story has no punch when you find out the facts.
Gore is participating in TVA's "Green Power Switch." The TVA and local power companies provide electicity to customers (who, like Gore, elect to participate in the program) that is generated by such renewable resources as solar and wind power. This type of power costs more than conventional power. The customer can buy units ("blocks") of green power. Thus, Gore spends more money than most of us on his power bills.
How many of you received the LL Bean radio for Christmas to use when the electricity goes out? (I got one 2 years ago, and gave them to my friends last year.) The radio has a crank -- by turning it, you can create enough power to run the radio for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Who would complain about your using self-generated energy to power your radio --- no matter how much energy you use? This is not the same as burning coal or oil to power the radio. Even Matt Drudge should be able to understand this concept. Now, I don't have enough stamina to power my whole house this way, or heat a swimming pool, but if I did --- WOW! I'd sure be in good shape.
Green Switch doesn't depend on self-generated energy (like the LL Bean radio). Instead, it depends on other renewable resources (think -- windmill -- but the concept is not so far removed from my LL Bean radio). The TVA acknowleges that the use of renewable resources is not impact free -- but this is a big step towards creating less waste and pollution.
Gore is not suggesting we all adopt a life-style that would take us back to the stone-ages. No one, not even the most enthusiastic environmentalist, would want to live a life without hot showers, heat and a refrigerator. Instead, Gore's proposing a rational, do-able approach. Keep your hot water heater, your furnace and refrigerator -- but use common sense, use less power when you can, and use renewable, clean energy sources.
So -- what's the big deal if Gore heats his swimming pool?
Your pal,
sunonwater
An Imperfect World
I was disheartened to find that Al Gore was not perfect, I cannot deny it. But what is becoming a pleasent surprise is how his supporters are not dissuaded, but seem to be rallying around one who I believe can be a great President.
Pennsylvania has only had one resident who made it to the White house. His pedigree was perfect complete with college education and a distinguished diplomatic record but James Buchanon is hardly noticed in history as an all but acknowledged atheist with no college education from the back woods of Illinois put America back on track.
No when America votes in 2008 perfection will not be on the table. There will be no one from Bush's inner circle as they have abandoned perfection long ago. McCain lost his loft in of all places New York giving a speech telling not how to end war but how to expand it. He has been replaced by of all people a New Yorker who will never be seen as perfect by those in Kansas. In 2008 there may be Obama, perfect in oratory skills but never once tested beyond the popularity of an unpopular war. And of course there will be the Clintons the sweethearts of New York whose very name guarantees the continued 50/50 split we have seen since Ronald Reagan. No perfection will not be on the table in 2008. As the media both Left and Right rush to find Anna Nicole's father we will be left with a judge who best positions himself for mass appeal. As we are X-Rayed for public safety we will be left on the tarmac in the name of profit. As our co-pay increases from year to year we will pretend our President cares for Walter Reed. And while the only answer for war is leaderless war we will seek peace without leadership. When none can find the final peice to Martin Luther's dream we continue to seperate ourselves in high school lunch rooms and urbanized farmland forgetting the imperfect, uneducated soul that lies in state in the backwoods of Illinois who for a breif shinning American moment brought North and South together through her most imperfect war and in spite of their continued imperfections, into a shinning jewel the world has come to know as the United States of America.
I hope you find Anna Nicole's dad America, because this is no way to find a President.
You don't have a heated pool
You don't have a heated pool because you don't have the money Gore has. And you don't have the money because you didn't do what Gore did namely invest in Google in 2003. It's that simple.
It's not that he was a millionaire when he left the White House. He earned his money in a good old fashioned capitalist way. Nothing wrong with that in my book.
BTW we don't know how often they use that pool or whether Gore himself uses it at all.
He happens to have a pretty big family and a lot of friends.
And Gore never told anyone to cut down on fuel consumtion that would result in a lower living standard. To the contrary he has always said that we can solve this crisis without
sacrificing our living standard.
There are plenty of people
There are plenty of people with money for a heated pools and choose not to have one. Just because he's rich doesn't mean he can be an energy hog.
Al Gore's failure is that he overlooks the obvious. It is common sense that the right would come after him with these types of attacks, yet he still chooses to live in this mansion. The man is brilliant, but sometimes brilliant people have problems with common sense.
