AL GORE Hypocrisy

[dellinger63]

well I'd love to see Gore riding a bike, planting a tree, etc etc. He doesn't but wants you and I to do so. Remember his quote on Oprah that he and his family once tried to re-plant his Christmas tree but it didn't work. So not only does he use the electricity an avg family uses in a year in the space of 30 days but he is also a complete moron to think a harvested Christmas tree can be replanted. I'm not arguing global warming as it exists and has to be stopped but Al Gore either has to shut his mouth or buck up and make some personal sacrifices.

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

well I'd love to see Gore riding a bike, planting a tree, etc etc. He doesn't but wants you and I to do so. Remember his quote on Oprah that he and his family once tried to re-plant his Christmas tree but it didn't work. So not only does he use the electricity an avg family uses in a year in the space of 30 days but he is also a complete moron to think a harvested Christmas tree can be replanted. I'm not arguing global warming as it exists and has to be stopped but Al Gore either has to shut his mouth or buck up and make some personal sacrifices.

Then, dellinger (all politics aside, how the heck are you, by the way? ), click on some of the links within the article DTS posted and read Gore's responses. He's trying-- he takes commercial flights when possible. You know he could fly on private planes the rest of his life, but he's not. He drives a hybrid. He's BUYING THE CARBON OFFSETS. If spending your discretionary income to get more trees planted isn't bucking up, then what is? Sure, he's got lots of money, but he's spending some of it to reduce his carbon footprint. What kind of sacrifice to you expect him to make? Killing two of his children so his family uses fewer resources? No, he's not out planting the trees himself, but someone is getting paid to do so with his carbon offsets- so trees get planted AND someone gets a job.

He is bucking up, for the love of Pete, and he's being vocal about it so hopefully some of us will buck up a bit, too. Because one man doing a lot is worth nothing compared to a lot of people doing a little.

Wash laundry in cold water
Line dry your clothes
Pack your lunch (uses fewer disposable containers than buying it every day)
Recycle your printer cartridges
Buy Energy Saver appliances.

[dellinger63]

Nicole, doing great hope all is well with you. But I don't believe for a second that he even drives what more a hybrid. He probably does have one in his heated garage and bet he doesn't even know how to start it. As far as riding a bike one look at him will give you the answer to that one.

[Downthestretch55]

Dellinger,
Something stinks about this story. How did the Tennessee Institute for Policy research get access to Gore's utility bills?
This "non-story" smells like a smear.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/gen...convenient.htm

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by Downthestretch55

Dellinger,
Something stinks about this story. How did the Tennessee Institute for Policy research get access to Gore's utility bills?
This "non-story" smells like a smear.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/gen...convenient.htm

Don't know how they got em but they did! If they made it up that would be the first thing Gore would have responded to rather than Hmmm Hmmmm Hmmm. I want to see the proof Gore paid for his carbon offsets in the form of cancelled checks. Planting dead Christmas trees doesn't count. Let's see how many commercial flights he took, pics of him driving his hybrid etc etc etc. This guy is full of BS and needs to go back to reinventing himself as the inventor of the internet. Maybe he should hand off to Ralph Nader. And Pelosi wants a private 757 courtesy of taxpayers. LMAO

[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

And Pelosi wants a private 757 courtesy of taxpayers. LMAO

Come on Del, don't start discrediting yourself now. You had a point on the Gore thing, at least topically.

If you really want to dive into the Pelosi thing, you're going to come out looking like a right-wing shill.

There is absolutely nothing to that story at all.

Don't ruin the mini-roll you've started on the Gore thing by bringing in some partisan bullshit that has was disproved by the following day.

[dellinger63]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

Come on Del, don't start discrediting yourself now. You had a point on the Gore thing, at least topically.

If you really want to dive into the Pelosi thing, you're going to come out looking like a right-wing shill.

There is absolutely nothing to that story at all.

Don't ruin the mini-roll you've started on the Gore thing by bringing in some partisan bullshit that has was disproved by the following day.

