Al Gore finds it's not so easy being green

Tripped up by a question from OK Sen. James Inhofe

from JoeUser Forums

Noted in The Washington Times, Inside Politics, Page A6, Friday, March 23, 2007, compiled by Greg Pierce.

"It's not easy being green.  Just ask former Vice President Al Gore, the Fox News Channel's Terry Keenan writes at www.foxnews.com.

While the newly anointed Oscar winner has made what Katie Couric called a 'triumphant return' to Capitol Hill on Wednesday { 3/21/2007 }, Gore was tripped up by a simple question from Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe.  Late into the hearing, Inhofe showed Gore a clip from his film, 'An Inconvenient Truth.'  The clip challenged the audience with this question: 'Are you ready to change the way you live?'

"Simple enough.  But Inhofe took this question a step further, by placing it right at the foot of the former vice president.  Correctly noting that Gore is adored by hundres of thousands for his green message, Inhofe asked the Tennessee Democrat if he'd be willing to pledge to 'consume no more energy for use in your residence than the average American household by one year from today?'

"It was a 'gotcha' moment, and one that was not widely reported in the mainstream media.  Mr. Gore refused to take the pledge, adding that 'We live a carbon-neutral life.'

"Get read to hear a lot about carbon-neutral living in the days and months ahead.  It's the new euphemism for Escalade-driving environmentalists who 'purchase' carbon credits to assuage any guilt about their private jets and 20,000-square foot summer homes."

"

Great clipping and yes, one heck of a gotcha moment.  That fat bastard Michael Moore would have been proud, though being the liberal leaner that he is, he would never have gone after AlGore to begin with.

{ edited to add the embedded video/link here }

{ that clip really is priceless }

Carbon-neutral is most definitely the new buzz-word for Gore and his followers.  As the blurb notes, it's all about trading credits needed to make up for the bad behavior to get back to carbon-neutral status.  It reminds me of holy-roller church goers that are sitting in their Sunday best listening to the sermon on Sunday to make up for their sinfulness on the other 6 days of the week.

And gee, trading credits... it strikes me that there was some sort of big trading system that went belly up and helped lead to a big meltdown in the stock market back a few years ago.  Of course that trading system was for trading energy, rather than carbon credits, but both work in much the same way.  Enriching the traders and the trading system while not really doing a thing for the masses.

AlGore and his friends get to preach to the rest of us that we all need to be green while they buy these credits to offset the harm that keeping up their luxurious lifestyles is continuing to do to the environment.  As an example, has anyone really checked to see just how much pollution and greenhouse emmissions are generated by the power plant that is generating the $30,000 worth of electricity that Gore's palatial estate in Tennessee uses?  He can claim to be carbon-neutral, but that does nothing for the people that live around the power plants that are involved, nor for the coal miners that are digging coal, or the oil workers that are pulling the black gold from the ground to burn in that plant.

Great job Al { Borat mode on }  NOT!  { Borat mode off }

Excellent job and /salute to Sen. James Inhofe.  Great way to turn the tables on AlGore and his friends.

politics
19,507 views 56 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top

I really wish that I had a YouTube clip of this exchange.  It would be (to borrow MasterCard's term) Priceless!

Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top

That's the thing, Gore and his kind don't expect to change their own lives to greener pastures, they only expect that of everyone else.

"Carbon Offsets"... sounds a lot like "Buying of Indulgences" to me.

"Carbon Footprint": The poor should conserve so the rich won't have to.

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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
"Carbon Footprint": The poor should conserve so the rich won't have to.


Yup. Then there's the issue of not taking into account someone's total impact.

Our house has CFL's in every room, and we use a front loading washer, which uses far less water, energy and detergent (meaning less money for detergent packages). Yet "enviro-snobs" are quite quick to point out the Suburban I drive out of necessity.
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top
A very disappointing response from Gore. He had the chance to step up to the plate and hit a home run; instead he beans himself in the head with his own bat.
Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
A very disappointing response from Gore. He had the chance to step up to the plate and hit a home run; instead he beans himself in the head with his own bat.


LOL...that he did. Barry Bonds he ain't.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
See linked/embedded item added to original article.  Bless YouTube
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

Another version of the same clip.

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top

Where? Not seeing it!

