Al Gore should be arrested
Today, the Nobel Committee awarded the Peace Prize to Al Gore (and the IPCC). No one deserves it more than he does. We’re very happy for him. And we think he should go to jail.
Specifically, he should go to jail on RAN’s November 16-17 Day of Action Against Coal Finance. As reported in Nicholas Kristof’s NYT column on August 16, Al is on record as saying:
“I can’t understand why there aren’t rings of young people blocking bulldozers … and preventing them from constructing coal-fired power plants.”
Well, Al, it’s because by the time they’ve rolled out the bulldozers, it’s already too late. That’s why Rainforest Action Network, Coal River Mountain Watch, Appalachian Voices and thousands of supporters are mobilizing to stop Bank of America and Citi from financing coal extraction and the construction of those coal-fired power plants. We at RAN would really like you to come along.
If you, too, think Al should be arrested, go ahead and sign our petition asking him to be arrested with us. I will personally guarantee you that if Al is going in the slammer, I’m coming with him. How about you?
19 Responses to “Al Gore should be arrested”
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October 12th, 2007 at 10:56 am
I give Al Gore credit for bringing a looming environmental catastrophe to the public’s attention. For a nation populated by lazy, fat, celebrity-obsessed wasters of time, energy and air, it took a familiar face to raise the issue to cocktail conversation. Despite his political petulance and past imprecisions (”I invented the Internet”), I applaud Gore’s leadership on this globally crucial issue.
But the Nobel Peace Prize? Pffft.
While he deserves applause for bringing global warming somewhere nearer the forefront of our American conversation (global warming still doesn’t get as much discussion as Britney Spears), Gore’s a documented hypocrite. He talks the talk, but doesn’t quite walk the walk. A carnivorous, global-jetting, mansion-heating guy isn’t exactly practicing what he preaches.
I won’t waste any more of your bandwidth. I blogged about Gore’s Nobel more fully at Under The News
October 12th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Thanks for regurgitating Fox News talking points all over our blog. We appreciate it. Did you know that Al pays more than $400 monthly for green power? And that his actions to organize governments and others to address global climate change collectively (rather than as isolated consumers) offset his personal carbon footprint many times over? And that he’s advocating a carbon tax that would cost him, personally, a pretty big chunk of change?
And since you’re one of those people who is, you know, not a hypocrite, I’m glad to hear that you’ll be joining me in jail on November 16. And be sure to bring your Nobel Prize.
October 12th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Execllent! Perhaps he’ll donate his Nobel Peace Prize cash toward off-setting your carbon footprint (and bail) too!
But don’t count on it.
October 12th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
I didn’t mean to fly off the handle, but this whole angle gets a bit tiresome. As I discussed in an earlier post about Live Earth, things like buying the right lightbulbs and getting carbon offsets are very positive, but they won’t be enough to avert the climate crisis. To make a real difference, we need to organize to demand change from both governments and influential economic actors like Citi and Bank of America. Only through collective action will we be able to make the change that’s required.
The real hypocrite is the one who would criticize every activist and advocate that doesn’t wear a hair shirt and live in a recycled log cabin (while failing to act themselves). It’s just a way of making excuses for your own inaction. Environmental activism isn’t about being greener-than-thou or morally “correct” in lifestyle. It’s about saving ourselves and our planet from destruction.
October 12th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
I think lobbying Gore to get arrested serves the agend of RAN and not Al Gore or those fighting global warming. If RAN folks want to get arrested fine, but don’t expect your loyal suporters to lobby Gore to get arrested because it serves your purposes. He provideds enough publiscity without that kind of protest. The minute he gets arrested his usefulness as a spokesman is over.
This is aobut making RAN look good not about solving the global warming problem.
October 13th, 2007 at 4:21 am
Ghandi was arrested several times and believed civil disobedience the key to attracting the world’s attention to the problems in India. Maybe RAN feels a celebrity like Gore is needed to get the attention. I just don’t see Britney going to jail for greenhouse gases.
October 14th, 2007 at 4:32 am
Harrassing one of the very few pollitical public well known fighters for the cause ?? Why ? I don’t understand ?
October 14th, 2007 at 8:35 am
I don’t think it’s harassment, it’s a fair challenge and I see it more as an invitation. If Mr. Gore has been quoted in the past lamenting a lack of civil disobedience, then why is it not fair to invite, or challenge him to join it now?
October 15th, 2007 at 8:25 am
We’re not sending the guy tons of e-mail or anything; just one petition with a bunch of signatures. And it’s not frivolous, either — we would really like to make it happen for him, if he’s down. It’s definitely an invitation, not a taking-to-task.
October 15th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Wow. Considering RAN’s offensive campaign against Al Gore during the 2000 elections, this brings up some bad memories. Thank you RAN for helping put Bush in office–and now reminding us about it again 7 years later. Are you serious? Have you no institutional memory at all? Is there anyone working at RAN who worked there back in 1999 and 2000? After what you guys did in 2000 you should be thankful that Al Gore doesn’t speak out about you guys. You owe him a huge THANK YOU for not bringing up that embarrassment to the entire environmental activist movement. Please, let sleeping dogs lie, and move on to better things.
October 20th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
I agree with Luke that collective action will take us farther than isolated acts.
I just met a representative of RAN and looked this website up right away. Now I’m asking myself, was I being asked to sign a petition to stop funding to coal, or to arrest Al Gore? I don’t think anybody should go to jail. If collective action is the key, then we should not alientate people or fight amoungst ourselves. If we adopt an “all-or-nothing” attitude it will discourage people from joining our cause as well as distract from it. Has anyone let Al Gore know what they think directly? How are friend and foe to be defined? Honestly, we need all the friends we can get if we’re going for real change.
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:24 am
yea…he should be arrested for worshiping Molech at Bohemian Grove
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2005/020104grovebackground.htm
October 22nd, 2007 at 7:30 am
That is truly hilarious.
October 24th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
[…] The Nation reports that Al Gore may be considering our offer to engage in civil disobedience, specifically on our November 16-17 National Day of Action Against […]
October 30th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
[…] really becoming a man of the people…he is considering the Rainforest Action Network’s offer to participate in civil disobedience against coal. What could make a bigger statement than Nobel […]
November 6th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
[…] may know that Al Gore is reported to be considering RAN’s offer to participate in civil disobedience to stop the construction of coal-fired power plants, stop mountain top removal mining, and help […]
November 8th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
[…] knows, maybe Al Gore should be getting arrested in […]
April 1st, 2008 at 6:01 am
[…] that young people needed to get out and chain themselves to bulldozers at construction sites. So Al, when are you going to get arrested? We have to stop all new fossil fuel construction to even have a chance at meeting the needed […]
April 19th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I can’t believe it matters about an AWARD, for most you can nominate yourself, hard to believe, but true.
Now back to the issues before they are on Mars, which I am sure the rich are working on.
Sighs……….
There is little “profit” in solar and other fuel sources, Sonny Bono, bless his soul, did put Windmills in for his city in Palm Springs, CAL long before his death. I admire him for that.
The most famous people I know will not be known in this lifetime, so I want to do something.
ECO-Anthropologist…in waiting, doing, all I can.