Brian,

OK maybe the Pelosi thing was out of hand so insert Barbara Streisand and her RV that follows her in case she has to go to the bathroom because of her phobia to pubic restrooms. AP released the following today:

Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider said: "Sometimes when people don't like the message, in this case that global warming is real, it's convenient to attack the messenger."

Kreider said Gore purchases enough energy from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and methane gas to balance 100 percent of his electricity costs.

Gore, who owns homes in Carthage, Tenn., and in the Washington area, has said he leads a "carbon-neutral lifestyle." To balance out other carbon emissions, the Gores invest money in projects to reduce energy consumption, Kreider said.

All I ask is SHOW ME THE MONEY! the key word is 'invest'. Bet when it comes down to it we will probably be shown Big Al bought some ADM stock. Yippee that will save us all!

By the way I saw an interview with Darryl Hannah and she lives green and has done so for a decade so maybe Big Al could yield the floor to her. Of course there's no chance in hell that's ever going to happen.

[sham]

Well here's the answer. We can use any and all the energy we want. No worry. All you got to do is buy sufficient "carbon offsets" to cover your use and there will magically be zero polution.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by sham

Well here's the answer. We can use any and all the energy we want. No worry. All you got to do is buy sufficient "carbon offsets" to cover your use and there will magically be zero polution.

That's pretty much how I take it. Obviously having a mansion and a guest house are going to use more energy. However with him using 20 times the average (on top of whatever energy he is getting from solar power) I have to feel he could do a much better job conserving instead of just paying money to offset his usage. It is the attitude of I am rich and can afford to recklessly use energy while you peons must conserve that disgusts me.

[brianwspencer]

Originally Posted by sham

Well here's the answer. We can use any and all the energy we want. No worry. All you got to do is buy sufficient "carbon offsets" to cover your use and there will magically be zero polution.

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

That's pretty much how I take it. Obviously having a mansion and a guest house are going to use more energy. However with him using 20 times the average (on top of whatever energy he is getting from solar power) I have to feel he could do a much better job conserving instead of just paying money to offset his usage. It is the attitude of I am rich and can afford to recklessly use energy while you peons must conserve that disgusts me.

Sham,

Do you really understand how carbon offsets work? I'm not trying to put up a blind ass-cover for Gore, sure he could use less energy. With a house that size, he will still of course, use more energy than most.

Think of it this way. His bill is 20x the average bill. Of course it is, he has a 20 room house. I'm sure that "non-partisan" group conveniently left out how they calculated their average, using every single energy user, including those in studio and one-bedroom apartments all over the country. I would fully expect that someone with a house 20x bigger than my apartment would use 20x more energy than me. That's not news to anyone.

Carbon offsets used to help decrease your carbon footprint are a great thing. It is always those who don't understand how they work, as if it is some fictitious way to just throw away money to make oneself feel good, who are quick to dismiss the idea.

It also states quite clearly that his energy is coming from green energy sources, which is exactly what he wants people to do -- cut down on their non-envirofriendly energy consumption.

I wouldn't call it a "smear," per se. I would just call it a non-issue because the whole stink is about the raw numbers of his energy use and not about the notions of where it is coming from, how it is being offset, etc etc. It's all sort of boring and convenient. Everyone's gotta have a rallying cry, I guess. Some of them just manage to make them over things that are actually important.

[sham]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

Sham,

Do you really understand how carbon offsets work? I'm not trying to put up a blind ass-cover for Gore, sure he could use less energy. With a house that size, he will still of course, use more energy than most.

Think of it this way. His bill is 20x the average bill. Of course it is, he has a 20 room house. I'm sure that "non-partisan" group conveniently left out how they calculated their average, using every single energy user, including those in studio and one-bedroom apartments all over the country. I would fully expect that someone with a house 20x bigger than my apartment would use 20x more energy than me. That's not news to anyone.

Carbon offsets used to help decrease your carbon footprint are a great thing. It is always those who don't understand how they work, as if it is some fictitious way to just throw away money to make oneself feel good, who are quick to dismiss the idea.