(Took me a few minutes after adding that comment to add the clip.  Sorry I'm not that quick at my editing )

Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
Everyone should do their part and make the world a better place. Ed Begley Jr. is doing his part. Have you seen his show yet? He is an extreme environmentalist.
Reply #11 from JoeUser Forums Top

Everyone should do their part and make the world a better place. Ed Begley Jr. is doing his part. Have you seen his show yet? He is an extreme environmentalist.

I'm aware of Ed Begley Jr., and also Daryll Hannah, who both practice what they preach and work hard to try to leave the world a better place.  They are great examples of people that are doing and not just telling others to do.

Al Gore on the other hand, much like some of his other "friends" in the Democratic party (see John Edwards as an example), is someone that is out telling everyone else to do while largely leaving his own lifestyle unchanged.  I pick on Edwards here also because both of these politician's families live oppulent lifestyles in huge estates.  Estates that cost a lot of money to heat and cool, and which typically include recreational facilities that have their own lighting, heating and cooling needs.

I don't begrudge someone the lifestyle of their choice, but I don't appreciate them telling me that I have to do better, and do my part to save the planet while they live in luxury in homes that are many times the size of mine, or ride around in cars that get mere fractions of the fuel economy of the econo-box I drive (or for that matter the normal SUV that I previously drove).  These "darlings" of the left are incredibly hypocritical and the idiots that support them in demanding these changes should be calling them on it and forcing them to change.

Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top

Where is Sean?  At least he should be shocked!

As I am not!  Algore?  Was peter boyle ashamed of his energy consumption? (for the young ones - that is Young Frankenstein).

Reply #13 from JoeUser Forums Top
Eh, this video doesn't even show his full response, looks like it was taken out of context to be misleading. However, does this really have anything to do with the message they are trying to get out there? It is like a smoker telling people they shouldn't smoke because of cancer, it doesn't make the cancer any less real. Don't bother with soundbites, If you want to debate something, debate on what is causing global warming and if we can do anything about it.
Reply #14 from JoeUser Forums Top
Eh, this video doesn't even show his full response, looks like it was taken out of context to be misleading. However, does this really have anything to do with the message they are trying to get out there? It is like a smoker telling people they shouldn't smoke because of cancer, it doesn't make the cancer any less real. Don't bother with soundbites, If you want to debate something, debate on what is causing global warming and if we can do anything about it.


Ah, ignorant people never stop amazing me. Taken out of context? That's a joke right? The reality is that a man like Al Gore is a firm believer (even if he doesn't know it) of the saying "Do as I say, not as I do". Did you ever see the report on how much is Al Gore's electrical bill? Hypocrite if you ask me. How do you go around screaming how everyone should consume less when your own bill averages $1200 a month? Link He doesn't deserve that Oscar for not being capable of taking his own advice. But wait, this is my favorite part of the article : "A Gore spokeswoman said the former vice president invests in enough renewable energy to make up for the home's power consumption." So that means that it's OK to waste something so long as you invest a lot of money fighting it, right? So does that mean I can murder someone and get away with it as long as I give a lot of money to the police dept for better vehicle, more bullet-proof vest, some of those robot cops and better salaries?

Sometimes people need to learn when to shut up and not post a stupid response like this one I just quoted. My fellow Americans seem to be pretty good at keeping their mouths shut while this country is dropping into a hell hole every minute, might as well keep the pattern of ignorance with little articles like this one (no offense with the little part terpfan).
Reply #15 from JoeUser Forums Top
inhofe was made to look like an ass in that hearing and got slammed by barbara boxer. inhofe was trying to filibuster gore and she stopped him. inhofe tried to just get out his infammatory statements and told al he could "only respond in writing" later, so the oly thing anyone ever heard was his rants and al's written reponses would be buried in some obscure record in some vault. but unfortunately for him, he doesn't hold the gavel anymore, lol. so the only response is to wait until the portable punditry comes up with some spin that every neocon can parrot and ignore everything else. al gore take a pledge from neocon far right winger james inhofe? puhleeaassseeee.....
Reply #16 from JoeUser Forums Top
by the way, a show of hands,,,who actually watched the entire hearing? (my hand goes up)... and who got their talking points from the pundits? (my hand goes down)
Reply #17 from JoeUser Forums Top
by the way, a show of hands,,,who actually watched the entire hearing? (my hand goes up)... and who got their talking points from the pundits? (my hand goes down)


Mind numbed is, as mind numbed does. You dont need to ask your heros every day what to say - once you have your marching orders.

Seig Heil!
Reply #18 from JoeUser Forums Top

Sean (and any others that claim to care) -- how about explaining why it is supposed to be such a great thing that the credits that help make Mr. Gore carbon neutral are being sold back to him by his own company??

