HYPOCRISY

( NOTE: Before we start this friendly debate, I want to re-iterate my respect for Bingo Dejaresco. His views are normally highly entertaining, intelligent and informative. But his stand on Global Warming is just simply wrong. There is no scientific proof that global warming is caused by carbon emissions, either natural or man made. There is no scientific proof that “man made” hydrocarbon emissions have a significant impact on the environment or that the removal of these emissions will alter nature in any significant way. The Mount Pinatubo eruption put more hydrocarbons into the atmosphere than ALL of mankind did in the last 100 years; but according to Bingo “humans” are causing global warming by driving cars, using paper shopping bags and smoking cigarettes. The best scientists in the world can not predict the weather next month, but non-scientist Al Gore can predict, without fear of argument, that Dumaguete City will be under 20 feet of water in 50 years. Al Gore measures the polar ice cap in the middle of winter using a yardstick, and then years later he measures the polar ice cap in the middle of summer using a micrometer. Based on the disparity of these measurements Al Gore ignores reports that the polar ice cap has INCREASED and predicts melting and world wide flooding. Al Gore is a “fear monger” of the worst kind. He is a “hypocrite” fear monger.)
According to Al Gore, every time you contribute to hydrocarbon emissions you put another nail in the coffin of this planet and doom mankind to possible extinction. If he truly believed this you would think he would do everything in his power not to personally emit any hydrocarbons.
Al Gore has a home near Nashville, Tennessee. This posh 20 room mansion (not counting 8 bathrooms) with huge swimming pool, pool house and guest house are heated using natural gas. Burning natural gas emits hydrocarbons. He pays a $2,400.00 gas and electric bill each month. Al Gore wants you to reduce your hydrocarbon emissions, while he individually continues to emit more hydrocarbons into the air in one month than the average American does in one year.
His hypocrisy does not stop here. To spread his message of pending doom, Al Gore travels in excess of 16,000 miles each year. Instead of traveling by commercial air which would be the least polluting air mode, he elects to travel by private jet burning 65,000 gallons of fuel and releasing literally tons of hydrocarbons.
I used his own “carbon footprint” calculator to see how he rated. (http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/ ; note: Gore’s natural gas and electricity numbers are one third of his actual usage) He rated “120.55 Much Larger Than Average”; I on the other hand rated “1.75 Much Smaller Than Average” (Please Bingo, do not go for the cheap joke) Al Gore wants you to sacrifice and save the planet but he is not willing to inconvenience himself to do the same.
When the media challenged him on his hypocrisy he said he uses “carbon offsets”. Most people would say, “What the heck are carbon offsets?” This is a system created by the convicted criminal Ken Lay. What it means is if you have enough money you can pollute as much as you want. All you need do is make a donation to some environmental cause then you can drive nails into the earth’s coffin all day long. Al Gore’s “Golden Rule”; If you have the gold; you rule.
Bingo, my friend, need I point out the humor of telling everyone to carry their groceries to the car in their hands to save paper and then ask those same people to copy your column on paper and give it to their friends. Or need I point out your father did and brother does make a living selling paper. That dichotomy puts you in sort of a personal conflict with your Al Gore style crusade to save the world?
It might surprise you that on many of these things I agree with you. I agree not because there is any “world crisis” but because saving the environment is the intelligent thing to do. Preventing pollution and reducing hydrocarbon emissions is the smart thing to do. My objection is to the distortion of facts, outright lies and blatant fear mongering. This manufactured panic is unnecessarily causing great psychological and economic damage. Gore may resemble “Chicken Little” but the “sky is definitely NOT falling”