An Inconvenient Truth-Seeing Beyond The Presidency

[RestoreGore]

Al Gore at the North Pole

I have seen An Inconvenient Truth at least seven times, and also read the book three times, and in each instance I got the same impression: Al Gore is a man who is going beyond the Presidency of the United States of America in this quest for truth, accountability, and sustainability.

Now, we know that the President of this country can exert great influence upon policy, but in this country where Representative Democracy is supposed to be the guiding factor behind that influence, his power and influence is only as great as Congress and the people will allow... again, that being in this country based upon how the Constitution was written, not as it is currently being run aground by the current regime which has no respect for such checks and balances and is being allowed to get away with their abuses unchecked by the people as a whole.

So let's look at that.

In order for the climate crisis to make any headway in our political system as an issue of grave importance, our leaders must first be made to realize this and act accordingly in the best interests of our people and our planet. Now, this can be done through pressure being exerted by the people most assuredly. However, how is that pressure to be exerted successfully when the people as a whole don't even have knowledge or will to do so? And how are they to vote for leaders who will be willing to face this crisis head on in conjunction with all the other issues that intertwine with this if our political system is already bought and paid for?

I read many articles and blog entries regarding 2008, and it truly baffles me how so many people in this country are still either in the dark as to the forces that truly run our government, or they are clearly in denial. And on this issue we cannot be in denial or in the dark or continue to perpetuate the lie that this government is above board, because it isn't. That fact must be considered in how we begin to face this problem. We must shine the light of truth throughout this country first to empower people. Hence, An Inconvenient Truth.

An Inconvenient Truth is not only a movie made to inform people of the truth facing them regarding their own contribution to the environmental crisis we now find ourselves in, but to also inform people as to the current Constitutional and Democratic crisis we find ourselves in now. To speak out about the climate crisis and to begin to educate and inform the people on this "planetary emergency" must be our first step. And of course, there are no illusions that this first step will be hard, long, arduous, and frustrating. There is no quick fix to this problem, not even Al Gore running in this bought and sold system now as it stands, and I believe by his words that even he knows that.

This must be a methodical step by step plan that starts with spreading this truth throughout America and other areas of this world. Then, hoping that those people who need to see this and those who are the choir being preached to carry the momentum of the urgency this film relates to others in such a way that it trickles up to those leaders who begin to see this urgency as well. That won't happen overnight, and it won't happen unless all of us who deeply care for where this world is heading join in that first step. But more frankly, it won't happen here with leaders who have no conscience, who have been already bought, and who are into soundbites and political rhetoric to the point where political standing means more than political courage. That is the point we are currently at in our own system. So it would appear we are at an impasse politically on a Federal level, which then means that it is incumbant upon the people to make the changes Federal legislation otherwise would have mandated, and this can and is being done.

That is why citizen activism regarding this climate crisis is so important now. The power to make positive change on this issue is now in the hands of the people. It has been made clear that those who are supposed to represent us in Congress do anything but that, and it is then our duty as citizens to look beyond Congress and into our own lives. Our Declaration of Independence gives us that power. It is now time for local governments, businesses, and citizens to begin taking the necessary to use that power to take the steps to mitigate the effects of climate change by changing their lifestyles, becoming conscious of their choices, becoming vocal about restoring Democracy to this process, and looking to the future instead of always looking for the quick fix or the satisfaction in the here and now. And we are beginning to see that on a grassroots level leading to business changes, investment changes, and state action on this crisis because of the influence of statesman and citizen advocates like Al Gore and so many others.

We will never see effective Federal policy regarding the climate crisis we face regardless of who sits in the White House if there is not education, information, and urgency on the part of the people to get us there, pressure brought to bear by businesses that see their own profits suffering because of their decisions, and accountability by our media that has been and is complicit in not using this medium for education. That however, seems to be what many only looking ay this in black and white refuse to see. Even Al Gore knew this as far back as 1988, and only now has he been able to implement this strategy because of the political brick walls we have been coming up against on this for thirty years. Where he plans to take this beyond the next few years is for him to decide, but I do agree with his grassroots strategy and trust his judgement on it.

It then cannot be stressed enough how dire this situation can get if we choose to either ignore it, drag our feet, or expect that one quick fix such as a campaign where we put someone up to run for President in this system in only a year's time when we have done nothing to fix it will solve this crisis. This will be hard work, and it will require all of us being a part of it, and that is how it should be in a Democratic society. That I believe is what Al Gore is looking to, and right now that goes beyond the Presidency of this or any country. It goes straight to who we are as moral beings. It goes to the very core of who we are as Americans, students, parents, teachers, businessmen, farmers, lovers of the Earth, thinkers, and world citizens.

As he has stated in his presentations designed to wake up the people globally, this is our time and this is the moment to show what we are made of in a crisis. To show corporations and politicians that continue to try to skate their responsibility in this that we will not allow it. Al Gore is out here with others providing the bread crumbs to lead to the facts that we must then take in hand and use to make the changes that will have a profound effect on our entire world for decades to come. No President of any country alone can assure that change on such a wide scale without the PEOPLE ENMASSE standing up to the status quo. And it must come from the people collectively because it is a moral issue. We are on the cusp of a seachange in how policy is made if we only take the opportunity being afforded us, and I say, it is about time. And regarding having the man we truly may desire will not happen in THIS toxic system, and I still believe we must EARN IT. There are statesmen like Al Gore lighting the way for us to take action to change that process and earn it. If we do not do so we then have no one to blame but ourselves for the outcome.

[RestoreGore]

1. And this also does tie in to his new book, The Assault On Reason

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x768906