Gore in the News 6/1/07

Today's talk . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/opinion/...i=5070&emc=eta1
An age of reason, from Al Gore (6 letters from The NY Times)
Responses to David Brooks ("The Vulcan Utopia," column, May 29)

http://townhallseattle.org/calendar.cfm?tr...ntid%3D67193010
Al Gore in Seattle June 4, 7:30PM - SOLD OUT
Location: Seattle Town Hall is at Eighth Avenue between Spring and Seneca Streets. Tickets went on sale at 10AM 5/31 and sold out almost immediately. ACTION ITEM: Good location to pass out Gore 2008 buttons, bumper stickers and lapel tags.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huff...he_b_50234.html
Interviewing Gore: On the pollution of our environment, our politics, and our souls. - by Arianna Huffington
" ... I was more convinced than ever that one of the reasons so many people are urging Gore to run is because they suspect that his recent journey -- including the devastating loss of the presidency -- have strengthened who he is at his core."

http://www.mediaresearch.org/audiobias/vid...CBS-TESGore.wmv
CBS's Smith Urges Gore to Declare, Presses Gore '08 Button on Him - (my apologies for the clip source - get 'em where I can)
On Wednesday's Early Show, co-host Harry Smith stumped for an Al Gore presidency, going so far as trying to place a "Gore 2008" button onto the former Vice President's suit. "They were handing these out at the lecture last night at George Washington University," Smith explained as the two sat in Washington, DC with the Capitol on the background. Holding up the button to Gore's suit, Smith wondered, "here, let's see what it looks like."

http://www.smokingpolitics.com/2007/05/as_...number_o_1.html
As Al Gore's book hits #1, ExxonMobile's front group attacks
For anyone who wants us to connect the dots, here they are. Newsbusters, CNSNews, and BusinessAndMedia.org are a projects of The Media Research Center. Media Research Center is, believe it or not, a charitable organization founded in 1987. And who gives them a nice $50,000 check every year? And gets the tax deduction? ExxonMobil. Their reporting is on par with Drudge and FOX News so beware!

http://www.progressiveamericatimes.com/200...on-al-gore.html
Assault on Gore
Al Gore's new book, Assault On Reason, was released last Tuesday, and the media seemed quite excited about attacking him for having the gall to write a book.

http://www.pollster.com/blogs/poll_siena_ny_primary.php
Poll: Siena NY primary - 5/18 - 5/25
Gore tied for second

http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1284.xml?Releas...a=;&strTime=120
Quinnipiac Pennsylvannia Poll: Gore moving up - 5/22 - 5/28
In head-to-head contests, Gore is tied with Republican Arizona senator John McCain, holds a one-point edge over former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and leads actor and former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson by 15 points.

http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/may/31/ed...p-voters-faces/
Editorial: Gore's private speech is slap in voters' faces
The increasingly popular author and film star of the Academy Award-winning "An Inconvenient Truth," will be at the Tamaya Resort and Spa near Bernalillo to speak at the Sustainable Operations Summit.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/...225414-sun.html
Gore treated like rock star at dinner
Gore, the almost-president-turned environmental crusader, appeared for five hours last night, speaking at the London Convention Centre about climate change at a tightly-guarded organic dinner for a posh crowd of politicians and civic leaders.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/
CNN Presidential debates
Democratic debate, Sunday, June 3, 7:00PM EST
Republican debate, Tuesday, June 5, 7:00PM EST

Today's related talk . . .

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/5/31/104322/961
Bush's 'new climate strategy'
As you can see -- and as you would expect -- this announcement from Bush is not a genuine change of heart on climate change. The U.S. still will not agree to any emission reduction targets. It will not agree that the developed countries bear primary responsibility for climate change. It will not sign on to the growing consensus among developed nations about how to tackle the problem

AL GORE QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"It's a problem that George Bush invaded Iraq. It's a problem that he authorized warrantless mass eavesdropping on American citizens. It's a problem that he lifted the prohibition against torture. It's a problem that he censored hundreds of scientific reports on the climate crisis -- but it's a bigger problem that we've been so vulnerable to such crass manipulation and that there has been so little outcry or protest as American values have been discarded, one after another. And if we pretend that the magic solution for all these problems is simply to put a different person in the office of the president without attending to the cracks in the foundation of our democracy, then the same weaknesses that have been exploited by this White House will be exploited by others in the future."

It is another "inconvenient truth" but he hits the nail on the head. The survival of our form of government requires an informed and thinking electorate. We have seen a "dumbing down" of the process and have a populace seemingly willing to tolerate it.

So many people accept that "which candidate would you rather have a beer with" etc. are meaningful questions, that the election turns into not a "will of the people" consensus, but, rather, a "who fooled the most people?" poll. The techniques used to sell soap, or cigarettes, or soda pop, are used to convince people of a candidate's superiority. That the general populace accepts that, becomes complicit in it by NOT thinking, not questioning, accepting hatchet jobs like the swiftboating of John Kerry and then actually convince themselves they are making a sound decision based on critical facts is more than a little disturbing. It is actually terrifying. How in the world did Germany manage to fall under Hitler's spell, and go along with the Holocaust and the war of aggression against the world? We MUST not dismiss that as an historical aberration. Those Germans had the same number of brain cells as do Americans.
I am not saying the current US regime is equal to the Nazi's (not saying they aren't, either - just not taking a position in this post). I am saying that the behavior of the American populace in recent decades is drifting further from true critical thinking and reasoned thought every day, and very well COULD accept a Hitler.