About ‘An Inconvenient Truth' and Other Earthly Matters

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About ‘An Inconvenient Truth' and Other Earthly Matters
Burt Bacharach

I finally saw "An Inconvenient Truth" the other night, and it scared the life out of me. I was stunned at the reality of it all; now days later, still not being able to get what I saw out of my mind.

This movie is not entertainment. It's hard work for all 100 minutes.
I thought of it like going to class, a difficult and mandatory class. I urge and plead with anyone who reads this blog, no matter your tastes in music, movies or politics, to see this, even though it's like getting kicked in the stomach.

I don't know how people feel about Al Gore. I don't know how I feel about him. But he's much more likable in this movie than ever before. The cynical might assume that he's found a platform, a hot button issue to maybe make another run at the presidency; but this is not a new issue for him. He's been involved and concerned and tracked the dangers of global warming since his pre-college days. He's cared about and studied the changing environment before any of us even gave it a thought.
I'm not sure at what age is appropriate for a child to see "An Inconvenient Truth," but I'm going to take my ten year old daughter and 13 year old son to see it. They will be bored at times, but so what? I feel it is an extension of what they learn in school. It's mandatory, and they will get it. In fact, I'd like to see schools all across the country show this film to their students. It can't help but get them thinking, and then they would talk to their friends...and those people's friends and families...and help spread the word. We need the young people. The "inconvenient truths" in the film and book are about the world our children will inherit. We need a spokesperson, someone young and influential like a Hilary Duff, to try to create a grassroots movement in at least upper grades, high schools and colleges.

I sat in the theatre anxious for the end, so I could check into trading my Lexus for a hybrid. I know very little about cars, but I know my household can make a difference with an energy-saving car. Maybe the hybrid won't accelerate as fast getting on the freeway or run like a luxury car. We all love our comforts and are reluctant to make any sacrifice. Learning about hybrids is next for me, and when I get back to L.A., my movie list will be topped by 'Who Killed the Electric Car."

After seeing the movie, I also started thinking again about the 2000 election. What if Gore won (he really did win) and actually became President? I do believe the global warming would have been addressed, not dismissed. I'm sure in my heart our environment would be in much better shape now with activities and plans in place to protect it for my kids and the next generations.

I don't know how good a President that Al Gore would have been, but he would have been better than this President, who will go down in history as the worst (and probably most stupid) President of all time. Could Al Gore have done a better job? Lots of people could have.

I am sure Gore would not have followed the road of going into Iraq and open that hornet's nest. George Bush, Sr., knew better, too. Will we ever know what happened in Florida in 2000? What did Katherine Harris really do? We continue to see what some strange and hidden actions that happened in Florida in 2000 have cost us.

We may never know the truth about what the 2000 election and how George W. Bush became President, but we do know the truth about our environment. This is something that every one of us can do something about.

BB