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In Mr. Gore's magnificent treatise on government and the excesses of Presidential power that he gave on January 16 of this year he used the phrase, "the consent of the governed." He called those of us who are the governed to seek within us the same spirit that steered our Forefathers through the tossed and stormy seas of great change to birth a nation to now guide us to a new "golden age." His words were daring, bold, brave, visionary, and at the same time reminiscent of that very spirit that first saw Colonists fighting an empire and changing the course of history. And that is the same spirit that is the truth in his movie, An Inconvenient Truth. However, for me, he isn't just talking about climate change in this movie; he is also talking about saving our country and renewing the spirit of true Democratic debate in this country that will lead to that positive change in not seeing that window on this climate crisis close.
Oh, it is subtle, but nevertheless it is there. The references to the 2000 coup (and yes, it was a coup) in his movie which prove that the American people did not have that will then to stand up to it... his expressing that he has been trying to get this message out for thirty years which proves that the American people did not have that will then...his references to political will being a renewable resource which shows that up to now it has not been...They are all statements that in my mind reflect another Inconvenient Truth: That Americans on the whole in this country don't seem to care about their government and much else that distracts them from their own pursuits, and unless we start doing that across the board ("disenthralling ourselves" as Lincoln so eloquently stated) we will not only close the window regarding the climate crisis, but we will close down the window on any last shred of Democracy we may have left in this country.
And if this government truly were a government that operated at the behest and consent of the governed, he would not have had to make this speech, and perhaps not even this movie. He would be sitting in the very house he was elected to by the "consent of the governed." And this is also then the message I took from Mr. Gore's words to the Congress to "fulfill the oaths they took", and to the American people to fight for their Constitution. These wonderful and truthful words did not just tell us to heed this call in investigating the abuse of power by those who have sought and succeeded in attaining it. I believe it was also a clarion call to those of us who can read between his words to realize that unless we light the fire of true Democratic debate in this country with truth and reason, the climate crisis will go beyond that window as the two are inextricably linked to each other.
In the opening to the movie he makes reference to people not wanting to admit that the climate crisis even exists, because by acknowledging it they would be morally responsible to do something about it. It's called plausible deniability. This same plausible deniability also exists regarding the current state of our Democratic Republic and that deniability spreads across party lines, so much so, that we have now come to the point where Congress is not talking about the fact that torture is immoral, they are talking about methods they will find "acceptable" to validate their immoral behavior.
The fact that those who usurped power in 2000 were able to do so much to this point with no checks and balances in place have only led them to the abuses outlined in Mr. Gore's speech, and the same parallels can be drawn regarding the climate crisis. Consider how EXXON and other entities are still being allowed to amass great wealth at the expense of our planet and human life with virtually no checks or balances even knowing the scientific findings regarding anthropogenic climate change. And just like the government abuse we have seen, they are getting away with it because the people as a whole have previously turned a blind eye to it. And that is the greater message of this movie. Without standing up to the threat those we allowed to usurp our Constitution pose, corporations like EXXON will be allowed to continue their destructive practices.
It isn't only in regards to this environmental crisis where we have found this plausible deniability. We have collectively also been totally remiss when it comes to admitting our government is no longer the thriving Democracy it once was, and the denial to face that has only led to that window shutting down even more, just like the window on the climate crisis which may only have about 10 years left before it closes completely if we don't wake up.
As Mr. Gore also stated, it is human nature to take more and more if you will be rewarded for it. The coup of 2000 was the turning point in the history of this nation. By the people and this Congress not rising up to put a stop to that abuse of power against the consent of the governed, it has now mushroomed into a string of abuses that as Mr. Gore rightfully claims may not need to be repeated, because they will be perpetual. And again, the parallels to the current climate crisis he discusses in an Inconvenient Truth stem from this same lack of will by the people, as the abuses on our planet are now also perpetual.
Therefore, from this speech of Mr. Gore's I not only got from it the sense that our country is in grave danger the longer we allow these usurpations to continue, but we have put ourselves in that danger by not effectively and swiftly using the checks and balances at our disposal in the Constitution to keep those who would thwart our will from doing so. Once again, the parallels to the climate crisis in this regard are the same. We have done this to our own planet. How is it possible that we could be the victims and the victimizers if we have the will to stop it? It is no different with what we have allowed to take place in our government. In that respect, we too are the victims and the victimizers.
For me this speech was not just a clarion call to keep the feet of our legislative and judicial branches to the fire regarding investigating and prosecuting these crimes and abuses. It was also a clarion call for me and whoever else may feel the moral outrage at what took place in 2000 that led us here, to forge ahead in righting that wrong. It is the same moral outrage one should feel after watching An Inconvenient Truth, then leading them to forge ahead in doing what they must do as citizens to right those wrongs as well.
Congress and we the American people have a long way to go in making up for what we have allowed to take place to so seriously damage our civil liberties and Constitutional safeguards. However, I believe we still have time to do so before it is too late if we put aside our petty differences and see the whole picture. Again, there is that same question of will in solving the climate crisis: putting aside our petty differences and seeing the whole picture, which this report is set to show us.
That golden age Mr. Gore spoke of can only happen if we make it happen. For me, that means impeaching those in this government who have violated the tenets of our Constitution in abusing their power and lying to the American people, for they have forsaken their oaths at a very high price to us and our futures. That also means pooling resources for social change, and not being afraid to speak out. If we don't have the strength to take back our Constitution ourselves in a concerted effort, we won't have the strength to do anything else in moving this country forward. And that is the Inconvenient Truth we must face as citizens of this country who have as a whole not only been remiss in facing this environmental crisis over the years, but also in admitting our part in the Democratic crisis we also now face.
The images of 2000 in An Inconvenient Truth were I believe Mr. Gore's way of telling the American people that we did not understand the urgency then of not letting that window on our Democracy close. On the issue of the climate crisis we then must not let that happen, but it will if we continue to fail to see our part in also saving this Democratic Republic, and failure is not an option.
May we have the vision and strength to do all that is required of us to secure our future and that of our children. They deserve nothing less.
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