Do as I say, not as I do

When former Vice President and current celebrity Al Gore strode up the steps of the U.S. Capitol earlier this year to testify on behalf of Mother Earth, the halls of Congress hushed to hear the propaganda—er, message—that turned this once-failed presidential candidate into an overnight celebrity expert on global climate change.
The funny thing is, not even the traditionally “progressive” (read that “liberal”) news media seemed to take Gore seriously enough until Hollywood threw its weight, money and influence behind a documentary starring the former U.S. vice president. Suddenly, global climate change became a major issue deserving of attention and in need of action.
Why is it that whenever Hollywood opens its mouth and pocketbook, our popular culture decides to take on the issue as though it was some great, big crisis or problem? How is it that one drab movie about how man is destroying the earth can suddenly demand the attention of the public? The phenomenon is called “propaganda,” a tool as old as time used to persuade the masses to conform to the will and wishes of those pushing the message. But the liberal elitists smartly disguise their propaganda messages as “compassion” and “science.”
We, the subjects, are expected to conform or else face the ire of the powerful elite and risk being painted as uncompassionate, cold-hearted, uncaring slobs. This is classic peer pressure. Remember as kids how we were lectured by our parents and teachers about the dangers of peer pressure? Oddly enough, nobody seems willing to make the link between environmental propaganda and peer pressure, which is advanced through fear, guilt and threats of being ostracized. Pushers of the global warming agenda are intent on scaring people into submission by announcing that the earth will be destroyed and us along with it if we continue on our current consumption course; instilling a deep sense of guilt for driving our cars and using energy to power our lives; and placing skeptics and critics on the spot by labeling them as ignorant, stupid, greedy and selfish.
Do you know about the Weather Channel weather woman who has stated that any meteorologist who does not agree with global warming should have his or her American Meteorological Society (AMS) certification revoked? A number of weather men and women have been placed on the spot to conform to global warming theory or face losing their membership in the AMS. Can you say, “ostracize”?
Meanwhile, Al Gore and his fellow Hollywood elite are on their soapboxes preaching about the need to be “green,” and alter our lifestyles, because if we don’t then the earth will burn up and we are all going to die. Yet, Gore and his celebrity supporters are traveling around the country in their private jets, luxury motorcoaches and limousines, wining and dining on the environmentalist dollar while on the speech circuit. In fact, Gore’s 10,000 square-foot home and its gluttonous energy usage is a direct example of the very problem he is preaching about. His home, while large by most peoples’ standards, is a microcosm of the multiple mansions and luxury vacation homes owned by his Hollywood allies.
I wonder, do the stars make sure they are using fluorescent light bulbs in all of their residences? Are they careful to transport themselves only in electric hybrids or bicycles wherever they go? Do they carpool in their limos to and from studios, galas and parties? Yeah, I know Leo DiCaprio says he owns a hybrid; but does he actually use it? There’s a huge difference between owning something that sits in a garage collecting dust and actually using it.
The hypocrisy of the left—especially in Hollywood and other elite circles of liberalism, such as academia—is ripe. As I see it, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. If changing our lifestyle to balance out our “carbon footprints” is necessary, then it is also needed among the elite who are preaching it. But that is not the way liberal elitists like Gore think. To them, just bringing the issue to the table is enough to make them “carbon neutral.” They are doing their part simply through discourse and activism. Therefore, they are exempt from the proposals that apply to the rest of us.
When Sen. James Imhoff, R-OK, questioned Gore during testimony about whether or not he is doing his part in this global warming problem, the former VP side-stepped the issue by saying that he is carbon neutral, because he makes up for some deficiencies by doing other green things. He rationalized the need to continue flying from place to place delivering his message of doom and destruction.
Uh, sorry, Al, that doesn't cut the mustard. First, you should down-size from a 10,000 square-foot house that sucks at least three times as much energy out of the environment than your typical American’s home. Second, trade in your SUVs, town cars and limousines for the tiny little hybrid that the rest of us are urged to drive. Third, stop flying around on jets, using up jet fuel and expelling contaminants into the air. Instead, use the Internet, which you claim to have invented, to conduct virtual conferences.
If you do need to be somewhere in person, then drive your hybrid or ride your bicycle. But you might want to give yourself a few days or weeks to get to where you are going. Hybrids don’t fly as fast as planes do.
The whole global climate change craze doesn't just smell of hypocrisy to me; it stinks to high heavens. Frankly, if the left wants to become “carbon neutral,” maybe it should clean up its stench of hypocrisy first.