And having a big family is no excuse either. There is NO excuse. He fucked up and I hope he can recover.
I am sure that he will find a way out of this mess. But he does need to walk the talk.
They choose to have other things
if not a heated pool. And plenty choose to have a heated pool, too. It's not that Gore built it so the previous owner or owners sure were in the later category.
But again, you don't know how much they use it if they use it at all and you don't know what kind of energy is used to heat it. If gas that hardly increases CO2 emission.
Gore should live in a mansion because the right will come after him? Huh?
Gimme a break. I wouldn't give a fuck about what the right tells about me and I wouldn't choose my home based on what the right wing thinks is right or wrong.
Gore not only lives in that mansion but he also works there along with others so it's not the same as with most family homes which are just that: homes.
"And having a big family is no excuse either. There is NO excuse."
No exuse is needed. He is using green power, his per sq foot consumption is below average and
it's not just a home but a workplace.
Again: how many people use that house? Do you know it? What is the per capita consumption?
"But he does need to walk the talk."
He is doing just that but apparently you closed you mind and ignore the facts.
The issue is not energy consumption but carbon emission. Which part of that you don't understand?
sorry -- duplicate comment
see above
Tell Gore to Face this Head-On
I would love to have Al Gore as president. He has reached a critical moment in his political career. The best way to handle this situation is the way that comes most naturally to him: face the conflict head-on. It is time for him to prove his metal. He needs to come clean with the public where he has fallen short of practicing what he preaches. He needs to change those practices that are wasteful of energy. In short, he needs to become a model for all of us to look to and to follow. If he does anything else at this point, his work of the previous 35 years will lose much of its impact. I hope and pray that he considers this, takes the highest road, and shows America how a mature, thoughtful person handles his shortcomings in the face of criticism.
He has come clean already.
He has come clean already. And if you want you can follow his example: reduce consumption or switch to green power or pay for carbon offsets. Gore has done all of those things. What did you do?
It's not his shortcoming. He never told anyone to move to a smaller house or to give up anything they like. He showed various options with which someone can reduce his carbon footprint.
Reducing consumption is just one of those options but not the only one.
You can use a bunch of energy and still be green.
Except that most Americans - apparently including you - are not able to understand that.
Guess how much energy does Google's HQ use? Much more than Gore's house. No they will not reduce consumption significantly. Instead they will switch to renewable sources. So are they hypocrites because they believe carbon emission should be reduced at the same time they are using a bunch of electricity? It's not your usual HQ, as we know it.
Gore's Footprint
many of you have made completely clear your belief that all criticisms of al gore are generated from the far-right wing, corporatist-elite dominated fascist capitalists.
but, what if a totally independent-minded, highly educated professional believes that global warming is occurring, that human beings are at least partly to blame, BUT also believes that al gore displays a great degree of hypocrisy? does anyone here believe that it is possible to be both concerned about the environment AND turned off by the chasm that clearly exists between al gore's words and al gore's actions?
so what if he and tipper work from home? plenty of people are able to work from a home that is less than 20 rooms and which consumes far less than 20 times the amount of energy as the average home.
so what if he and tipper get their energy from renewable sources? is that really a justification or excuse for using so much energy, renewable or not? also, there is not an infinite short-term amount of renewable energy. thus, if al and tipper use 20 times the normal amount of power, then ostensibly 19 other homes that could otherwise use renewable-source energy will have to use nonrenewable-source energy. so, even if al and tipper reduce their own footprint, it will cause others to increase theirs...or at least keep them from reducing it.
i laud al gore for keeping the issue of global warming at the forefront of the public debate; however, i chide him for obviously living a lifestyle that is totally nonconforming to what he pororates about in public discussion.
no one needs a 20 room/8 bath home. no one needs to use 200,000 plus kilowatts of energy per year. and certainly someone who claims that environmental degradation is the most pressing issue in modern human existence cannot be taken completely seriously when his lifestyle is at such great odds with his professed mission in life.
any thoughts or comments?
Quote: "many of you have
Quote:
"many of you have made completely clear your belief that all criticisms of al gore are generated from the far-right wing, corporatist-elite dominated fascist capitalists."