Face it, Gore is a hypocrite.  If you want to nominate someone else to lead the cause, then by all means do so.  Who knows, they might even be believable and might make a difference.  But having a guy that lives in a palatial estate tell the little people in this country, the ones like me that live in small homes that don't cost small fortunes to heat and cool, that we need to do more even as he runs up his own energy needs is just plain wrong.

Hell, if Gore were more like, say, Ralph Nader, then he might be believable.  Or more like Ed Begley, Jr., or Daryll Hannah, etc.  As is he's a mouthpiece for a movement that doesn't deserve serious attention.

Reply #19 from JoeUser Forums Top
As is he's a mouthpiece for a movement that doesn't deserve serious attention.


I would add - as long as they brook no debate.

Want to be taken seriously? Then get out there and openly debate opposing opinions. For after all the only FACTS we know are that they temperature of the earth is not a constant. Period.
Reply #20 from JoeUser Forums Top
Nah, I meant it could have been taken out of context... I dont follow this close enough to tell for sure. I did hear about his electric bill and how he buys the renewable energy from his own company. Why do you think him using renewable energy is so bad, he may be using alot, but at least it comes from a renewable source. A hypocrite? Maybe, but he is doing something. If global warming is real, we shouldn't have to change much with how we live, "environment safe" technology exists, it is just not widely available, so more expensive (namely electricity). Hybrid cars may have a higher initial cost, but they slowly save you money in the long run. But this isn't what you are talking about, it is, "See he IS a hypocrite, who cares if what he says is true or not."

It is easier to attack the person then the message, so again, does this really have anything to do with the message they are trying to get out there? It is like a smoker telling people they shouldn't smoke because of cancer, it doesn't make the cancer any less real. Don't bother with soundbites, If you want to debate something, debate on what is causing global warming and if we can do anything about it.

"Sometimes people need to learn when to shut up and not post a stupid response like this one I just quoted. My fellow Americans seem to be pretty good at keeping their mouths shut while this country is dropping into a hell hole every minute, might as well keep the pattern of ignorance with little articles like this one"

Heh, if you only want to get feedback from those that follow a subject closely then say so. Getting feedback from someone that is not closely attached to one side or the other is not always bad, is that person less knowledgeable? Yes, but they can still bring up valid points.

As for the "hell hole" people have gotten so many different things thrown at them about the administration and the war they don't know what to think anymore. It is to the point where many people just stop following the topic, they may see negative things on the news, but they dont know what all went on, they just want out. You say the people did and do nothing, but democrats now have control of the house and senate, perhaps people could do more, but the change in parties is a clear, "we are unhappy with how things are going".
Reply #21 from JoeUser Forums Top
do you think him using renewable energy is so bad,


He is not. He is buying Indulgences.
Reply #22 from JoeUser Forums Top
"He is not. He is buying Indulgences."

Hmmm, unless I am off the mark on this one, he isn't necessarily saying we shouldn't indulge and to change our lifestyles, he is saying we should change where our energy is coming from.
Reply #23 from JoeUser Forums Top
al gore take a pledge from neocon far right winger james inhofe? puhleeaassseeee.....


Why not? What better way could there be to silence the opposition?

Imagine if Gore had responded by quickly standing up, looking Inhofe square in the eye with an enthusiastic smile on his face, and slapping his hand on the table while saying "Done!".
Reply #24 from JoeUser Forums Top

Why not? What better way could there be to silence the opposition?

Imagine if Gore had responded by quickly standing up, looking Inhofe square in the eye with an enthusiastic smile on his face, and slapping his hand on the table while saying "Done!".

Simple. Because Al Gore has no intention whatsoever of changing his lifestyle. Meanwhile he'll preach at us.

Buying carbon credits doesn't excuse his lifestyle. By doing that he is taking more energy, of which there is a finite supply, that could be allocated to other areas. He's increasing the price by driving up demand on a limited supply. He is a hypocrite of the highest order.

Reply #25 from JoeUser Forums Top
Simple. Because Al Gore has no intention whatsoever of changing his lifestyle. Meanwhile he'll preach at us.


I could be wrong, but I dont think he is saying for us to use LESS energy, he is saying we need to change WHERE we get it from. Taking the pledge may have shown he is dedicated to both, but I think he is more interested in cleaner, renewable energy then he is in using less.