Gore's house energy....

[Bigmack]

I got the "Gore's house uses more energy the Bush's" email from my semi-fundy brother in law. I don't want to just blast him.... I think he might be salvagable, since the Dumbya years haven't been good to him. I sent him this...
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Re: Fw: Very interesting-- have you seen this?

Yes, we have seen that email. We see lots of stuff like that. Bullshit mostly, made up by people with a political ax to grind, and those people don’t mind lying to do it.

Do you remember the stuff about Kerry during the last election? The stuff about how some of his Swiftboat comrades felt he was a traitor? You ought to see what the same guys are saying about McCain. They call him a traitor and all the other things they called Kerry. I don’t believe them about either man. The evidence is simply not there, but that doesn’t stop those guys from spreading lies. Take a couple of minutes and check out http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/

Sometimes when people don’t like the message, like in the case of Gore and the reality of global warming, it’s convenient to attack the messenger.

First of all, the group that originated this email - the "Tennessee Center for Policy Research”, which no one had heard of before this, is run by a long-time right-wing attack hack, and its only registered address is a P.O. box. Why is everyone in the media taking what it says about Gore's electricity use at face value? For that area of the country, Gore’s per square foot use of energy is average.

Second, both Gore and his wife work out of the house. They both head foundations and businesses, and they have umpteen employees in the house using gas, water and electricity! It's like comparing apples and oranges. You can't compare a “vacation” house to a structure, house or not, that is being used as an office building! Gore set out to retrofit an old house, and he has. The building is now “carbon neutral”... that is, the energy the building uses is mostly from renewable energy resources.

The larger point, which probably won't work well as a cable-show soundbite but is nonetheless true, is that Gore has done heroic work making global warming a top issue for governments the world over. He has prompted more individual and collective action on this issue than anyone else alive. That’s why he got the Nobel.

How about passing this email on as a forward to everyone you sent it to as well as the person who sent it to you...? It’s certainly as fair, and certainly more factual, than the hit-piece on Gore.

Here’s the email I’m starting in response.
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When the Final Judgement is made, who will make the strongest case to St. Peter?

This is the house of a person who served his country in war, but won a Nobel Peace Prize for trying to alert the world to a catastrophic climate change. But his home/office compound uses a lot of energy.



This is the house of a person who avoided service to his country in war, but invaded a country that presented no danger to the US. So far, that invasion has cost the lives of over 4000 US troops, and 600,000 to 1,000,000 lives in the country invaded, as well as $2 Trillion of borrowed money. But his vacation home uses a lot less energy.

[wuushew]

1. A single hyperlink to snopes debunks the entire email

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/gorehome.asp


Why expend more effort than necessary? :shrug:

Does the truth need a diplomatic introduction to even be considered?

[Bigmack]

2. That snopes link...

... in my view... simply reinforces the idea that Gore is an energy-hogging hypocrite simply by saying "True" at the top of the page.

My bro-in-law is not going to read all those messy words about carbon-neutrality and complicated calculations about factoring Green Energy into the equation. He's a 'Murican.... he likes his info to be like himself... simple!

Your question about truth needing a diplomatic introduction?.... the answer in our post-fact world is YES!
We need either a diplomatic introduction to the facts, or an in-your-face assaultive introduction. I chose the diplomatic because I hope to bring him gently around... besides, Mrs. Bigmack wants me to be gentle with him.

[wuushew]

3. Well you could always send a picture of Kucinich's house

Since Gore is not running for elective office, the case could be made that on a whole the lifestyle choices of Democrats by far are less destructive than those of Republican party.


Is you sister also a fundie? Pressure applied on her might be more useful in the end run.