Comment:
I think the point many of us are making is that this particular criticism of Al Gore was generated by a right-wing think tank which is funded by an oil corporation. There are legitimate reasons to criticize Al Gore, this just doesn't happen to be one of them.
Quote:
but, what if a totally independent-minded, highly educated professional believes that global warming is occurring, that human beings are at least partly to blame, BUT also believes that al gore displays a great degree of hypocrisy? does anyone here believe that it is possible to be both concerned about the environment AND turned off by the chasm that clearly exists between al gore's words and al gore's actions?
Comment:
I believe that such a concern is obviously possible since you are expressing such an opinion. I disagree with your opinion on the matter, but I can understand how you arrived at it.
Quote:
so what if he and tipper get their energy from renewable sources? is that really a justification or excuse for using so much energy, renewable or not? also, there is not an infinite short-term amount of renewable energy. thus, if al and tipper use 20 times the normal amount of power, then ostensibly 19 other homes that could otherwise use renewable-source energy will have to use nonrenewable-source energy. so, even if al and tipper reduce their own footprint, it will cause others to increase theirs...or at least keep them from reducing it.
Comment:
While I agree that there is certainly not an infinite supply of renewable energy available at the moment, I also realize that there isn't a shortage of it either. People that live in Tennessee can still switch to renewable forms of energy, if they prefer, regardless of the consumption habits of the Gores. In this case, the energy consumption of the Gores does not impede other people from switching to green energy.
Quote:
"i laud al gore for keeping the issue of global warming at the forefront of the public debate; however, i chide him for obviously living a lifestyle that is totally nonconforming to what he pororates about in public discussion."
Comment:
This, I believe, is where are opinons on the matter diverge to the greatest extent. I don't believe that owning a large home, or several of them for that matter, is a hurdle to being a good environmentalist. Hell, if I had the money I would buy a mansion too. I would also purchase green energy and carbon offsets to balance my affluence and my desire to promote environmentalism.
Further, I believe that I read elsewhere that you are a successful professional but that you choose not to buy a large house or a heated swimming pool. I understand the ethic that drives you to your stance and I respect it. Many of our founders, particularly Franklin, espoused the same sort of "leather-apron" practicality. However, I do not share this view with you, or Franklin. Apparently, Al Gore doesn't either. I don't think it would be right for Al Gore to criticize you for your lifestyle choices. By extension, I don't think if is fair for you to criticize him for his.
Quote:
no one needs a 20 room/8 bath home. no one needs to use 200,000 plus kilowatts of energy per year. and certainly someone who claims that environmental degradation is the most pressing issue in modern human existence cannot be taken completely seriously when his lifestyle is at such great odds with his professed mission in life.
Comment:
Nobody needs a house with rooms. We could all live in homes that are comprised of one big room. We choose not to do this because we want to afford space to the various people that live in or visit our homes. We also want separate areas for cooking, eating, sleeping, entertaining and even swimming.
The point I am getting at is this: if 20 rooms is too many, how many rooms should a house have? Is 15 too many? Is 10 too many? How about 5? Are you suggesting that the federal government should pass legislation to ban the building of homes that have more than two rooms?
The final point I would like to make is that it really isn't any of our business. How large your home is or isn't has nothing to do with me. Similarly, the size of Al Gore's home or the extent of his energy consumption is none of your business either. I say this because I just spent half an hour typing this post when I could have spent that half hour learning more about global warming and what can be done to slow it down. It strikes me now that we are all really just wasting energy while we discuss whether or not Al Gore is wasting energy. Strange how that happens.
Good points.
One other thing:
The argument that people should use less not more green energy is a perfect way to shoot ourselves in the foot.
TVA is a not a charity but business. They will not buy more solar panels or wind turbines if they don't know for sure they can make a profit by producing more green power. To boost their production consumers should demand more not less.
When TVA started GPS they had only 3 wind turbines. Today they have 18 thanks to consumers like Gore. (By the way he is a rare bird with his 100% green power purchase. The average GPS consumer buys 2 blocks. He buys 108.)
Because TVA's GPS is independently audited we can be sure that the amount of energy Gore and other GPS consumers buy is indeed produced from clean sources.
It's also silly to think that by consuming 191,000 kwh/year Gore somehow takes other people's green power away. TVA has not limited the offer. Everyone can buy as much as they want.