It also states quite clearly that his energy is coming from green energy sources, which is exactly what he wants people to do -- cut down on their non-envirofriendly energy consumption.

I wouldn't call it a "smear," per se. I would just call it a non-issue because the whole stink is about the raw numbers of his energy use and not about the notions of where it is coming from, how it is being offset, etc etc. It's all sort of boring and convenient. Everyone's gotta have a rallying cry, I guess. Some of them just manage to make them over things that are actually important.

Metaphorically, Big Al is buying and consuming someone's unused water rations instead of the water being poured back in the well. The feel good part is that he can assuage his conscience by believing that the money will be used to successfully find more water. The disingenuous part is that the guy drinking more than his share of the water is the very one going around telling everyone that they must conserve the scarce water supply.

As to Big Al's choice to use renewable energy for his mansion, I'm betting that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) provides his power. Hydroelectric power is their principal product and is really the only home energy option available in that part of the world. No "green" points there.

By the way, water is not nearly so scarce as Big Al would have you believe.

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by brianwspencer

Think of it this way. His bill is 20x the average bill. Of course it is, he has a 20 room house. I'm sure that "non-partisan" group conveniently left out how they calculated their average, using every single energy user, including those in studio and one-bedroom apartments all over the country. I would fully expect that someone with a house 20x bigger than my apartment would use 20x more energy than me. That's not news to anyone.

How the heck does the number of rooms in your house have anything to do with electricity consumption? I recently moved from a 2 room apartment to a 6 room house and my electricity consumption is exactly the same. Just because I have six rooms doesn't mean I have every light turned on in all of them. Yeah, having a bigger house is going to take more natural gas so his average of $1080 a month for natural gas isn't that staggering. The electricity numbers though truly are staggering. I'd love to see what wastes of electricity he has going in that house.

Originally Posted by Bababooyee

LOL

1. I think his whole global warming thing is a ruse. In reality, he knows about the upcoming ice age, and is bulking up for it (same reason he was sporting a beard for a while...and I'm not talking about Tipper, so stop! ).


2. Obviously having a mansion and a guest house are going to use more energy. However with him using 20 times the average (on top of whatever energy he is getting from solar power) I have to feel he could do a much better job conserving instead of just paying money to offset his usage. It is the attitude of I am rich and can afford to recklessly use energy while you peons must conserve that disgusts me.

Quote 1: You need to take a serious look a the data. There is not a legit scientist who does not think the avg. temp on Earth has risen drastically. The debate is really how much humans have impacted the warming. Just because it snows NY under (or vice versa, we have a huge heatwave this summer) does not change the FACTS that the average temp. on the earth has risen to unprecedented levels compared to the cycles experienced in the last 200,000 years (in which we have experienced warming followed by ice ages) So Al is just making it up?

Quote 2: YES INDEED.

I understand Gore believes in what he is doing. He just needs to live it himself. Twenty flippin rooms. That is outrageous. His family alone is using about what 2000 run of the mill Chinese use. LIVE IT. It makes the efforts palatable.

Ghandi he is not. Now mass-wise, he might be 3 or 4 Ghandis...

[Danzig]

gore is a hypocrite in every sense of the word. we should expect him to use more energy since he lives in a bigger house?! that justifies him not practicing what he preaches? if he was as 'green' as he claims, he wouldn't sleep at night in his big mansion-he'd live in an eco-friendly house! ah, not so easy to practice what one preaches.

how ironic, that bush lives in a house that uses 1/4 the electricity of most houses.

reminds me of the time one of the younger kennedys was on a talk show, railing about the use of SUVs...of course let's not talk about his flights in his private jet, which consumes more fuel in a trip than many humans use in a year! 'that has nothing to do with it' he sniffed. um, yeah, it does.

