Al Gore's 'Real' Says Fan Suzuki

[RestoreGore]

It's good to see Mr. Gore getting props from other environmentalists regarding the sincerity of his passion for this. And I have also read articles on the Internet and seen some in the media (mostly from RW mouthpieces) suggesting that he is only using this crisis to run for President... there is absolutely NO WAY I will ever believe that and am frankly tired of seeing his conviction demeaned by political speculation and ignorance on the part of the media. And while I disagree with Mr. Suzuki on this because I think Mr. Gore has great charisma (he was incredible to meet in person,) I agree about the influence he has had communicating the urgency of the climate crisis and I hope he continues to do so, which I believe he will.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/182455

Al Gore's `real,' says fan Suzuki

Feb 16, 2007 04:30 AM

Canada's best-known environmentalist says he's a big fan of his counterpart from south of the border.

David Suzuki, who was in Toronto yesterday as part of a nationwide tour to drum up support for action on climate change, was asked if he expects to be up for an Academy Award some time like former U.S. vice-president Al Gore, who stars in the movie An Inconvenient Truth and is coming to Toronto Feb. 21.

Suzuki replied that he was infuriated by a recent column he read in which someone wrote that Gore didn't know any more about climate change than Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"That's the dumbest thing I ever read," Suzuki said at Toronto City Hall. "I interviewed Al Gore in 1988 and I tell you he sent shivers up my back. He'd been to Antarctica and been with scientists doing ice cores. He knew about global warming in 1988. And when I finished my interview in 1988 I begged him to emigrate to Canada so I could work on getting him elected prime minister.

"He's real," Suzuki said. "And this guy's got a long track record. Thank God he's not in politics. He's been unbelievably effective as a communicator about global warming." Suzuki couldn't resist one last comment about Gore's Oscar hopes.

"Quite frankly I think the movie made him out to be far more charismatic than he is in person," he said with a smile. "But that's okay. That's okay."

jim byers

[RestoreGore]

1. " He knew about global warming in 1988"

Yes, he did, and this Federal government and Congress are still wasting time over it as the clock now ticks. And Clinton had eight years to listen to Al Gore about it, and he didn't. And Congress had all of that time to do something about it and tell people the TRUTH, and they didn't. But I'm supposed to believe all of a sudden that they really care now. I'm supposed to believe that the Presidency (or as I now like to call it, the Chairmanship of the corporate/ military/ industrial complex) of this country is the ONLY PLACE from which progress on this can be made, when there is absolutely NO TRACK RECORD to prove that. Then I look at all of the progress Mr. Gore has made on this in only about ten months by inspiring PEOPLE, and I think, yeah, right.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Error: You've already recommended that thread.

Yeah, but dammit, this deserves more recs!

Thanks for reminding me of David Suzuki. I used to see editorial commentaries and CBC programs by him, but had not seen anything by him for quite a long time.

[RestoreGore]

3. David Suzuki is releasing his last book

I already know this link has expired, but I wanted to post the quote here and you might still find it elsewhere. He is an environmental pioneer. And thanks, but it is obvious that environmental issues don't seem to get too much attention here, even if Al Gore is part of it. His words are actually kind of sad here, and I hope it can be turned around. But depending on human nature is a very tricky thing it seems.
~~~~~~~~~
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews....C1-ArticlePage2

By James Regan, Reuters, October 26, 2006.

"Environmentalist David Suzuki, best known for his television programs on nature and the environment, is ready to step out of spotlight and live the simple life, lamenting that he has not had a greater impact. Releasing what he insists is his 'very last book,' a second installment to his autobiography, the 70-year-old Japanese-Canadian says he is looking forward to spending more time in the Canadian wilderness, carving wood and fishing. He regrets that after decades of campaigning for everything from cleaner air to sustainable farming, his work has not had more impact... 'I feel like we are in a giant car heading for a brick wall at 100 miles an hour and everyone in the car is arguing where they want to sit. For God's sake, someone has to say put the brakes on and turn the wheel.'"

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Thanks for the info. Sad to see he feels that way.

How much worse would things be if people like him didn't try? It doesn't bear thinking about.

[MelissaB]

4. I'll help you.

4 down, and 1 to go. :hi:

[blondie58]

5. RUN, AL, RUN!

You could probably do more good for climate change being President.

And how nice it would be to have an intelligent, articulate man for the leader of the free world for a change. Bush has been an embarrassment to our country.

[RestoreGore]

8. At this point, "probably" isn't good enough n/t

[Canuckistanian]

6. Off to the Greatest Page

Both Gore and Suzuki are my heroes.

[RestoreGore]

7. The Nature Of Things

http://www.cbc.ca/natureofthings/

I bet if Mr. Gore also did a tv series like this it would be fantastic. I know I'd never miss it. And thank you all for the recommendations.

[eppur_se_muova]

10. Great program, when I could see it. Some local PBS stations showed a few eps. nt

[JohnWxy]

9. IT's great to see Gore trying, on his own, to get the country to address problems we face since the

political manueverings of the GOP prevented our political system from working they way it was intended (many thanks to Tony "the reign-maker" Scalia) and thus preventing him from taking the office he won.

It would be kinda nice, however, to see a groundswell from those of us who still harbor a hatred of those who pulled off the rape of Democracy to put Gore back into the position he rightfully won or would have won. (yeah, I know - won't happen.)

[Lisa]

12. I think Suzuki is teasing folks with that last comment ...

He has a pretty well-developed sense of humour (my aunt knew his dad, so she's met him and his family). And my suspicion is that he's poking fun at the "conventional wisdom" that Gore is supposedly "wooden". After all, from the film it's evident that Gore is passionate and caring, and Suzuki is winking at those who've seen it by comparing that with the stereotype that Gore's detractors and the media created. Suzuki himself has been dismissed by critics as a drug-addled New-Agish hippie/guru (even though he was a prof and research geneticist, so he's accustomed to the hard side of science) -- so he well knows how misleading public images can be.

"And when I finished my interview in 1988 I begged him to emigrate to Canada so I could work on getting him elected prime minister" -- could you imagine that? Canada doesn't have a law that you have to be born here to be PM, so that isn't as off-the-wall as it might seem! Though we might have to work on Al a bit to "reprogramme" him (for example, there's no capital punishment up here, though from what I have heard he wasn't that enthusiastic a supporter of the death penalty anyway).

For the record, Harper keeps conflating global warming with air quality issues ("I have asthma so I know all about pollution", etc.). To paraphrase Mr. Bush's comments on a different issue, if he doesn't know better, it's bad ... and if he does, it's even worse. He is reasonably intelligent, so I can only conclude that he is doing this on purpose, to confuse the electorate.