If more people would buy more the result would be the same as it has been since 2000: increase in green power production.
The solution is not to urge people to use less green power but more and thus help TVA and other
power companies to slowly but surely change their main energy source from coal to renewables.
TVA is the largest public power company. If they could do it it would be a big deal.
BTW how many people used those 20 rooms? EnemyCombatant doesn't know but she still thinks it's OK to decide who needs what and what not.
Ok so what is Gore's carbon footprint?
It's zero.
Do you have evidence to the contrary? Show it.
It's not 200,000 kwh but 191,000 by the way. The wingnuts exaggerated.
See :http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GORE_ELECTRIC_BILL?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME
The right wants to sell the notion that Gore uses a bunch of fossil fuel-based energy for luxury.
They ignore how many people use that house and for what exactly.
They ignore the fact that average energy consumption in that climate region is 50% higher than the national average and Gore's per sq foot consumption is actually lower than the average in his region.
They ignore that Gore pays for 100% green power under TVA's Green Power Switch program.
They ignore that Gore pays for carbon offsets.
But nothing that Gore can do is enough. He should live in a cave, only that would be principled.
You would have a point if Gore had said that people should not own larger than, say 5000 sq feet houses. But he never said that. So there is no gap between his words and actions. There is a gap between your words and his actions. What if he does not agree with you? I certainly don't because your concept is narrow minded and unrealistic.
There are many big houses in the US. Plenty of people own them. Many use even more energy than the Gore house.
So what do you think we should do with all those 10,000 sq feet and larger houses around the country? Destroy them? Or make them more efficient?
It's not that Gore built the house. It was already there. If not Gore someone else would have bought it who most likely wouldn't have bothered to make it more efficient and use green power or pay for offsets.
Your point about the short term is precisely where your argument collpases. The goal is to expand the renewable energy market. How will it be done if not as a result of higher demand from people who can afford to pay for it now? Not tomorrow but now.
It's not that Gore takes away other people's green energy. Everyone can sign up. But few do because they don't want to pay more. What will lower the prices if not more investments? And where will the money come from if not from wealthy individuals? From you? How much did you invest in green energy?
Response to "Gore's Footprint"
Gore is not required to live and work in a small house in order to be a legitimate environmentalist. He does exactly what he encourages others to do: takes steps to reduce his carbon footprint.
Gore bases a large business enterprise out of his house: 1) documentary, 2) speaking engagements, 3) book on the way, 4) other business ventures. I'm guessing this requires a full staff, which requires energy. Did the Tennessee website bother to compare a business the size of Gore's to a business in an office building and their energy consumption? No. The Gore's also have a large extended family of kids and grandkids that probably visit regularly.
I fail to see how enormous effort on his part to teach and inform environmental awareness is "at odds" with the way he lives. Is he to live in a 3 bedroom house on Wisteria Lane in order to gain respect?
I think the issue is that
I think the issue is that Gore is not telling anyone to do anything. He is advising people about what they can do. There is a huge difference.
You say noone needs a 20 room 8 bath home. Well I don't know. Both Al and Tipper work from home, they have a growing extended family, and public figures do feel the need to live away from prying eyes. Having Al Gore living on your block would be a huge security nightmare for you and your family and as much as anything public figures want to give you that space. (No really!!)
And what Gore is suggesting is not complete cutting back on consumption, but where possible living a carbon neutral life. And Gore does invest in offsets as much as possible. I don't see that being talked about in many of these columns about Gore's hypocrisy. Reporters seem to have invested greatly in investigating Gore's consumption without looking at his offsets. I think criticisms of Gore are disingenuous at best on this, and reflect an attempt to politically neuter an opponent rather than seriously discuss the issues at hand.
how is it in any way
how is it in any way disengenuous to call out someone who says we're headed for global catastrophe if we don't drastically alter our behavior, but in himself lives in a manner that is so grandiose?
you can't be serious about a "growing extended family" are you? that's on the level of latrell sprewell saying $14 million is not enough because he "has a family to feed." some hotels have no more than 20 rooms.
sure, someone such as al gore requires more privacy and protection. that doesn't translate into needing a massive mansion to live in, no matter how you cut it. he could own a normal sized home located on as many acres as he likes. he could then have his privacy and protection while maintaining a low environmental impact lifestyle.