[KY_Sasquash]

Originally Posted by Danzig188

gore is a hypocrite in every sense of the word. we should expect him to use more energy since he lives in a bigger house?! that justifies him not practicing what he preaches? if he was as 'green' as he claims, he wouldn't sleep at night in his big mansion-he'd live in an eco-friendly house! ah, not so easy to practice what one preaches.

how ironic, that bush lives in a house that uses 1/4 the electricity of most houses.

reminds me of the time one of the younger kennedys was on a talk show, railing about the use of SUVs...of course let's not talk about his flights in his private jet, which consumes more fuel in a trip than many humans use in a year! 'that has nothing to do with it' he sniffed. um, yeah, it does.

couldn't agree more. all these actors take up these causes to save the world and then don't live by those standards. classic example of "do as i say, not as i do"

[GenuineRisk]

Look guys, Gore is forking out his own $$ to pay off his carbon use with carbon offsets. None of you seem to have any interest in addressing that, because it undercuts your screams of hypocrite. But right-wingers expect their own politicicans to be crooks and the Dems to be Gahndi, when in fact they're both just human. Gore is trying. And he's trying in a way that is also possible for the rest of us to attempt, too.

Carbon offsets are a marvelous way for people to start to combat global warming without having to go move to a hut. He's trying to show that you can live a carbon-neutral life and still HAVE A LIFE. How many Americans do you think would move to huts if Gore did? Come on. They'd say how nice it is that he's doing that and go back to turning their A/C down to 65 in August. Better to see someone doing something that frankly, we all could do (buy offsets, get our power supplied by green sources, etc.) You're not going to convince Americans they aren't entitled to big houses. How big are all your houses? I live in a 700 sq foot apartment. How about the rest of you? If I manage in 700 sq feet with no yard, why can't everyone? You're all hypocrites, yelling at me for defending Gore while you're using up more land than you need!

See how stupid that sounds? No, Gore doesn't need four houses. No one does (keep that in mind, rich folks, if/when your tax handouts get taken back). But better to run them on green power than not to. And better to encourage people to run on green power than not to. He's not perfect. No one was, with the possible exception of Jesus Christ.

The other thing I find entertaining is the screaming that Gore's a hypocrite because he's still, heaven forbid, using electricty, taking trips, etc. I think people use that as an excuse to absolve themselves of any sort of responsibility towards our planet ("I don't want to believe Gore drives a hybrid, therefore I don't have to do anything myself"). Typical modern American attitude- it's someone else's responsibility, not mine. So if someone doesn't live up to an impossibly high standard, then why should anyone bother? How ridiculous is that?

Here's the thing with carbon offsets, like tree planting- trees are marvelous storehouses for carbon. Wood is mostly carbon- when trees grow, they basically take carbon from the atmosphere and store it in themselves. Coal and oil do the same thing, but we're not really capable of creating those in anything less than several millenia. When trees, coal, oil, etc. is burned it releases that carbon into the atmosphere, which is not good. Look at trees as toxic waste storage facilities- except ones that are environmentally sound, provide habitat for animals and are pretty to boot.

As for the house bit- it takes more resources to tear down a house and build a new one than it does to attempt to make the existing one more green. Better to revamp an old house than tear it down and build new, from an envirnomental standpoint. Look, huge props to Bush for having a house heated by geothermal technology. But it doesn't take away from Gore greening his current homes without demolishing them. Reduce, reuse, recycle, right?

Eat less meat- it takes 500 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef
Plant something on your lawn in place of grass
Let food warm up to room temperature before microwaving it
Keep enough water in the tea kettle for only as much as you're making (don't heat up a whole kettle for one cup).

Originally Posted by Bababooyee

Actually, I was just making light of Al Gore's weight gain and one-time beard (not Tipper), ie things you do when cold weather ("ice age") is approaching. lol

OOps, my bad. Apology thrown your way. Sorry.

[Pants II]

dell...I'm going to miss you tremendously.

[Rileyoriley]

Originally Posted by Pants II

dell...I'm going to miss you tremendously.

Didn't know him personally but ditto.

[OldDog]

Originally Posted by Pants II

dell...I'm going to miss you tremendously.

Already do.