Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Message from Al Gore to SOV2

Hey everybody! Don't read this unless you can't be at the Liturgy of reparations tonight. This is the message Al Gore recorded for us. So hang on becuase it's AWESOME!

Well I am just so happy to be able to talk to you good folks at the Spirit of Vatican 2 Catholic Faith Community today. When I heard about all the good things you folks are doing I was just tickled pink with all sorts of good feelings and excitement because its young people like you who are really starting to affect the changes in this society that we all need to recognize are the first steps to building a stronger and more meaningful society based on justice and respect for the environment. [Applause]

You know when I was receiving my Nobel Peace Prize for my two decade plus passion, [Applause]. Thank you. My Nobel Prize for my labor of love if you will, for the environment a whole lot of different thoughts were going through my head. I was thinking to myself, yes, this award is an honor, but what it really does is help raise awareness for the struggle our Earth is facing every day to survive this siege of pollution, of toxins, of abuse, of neglect, of exploitation, of mismanagement, and of just plain pigheadedness especially coming from this administration and its failed policies in regards to what it is doing around the world especially its arrogance and short-sightedness. [Applause] What we have here is an out of control mad-scientist experiment that will make all those scary Halloween movies about axe murderers, zombies, mutants, and aliens look like Driving Miss Daisy! [Laughter and Applause]

You know, when I was growing up, that’s before I lost my bid for the White House by a 5-4 vote [Laughter], as a little kid in my Dad’s house in Nashville, I used to play a game with some of the poor under represented neighborhood kids. You’ve probably heard of this game. It’s called cops and robbers. [Nostalgic Sighs] Now, I was always the cop and they were most of the time the robbers. So what I would do is say to them: “Look people! This isn’t right! We can work together on this issue or that issue! We don’t have to play cops and robbers anymore! We can come together as a community!” [Applause] And I think that’s exactly what you have here a community that’s really come together and are taking ownership of what is really important which is working together to find solutions rather than just living in some fantasy world where all your problems just go away by pretending your finger has some sort of magic power.

There is no magic that let’s you point your fingers and say to the Earth “Stop warming!” and all of a sudden reverse all that environmental damage that your cronies in the oil industry have done. [Applause] You can’t go to the Supreme Court and tell the Earth to stop voting! But people like this current president are looking for that magic, you can bet they are! And that magic is called denial, which ain’t just a river in Egypt folks as they say in my home state of Tennessee. [Laughter] Which is why so many scientists, climatologists, geologists, oceanologists, meteorologists, climatologists, ecologists, naturalists, biologists, and ordinary people just like you have formed an international consensus of people taking responsibility and moving forward and saying “Enough is enough! It’s time to take back our planet! [Applause] No one can own the Earth! [Applause] We all live here together! Let’s work together to confront this issue head on, right now, today, before it’s too late!” [Applause]

You know, when I was receiving my Emmy for my documentary An Inconvenient Truth [Applause]. Thank you. As I was receiving my Emmy, I was thinking that many people are under the impression that this is a Hollywood Liberal issue. There’s been a lot of talk about how this a red state versus blue state issue. Or that it is an environmental issue. But you know this isn’t just an environmental issue. This is a political issue, and it is an intellectual issue. This is an issue of trust and an issue of direction. It’s about progress! It’s also a moral issue and an economic issue! But most of all it’s a spiritual issue! That is why I am speaking to you all here today! Because you all are the spiritual warriors who are going to take this message to the next level by taking back America! [Applause]

You know, there is this wonderful movie about a man who came to Washington to change the world and instead found his world changed because he changed. As I was being awarded my Academy Award [Applause]. Thank you. As I was being awarded the Academy Award for my documentary that I just mentioned called An Inconvenient Truth that is available on DVD now, I was thinking about that very thing that movie talks about. That heartwarming movie which I think just says so much about what life is really all about is called Evan Almighty starring my good friend Morgan Freeman [Applause] as a compassionate God with a sense of humor.

You know, I know many people have seen that movie and thought to themselves, “well that’s just a funny movie with some funny dancing.” And I know how people here all like dancing. Am I right?! [Loud Cheers!] But they may say to themselves, “was there a message there I could tell my kids about? Was there something to take home?” I think movies like this and my documentary An Inconvenient Truth which is being shown to school children throughout the world right now are the kind of responsible media Hollywood is all about. Because Hollywood really cares about America. In fact, what I have come to realize by being at these Awards Ceremonies for my documentary and being awarded these awards for all my hard effort and in talking with people throughout America is that Hollywood really is America at its best! [Cheers and Applause]

So what is the message Hollywood is telling us? Because it’s important for us to listen! Evan Almighty is a faith filled journey and I think it really shows that God is really about the kind of environmental issues that face us right here today in our homes, in our schools, and in our faith communities [Applause]. I think God wants you right now to make a stand for the environment. Let’s go back to the “original design!” Because if you don’t, the dams that you are building are going to burst, and then you better hope that you’re on that Ark that goes to Washington and makes a stand in front of congress and says “Enough! We want sound environmental policies right now!” [Applause]

So, I want everybody to take my pledge to not spend money with companies that don’t support my effort to clean up the environment through carbon offsets. And make sure you take part in the political process. Let’s all build the 21st century state community together! [Applause] Thank you! Thank you! Keep up the good stuff you're doing!

2 comments:

Syb Bob said...

This was so wonderful. I can't tell you how the tears flowed from my eyes listening to this greatest of all men. He is such an inspiration. Tennessee is truly blessed to be able to call St. Albert a son. While listening enraptured I had the idea that we need an organization to counteract those groups like the Knights of Columbus and Militia Immaculata. I was thinking about the Albertan Knights of Gaea.....

Anonymous said...

Sounds horribly militaristic.