and again, you mention offsets. but you can't deny the fact that when you consume 20 times the amount of energy as the average home, you are consuming entirely too much energy, regardless of the nature of the source. think of it this way. let's say it takes an acre of corn to generate X amount of electricity (with X representing the average home consumption of electricity). if someone uses 20X units of electricity, then he is unarguably using 19X units of energy that could have been used by 19 other homes. thus, those 19 other homes have to get their energy from somewhere else, whether it be another 19 acres of corn, or some other source.
just because the energy source is renewable doesn't mean it is either prudent, or for that matter, even sustainable to hog it down in such huge amounts. for instance, we know that trees are a renewable source, but what if everyone started building frame houses that were 20 times the average home size? could we really sustain renewal of that resource?
what if everyone started using 20X units of energy? then we'd soon see that, although the energy source is renewable, we wouldn't be able to produce renewed resources in time to keep pace with consumption.
on the flip side, the rush limbaugh idiots of the world argue that it takes more energy to create a gallon of ethanol than a gallon of ethanol produces. that may be a valid complaint in the short term, but what about when we start using ethanol to fuel the production of more ethanol? then who cares about that, because it is a renewable energy source. BUT, if we start consuming ethanol faster than we can produce it, it doesn't matter how renewable it is because consumption will outpace production and we'd face an energy crunch.
defend as you may or must, but it certainly is not disengenuous to call al gore to the carpet for this. this issue arose during the summer of 2006 and one of his spokespeople made the same comment that the gores were "looking into" installing solar panels on their home. surely it doesn't take al gore, of all people, 9 months to investigate such an addition. so, what's up with that? does the search for solar panels start with public scrutiny of the gore's lifestyle and end when the media turn their attention to the next juicy scandal?
and finally, perhaps al gore should realize the damage it does to the message when the messenger strays so far from the course of the message. the gap between his words and his actions only serves to arm his detractors with ammunition to claim that the whole issue of global warming is bunk based upon the fact that the most vocal proponents of the existence of the problem seemingly do not believe that their own behavior contributes to the problem.
There is no such gap. You
There is no such gap. You buy into this smear. If you bought a big house which runs on green power Gore wouldn't tell you to move to a smaller house. You misunderstand his message, just like those idiots on the right who claim that one cannot have a $30,000 utility bill and be green at the same time.
You never run out of solar energy. You never run out of wind power.
You never run out of geothermal energy. Which part of "renewable" you don't understand?
These sources are available in abundant quantity. We should use them more not less. That's the point. Gore never said that you or anyone should have a lower standard of living in order to combat AGW. In fact he never said that Americans should "drastically alter their behavior". These are you words not his.
BTW where do you get the 20 room and the "20 times more" figures from? This right wing piece of crap? Yeah way to collect the facts.
However big that house is if Gore sold it someone else would move in who may not be as interested in using green power as Gore is. Would that help the environment?
The solution is not to destroy or sell old big houses but to change them to be more efficient. And Gore has done that no matter what these media whore or you say. He didn't ask more from anyone.
if you could calm down long
if you could calm down long enough to read my post, the 20X comes from the power bill records. unless you think someone manipulated the power company bill, then 200,000 units (the amount used by the gores) is 20 times the average consumption of roughly 10,000 units of the normal home supplied by the power company, according to the power company billing records.
and you apparently don't understand much about the production-consumption issue, do you? in order to use solar, wind, or geothermal energy, you have to harness and distribute it. there is not an infinite amount of those energy forms available for consumption. wind is just wind until manmade systems convert it into electricity. does that make the point any clearer?
perhaps you should re-read my previous posts. where do i mention anything about a lower standard of living? you say those are my words, not his. well, they aren't my words either, because i neither wrote nor spoke them.
you actually sound a lot like the right-wing wackos who believe that there cannot be serious disagreement among honest and intelligent people.
and who said anything about destroying old houses?
where are you getting this stuff?
Not 200,000. 191,000
But why not believe what a winger think thank pulls out of its ass, right? You read something somehwere and it must be the truth? They exaggerated.
(Let's put aside the fact that 2006 had a brutal summer and it's not clear whether the average was calculated based on 2006 or an earlier and/or longer period.)
