Al Gore- a hypocrite?

We talked at the start of class the CNN article liberal hypocrites.

Here is an article that you may all find interesting:

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Al Gore: Hypocrite?
Al Gore's Gaudy Mansion Shouldn't Hurt His Environmental Crusade
By: Christian Areas
Christian Areas is a Rollins School of Public Health MPH candidate from Berkeley, Calif.

The human race possesses an immeasurable capacity for invention and innovation. We can comprehend the workings of the universe on both the micro and macroscopic levels, ponder abstract concepts of philosophy and reason and create new and brilliant works of art. And we like to remind ourselves of it, too. Last week, the world tried to make sense of one of the more grandiose celebrations of artistic achievement and the human ego: The Academy Awards. At the event, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science awarded Al Gore - former vice president and presidential candidate turned environmental advocate - an Oscar for his global climate change documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."Although many celebrate the prestigious award as a victory for the environment, several take Gore's latest hobnob with Hollywood as further evidence the man is nothing more than a "limousine liberal" - a person who touts energy conservation without attempting to live by his own mantra.

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a conservative think-tank which focuses on right-of-center economic policy and touts its own "nonpartisanship," believes Gore "deserves a gold statue for hypocrisy." In a statement released last Monday, the organization reports that in 2006, Gore's Tennessee home consumed electricity and natural gas at a rate nearly 20 times that of the national average.Gore's gaudy mansion is a testament to the human ego's propensity for self-inflation. Even if he uses renewable energy and installs solar panels, the fact remains that Gore is human, and human beings like to show off. Gore, like many of his new Hollywood buddies, has a big house, and bigger houses simply use more electricity.

But Gore is just one man, and his energy consumption represents an infinitesimal percentage of the energy consumption of the entire country. Our nation's government - specifically the Bush administration - is guilty of a larger hubris.Bush and his administration have only recently begun to acknowledge the science behind global climate change. In the past, the Bush administration went as far questioning the science, insinuating that human beings (and, more specifically, U.S. businesses) were not and could not be responsible for global climate change. It seems that, when it's convenient, we think very little of ourselves.

The administration's policy stance is contrary to scientific truth, a realization that even big business is making. On the eve of Bush's latest State of the Union speech, 10 corporations and four prominent environmental groups announced they were joining into an unusual coalition in an effort to push the federal government to curb greenhouse gas emissions.What's behind the corporations' desire for such a lobby? Simple. They came to the realization that change is inevitable. So far, the government's inaction has discouraged businesses from doing what they do best - innovate. With the government pushing them to do so, there's little doubt the spirit of American enterprise will be able to find ways to lessen mankind's impact on the environment. So criticize Gore, if you will. I do not find any evidence the man is not sincere in his efforts to lead the United States toward energy-use innovation.

The environmental movement needs someone like him, someone who can mobilize supporters throughout the country and someone who can both raise eyebrows and suggest solutions to the problem from a governmental standpoint. For now at least, Al Gore is that person. Mark Twain once said, "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." The current administration should pay closer heed to Gore's message and take the inconvenient truth of global climate change into account when writing new policy. Until then, when it comes to the environment, our federal government certainly does not deserve my support.