Web Letters: The Real Al Gore

When The Nation subjected us to five--I think it was five-- consecutive Cockburn columns claiming that anthropogenic global warming is a hoax, its defense was that its columnists choose their own topics. Yet a few years ago the editors felt obliged to disclaim (for no reason I could discern) a column that Cockburn wrote about Israel. So it seems that the editors do worry about the impression their columnists make, and Cockburn is starting to make The Nation look as loony as the Wall Street Journal editorial page. And the editors finally ended the sniping between Cockburn and Hitchens by simply telling them to cut it out. It is nonsense to say that you can't or won't decline to publish any more anti-science rants--would you continue to provide space to a flat- earther or a creationist?

One doesn't have to dismiss Gore's book to question his record on peace and the environment. And of course the usual suspects are jumping on the AGW bandwagon to push nasty things like nuclear power and biofuels. It is crucial to discuss these things, but rational people won't listen to someone who simply denies that AGW exists. When is The Nation going to get a knowledgeable environmental columnist--someone of the caliber of George Monbiot?

Robin Fox

Portland, OR

I am glad that someone has written up a critical view of Al Gore's past record on environment and peace. I am not saying that what Mr. Cockburn has written is the ultimate truth, but these are indeed some of the things that Al Gore has done in the past and as they say, truth often hurts. So after all, Mr. Gore is not so green and peaceful as the Democrats tend to present him. In fact, I don't need Al Gore to tell me via his power-point presentation that the global warming is an issue. Any Chemistry 101 class on college level will show that. The real problem is that people or this country, in their utter apathy don't really think critically these days and consequently tend to go for these "popular" (but not necessarily right) political candidates. Do you really think that Gore and his Nobel Price will change much? Words are fine, but action counts. I haven't seen much of it from Al Gore or his supporters.

Emir Ibrahimpasic

Mineeapolis, MN

If the editors of The Nation continue to print the psychotic ravings of Alexander Cockburn, a man obviously unhinged and off his meds, by the time my subscription renewal is up I will have to reconsider funding your magazine and, by extension, his unwarranted pay check.

Mr. Cockburn, like the oil and gas junta ruling the nation, continues to spin fantasies that the climate crisis is a hoax. Maybe he'll believe it when whatever controlled substances he subsists on begin to wilt and wither away from drought. Or maybe it will take his home's being flooded with rising seas. Or maybe he'll die from extreme heat (one can hope).

It's outrageous that The Nation gives space to this creature who should be raving on street corners with a placard strapped to his torso. What has happened to The Nation's integrity?

Mr. Cockburn spends a great deal of ink lying about Al Gore. He never notes Gore's courage in opposing the Iraq War in a commanding speech at the San Francisco Commonwealth Club in 2002 before Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and the other craven neo-con Democrats voted to authorize Bush's bloodlust. Cockburn doesn't note Gore's speeches going after the Bush Junta's shredding of the Constitution and civil liberties. And since Mr. Cockburn cannot refute the scientific facts in Gore's movie and books, and the reports of the IPCC or for that matter reports by many other experts in climate like NASA scientist James Hansen and Emory Lovings at the Rocky Mountain Institute; instead, faced with overwhelming facts, Mr. Cockburn can only resort to his usual routine: smears, lies, anger-based vitriol and outright deception.

Remove him from publication, or you won't be getting any more of my money.

Logan Gawain

Los Angeles, CA