The Gores used about 191,000 kilowatt hours in 2006, according to bills reviewed by The Associated Press. The typical Nashville household uses about 15,600 kilowatt-hours per year.
The group said that Gore used nearly 221,000 kilowatt hours last year and that his average monthly electric bill was $1,359. Johnson said his group got its figures from Nashville Electric Service.
But company spokeswoman Laurie Parker said the utility never got a request from the policy center and never gave it any information.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/G/GORE_ELECTRIC_BILL?SITE=FLTAM&SEC...
Gore never said that " if we need to drastically alter our behavior" in order to combat AGW.
You put words in his mouth. And he especially didn't say that we should drastically reduce energy consumption.
To the contrary he said that we should keep our economy strong while reducing carbon emission.
He never told anyone that they should live in small houses and never suggested that big houses should be abandonded or destroyed. You completely distort his message.
The way to go is to use more green energy not to use less energy that would lower living standards.
Check out his recent speech about solutions and what he said about buildings. Nowhere did he mention that people should live in smaller houses or that we should not use mansions or big HQ's and skyscapers.
but you can't deny the fact that when you consume 20 times the amount of energy as the average home
Nah, that again. This is how ignorant people can be fooled by right wing talking points:
The press release claimed that Al Gore's home in Nashville consumed 221,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity last year compared to a national average of 10,656 kWh per household. I have no idea whether the number cited for Gore's house is correct, but let's assume it is. The 10,656 number comes from data published by the Department of Energy. But it's an average of all households nationwide (including apartment units and mobile homes) and across all climate regions. As it turns out, the region in which Gore lives--the East South Central--has the highest per household energy usage of any climate region in the country, a good 50% higher than the national average quoted in the press release (I assume this is due to the combination of cold winters and hot, muggy summers). So that's misleading in and of itself.
The Department of Energy lists the average nationwide energy consumption per household as 10,656 kwh and the average consumption per square foot as 13.7 kwh. But for the East South Central region (Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, and Mississippi), the average is 15,447 kwh per household and 19.83 kwh per square foot. As you state in your post, Gore’s consumption is 19.43 kwh per square foot, which is less than the average.
http://www.anonymousliberal.com/2007/02/gores-energy-use.html
It's even lower because the actual figure is 191,000.
Why do you think the utility told Olbermann there are smaller houses in the area which actually have higher consumption?
Keith Olbermann's fact-check on Gore's home energy usage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfvg1TuER5A&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edaily...
But even if Gore's house consumed 20 times more than an average house in Tennessee he could still be cabron netural if the energy comes from renewable sources and if he pays for offsets.
Which the average American do not do!
They have signed up for 100 percent green power through Green Power Switch.
If he pays for green power and offsets he actually helps more than by just reducing his own consumption because that money is used to make green energy more widely available hence more affordable for more people. Since government will not fund this expansion rich people like Gore have to do it. You will not do it. No matter how big of an enviromentalist you say you are.
Yes, I know how wind energy is produced. And? What's you point with that? That we shouldn't use as much as possible? If green energy consumption will not go up exactly how will the renewable energy market expand? Have you heard about supply and demand?
Or you want the government to pay for it? They won't. If it will not happen within the framework of market capitalism it will not happen at all. I think that has become fairly obvious since Jimmy Carter's energy plan.
and who said anything about destroying old houses?
where are you getting this stuff?
Now, if you don't want to destroy big old houses (which are almost always inefficient) what do you want to do with them?
What would it solve if Gore sold the house? What would be the chance that the new owner's carbon footpint would be zero? Would they pay for green power like Gore does?
Given that most people do not do that in Tennessee what is the chance?
It is going to happen
I would take this another way too.
They attack because they are scared....and in politics being scared for so many is the rule of thump so not only expect more of the same. And not just from the kids in our sandbox, but those big carbon producing companies are not too down with Gore's message either.
The point is to take the research that we have started here and use it only our own social networks, blogs, and websites. I like the points of connecting this group to certain groups and I think we need to do more with how they got the bills, did they intercept Gore's mail or hack the utilities? Google them as well.
We need to be emailing local press and asking them these and other questions. I believe having some information about how to create carbon offsets would be also give those in the press something else to write.
.
