From the Sierra Club
http://www.sierrasummit2005.org/sierrasummit/coverage/r016.aspby John Byrne Barry
Plenary Session
Al Gore
Former Vice President Al Gore quoted Winston Churchill, Upton Sinclair, the Bible, and President George W. Bush, and the contrast was not pretty.
Gore, who received multiple standing ovations from an audience of 2,000 at the opening morning of Sierra Summit 2005, made good use of quotes as well as references to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath to underscore his theme of moral responsibility in a time of crisis, specifically global warming. (He also got some well-deserved laughs along the way -- see "The Comedy of Al Gore.") (Read the AP story on Gore's speech.)
Gore went to the Churchill well the most. "We are entering a period of consequence," said Churchill as the the storm was gathering over Europe before World War II. Gore drew a parallel to the current situation regarding global warming. Just as was the case with Europe in the 1930s, "the warnings about global warming," he said, "have been extremely clear for a long time."
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http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/12604461.htmAl Gore blasts Bush; personally airlifted Katrina victims
TERENCE CHEA
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO - Former Vice President Al Gore urged Americans on Friday to hold the Bush administration accountable for failing to adequately prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina.
"When the corpses of American citizens are floating in toxic flood waters five days after a hurricane struck, it is time not only to respond directly to the victims of the catastrophe, but to hold ... the leaders of our nation accountable," Gore told environmentalists at the Sierra Club's national convention.
(snip)
"What happened was not only knowable, it was known in advance, in great and painstaking detail. They did tabletop planning exercises. They identified exactly what the scientific evidence showed would take place," Gore said.
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