Kudos to Al Gore on his Nobel

[drbill]

Thanks, Kim, Hemlon, trigfunctions and others.

 

[Kim]

Actually, I think we (the US) then to pick on politicians in general. Their tend to say one thing and do another quite often (liberal and conservative), unless they are moderate (and do nothing). I am not trying to be negative, but I have never found a politician truely trust.

This is why I think many of us (including myself) took a shot at Al (probabaly out of line in a Kudos forum). He is a politican first and formost. He political history is long and not very pretty. He is not a scientist and not made a scientific contribution. He is not a great diplomat. He has taken and existing idea, added hype and stirred well. Meanwhile he has a much larger carbon footprint than most Americans, but then "buys" carbon credits so he can smugly sit back and tell everyone how he lives a carbon neutral lifestyle.

Whatever he's done he's at least created an illusion, if that's what it is, that some Americans care about global warming. He's won an award that should bring honour and respect to his country.

It's weird to watch another bunch of Americans totally undermine, and belittle that achievement, presumably for the simple reason that it was HIM who did it.

Is that what you guys see as patriotic?

I'm amazed.......

 

[The Chairman]

---

---

A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

This is the KUDOS section if you want to gripe about anyone in here, please use the Whine and Cheese Forum. The thread has been reopened and I will not tolerate more mean spirited posts. Please report any mean spirited posts rather than responding to them. Thanks in advance.

---

 

[trigfunctions]

Thanks, Kim, Hemlon, trigfunctions and others.

Kudos to Dr. Bill for starting this thread! Climate change will have an enormous impact on the diving community.

 

[Ana]

It is amazing that we have polarized ourselves to such an extreme. I thought I was a middle of the road person, turns out I'm a "bleeding-heart liberal"; on the others side, people I also thought were middle of the road a few years ago tuned out to be "rapture right"

Oh well, congratulations to your college buddy Dr. Bill.

 

[drbill]

Thanks, Pete.

Notice I have not said a word in another Kudos thread started recently. It is not for me to criticize that thread starter.

Ana, just wanted to make one thing clear. Gore and I weren't buddies (although we could have been). I knew him because I worked with his freshman roommates, he went to prep school with my best friend from Harvard, and his father was a well-known anti-Vietnam US Senator. My only "claim to fame" was the aborted attempt to ask Tipper to dance since I didn't know she was "Al's girl."

 

[Cacia]

Since I am the OP on this thread, I'd like to ask that those of you who do NOT share my respect for Al Gore, science and the reality of anthropogenically-linked global warming, please refrain from posting here as this is for kudos. Start your own thread and I promise not to pay it any attention!

well, I seem to remember when we thanked GW for the marine santuary, some of you had a few things to say....or am I recalling that incorrectly?

Seriously, what is the point to just say ditto-ditto-ditto?

oops, missed the mod post, sorry

...just sayin...

 

[drbill]

Yep, probably me Catherine. I try not to get too political these days... at least not on ScubaBoard.

Trigfunctions... are you too looking forward to diving the "wrecks" of Wall Street when New York gets inundated? Thank goodness my home is on a hill high enough above sea level to avoid having my home's value "submerge."

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

I still want to know about the dancing Dr Bill! You are holding out on me! I am sure you busted a few moves back in the day! and still do from what I hear.

 

[Jon C]

Someone will always have something negative to say about others. But the fact remains that Gore did SOMETHING.

I don't THINK this is mean-spirited...but if it is please nuke it....

For the record, I am not a global warming deny-er. In fact, I believe my position is the most honest..."I don't know if global warming is man-made or not" and with "expert opinions" on either side of the issue, it cannot be made certain in my mind, but I am open to the information.

That having been said, Al Gore is not saying ANYTHING that many others have said over the last 50 years. Global cooling, global warming...these are not new ideas or causes. He may be the most vocal at this time, certainly the most visible, but my problem is not his message; but the messenger. He was born with a silver SUV in his ___ (fill in the blank) and now wants me to stop driving mine. Still, he gets on his private jet and off he goes to chastize other "regular" folks that worked their ___ (fill in same here) off and finally (through hard work---not an inheritance) feel they would like to own a Hummer. Celebrities and politicians are the last people regular folks want to hear from on how to live their lives or save the planet! What hypocracy. Mother Teresa was a much better spokesman for poverty than John Edwards due to her deeds...not words. Al could learn from her and others who walk the walk. And to assume that the Nobel prize isn't a politically driven stick-in-the-eye to America...I give you....Yasser Arafat?!

p.s. Usually I am of the same mind with drbill on scuba issues but for some reason Al Gore's fame on this topic just seems so fabricated...wrong messenger! What did he do for the environment when he was VP of the greatest nation on earth for 8 years? How much energy is the spot light he enjoys standing in using?

As far as questioning Americas patriotism...try having a debate like this in North Korea. Most of us love our country because we can have the arguements out in the open.

End of Rant...Ready for MOD intervention!

Jon