_______________________________________________
Nelson Jacobsen
Washington DC
Directly from Al Gore's office
I don't know that we can read too much into it. But I do like that Al Gore's office directly and promptly responded to these smears. We can and should help. But it's great to see Al Gore's personal staff responding to this garbage directly from his office.
Who knows, if they throw enough slime at Al Gore, and the sludge throwers get put down quickly, it could help inoculate Gore against future Swift-Boating attacks. Optimistically thinking anyway.
"The echo chamber is
"The echo chamber is engaging. Instapundit, Hot Air, Free Republic, WorldNetDaily, TownHall and several others are echoing and amplifying the $mear. RedState, Captain's Quarters. More here and here, here, here, here, here, here, here. Wizbang.
OK, now of course ABC News is picking it up".
Look at that... If that isn't shameless, what is?
It is good to see the Gore Office go after it, but I think you can be pretty sure that this piece didn't just "accidentally" happen right now. They had two stories, one if Gore lost, one if Gore won. And if you think that this gang of bullies is above it... Ask Joe Wilson. It's not the exception, it's the rule.
Ps. Hi Wayne, Good to see you.
Another Inconvenient Truth
Most of you who are members in AGO know that I do not pull any punches when it comes to my opinion of the present administration, the Bush family, or radical left or right philosophies.
One only needs to apply sensible principles of logic to know that comments made without fully researching what lies behind an issue carry the same amount of value as relieving one's self of gas.
It is imperative to counter attack using logic and truth against the attackers. Some people, however, will not back off and admit they are wrong even if God Himself were to appear before them with Heavenly evidence supporting the truth, so, prepare for a battle of wits with morons, with hope that those who are intelligent enough to be enlightened will see the light (a flourescent one), and accept the evidence without bias induced by idiots.
So, my fellow Gore supporters, "Let's go get 'em"!
_______________________________________________________________
Reverend Wally say's, "Talk only works when someone listens"
The inconvient truth is
I think that the "Inconvenient Truth" becomes increasingly clear everytime it sneaks past the advertising machine.
The inconvenient truth is the people who are charged with keeping an informed public are living in bubbles just like Bush's. It's not surprising that as the gap between rich and poor expands, the gap between the life the masses live, and the truth that the masses see, is absolutely contrary to the "truth" that absolves everyone in power of any responsibility, what-so-ever, and costs them billions of dollars to peddle like the stories of the Brothers Grimm.
I am absolutely disgusted by the media who picks this up
Thank you for the heads up, Janet.
I have never seen anything like this.
It is an absolute theater of absurdities. Is this what Gore can look foreward to for the rest of his years. Each and every time he does something the rest of the world is great, our pin-headed right wing is going to have a spasm of venom-spitting?
Isn't envy one of the deadly sins?
This is pathetic... It will be very interesting watching their kids faces as they read the petty crap their parents did.
Get involved
Instead of blogging about this here, might I suggest that some of you get involved in doing something to counter these lies and smears? This site is now designed so that people can join together to do different kinds of work. Get a group together to find the lies being put out in the media. Become active and involved. This campaign requires help on so many levels.
Get involved.
The "Greenboat Veterans" are at it again.
Seeing the divisive impact that this new smear campaign by the latest dirty tricks squad AND their moles, disgusts me. Truth is not sufficient. The Democratic Party and its supporters may think that simply stating the truth is sufficient to refute such claims. It is not. Once the claim has been made and made "real" by being reported in the mainstream and backwater press, it cannot, repeat cannot, be refuted. Those who listen to such things, do not care about the facts. They have already been sold the "truth".
Instead it's time to live in the belly of the beast. Descend to the level of the enemy you choose to fight. Get some moles into the other camp. raise questions, questions, questions about their candidates. Whose hand is on the other end of John McCain's chain? How can Rudy be trusted if he's such a womanizer? How can Newt be trusted when he divorces his dying wife and has an affair while married to her replacement? Is Ann Coulter homophobic or afraid of discovery? And so on and so on...
The good fight is not always the cleanest.
How to get involved
One way to do so is to take this info and help move it out into the noosphere, If you are a blogger please consider using www.Technorati.com t tags on your posts. Al Gore in now in the Top 5
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Nelson Jacobsen
Washington DC