2000 Election
"You know you win some, and you lose some,
and the there's that little-known third category."
9-11 and Terrorism
To begin with, to put first things first, I believe
that we ought to be focusing our efforts first
and foremost against those who attacked us
on September 11th and who have thus far
gotten away with it. The vast majority of
those who sponsored, planned and
implemented the cold-blooded murder of more
than 3,000 Americans are still at large,
still neither located nor apprehended, much
less punished and neutralized. I do not
believe that we should allow ourselves to be
distracted from this urgent task simply
because it is proving to be more
difficult and lengthy than was predicted.
Great nations persevere and then prevail.
They do not jump from one unfinished task
to another. We should remain focused on
the war against terrorism.
Al Gore's speech before the
Commonwealth Club of San Francisco
Al Gore Sr.
"They tried to make out like my dad was an
atheist because he didn't want a constitutional
amendment putting the government in charge of telling
children how they ought to worship God in the public
schools. They came out with accusations that he was
unpatriotic because he was opposed to the Vietnam War
and the mistaken policy that got us into that war."
Believers
"We have often felt the presence of God and
the power of prayer, so although we have
grown up in the church, we are believers not
by habit but by decision."
Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The
Transformation of the American Family,
2002, p. 40
Bush Administration
"In almost every policy area, the Administration's
consistent goal has been to eliminate any constraints
on their exercise of raw power, whether by law,
regulation, alliance or treaty - and in the process
they have in each case caused America to be seen by
the other nations of the world as showing disdain for
the international community."
AL Gore 1-15-04
Bush's Attack On Freedom
"They have taken us much farther down the
road toward an intrusive, 'big brother'-style
government -- toward the dangers prophesied
by George Orwell (search) in his book '1984' --
than anyone ever thought would be possible in
the United States of America,"
"In my opinion, it makes no more sense to
launch an assault on our civil liberties as
the best way to get at terrorists than it did to
launch an invasion of Iraq as the best way to
get at Usama bin Laden,"
Environment
". . . much of our success in rescuing the global
ecological system will depend upon whether we can
find a new reverence for the environment as a
whole -- not just its parts."
AL Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and
the Human Spirit, 1992, pp. 204-205
Faith
"Of course, faith is just a word unless it is
invested with personal meaning; my own faith
is rooted in the unshakeable belief in God as
creator and sustainer, a deeply personal
interpretation of and relationship with Christ,
and an awareness of a constant and holy
spiritual presence in all people, all live, and all
things."
Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the
Human Spirit, 1992, pp. 368
"A shared commitment to faith has always been
a central element in the life of our own family.
Our deeply held beliefs form the very core of
the values we hold in common, and the rituals
of our faith tradition have always provided a
reassuring and stabilizing rhythm to family life."
Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart:
The Transformation of the American Family,
2002, p. 40
Faith & the Information Age
"The richness and diversity of our religious
tradition throughout history is a spiritual
resource long ignored by people of faith, who
are often afraid to open their minds to teachings
first offered outside their own system of belief.
But the emergence of a civilization in which
knowledge moves freely and almost
instantaneously throughout the world has led
to an intense new interest in the different
perspectives on life in other cultures and has
spurred a renewed investigation of the wisdom
distilled by all faiths. This panreligious
perspective may prove especially important
where our global civilization's responsibility for
the earth is concerned."
Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and
the Human Spirit, 1992, pp. 258-259
Fear
"Fear was activated on Sept. 11 for all of us,
And it was exploitable for a variety of purposes
unrelated to the initial cause of fear.
I was one of millions who asked him (President Bush)
to lead us wisely and well, and he abused the trust
of the people by exploiting the fears of the American
people in order to take this nation on an adventure
that had been preordained before the attacks of
Sept. 11 ever took place."
Al Gore Feb 5th,2004
Fight
"If you agree with me, then stand up with conviction
for what we believe in and fight for it,"
Internet & SOPA
“In our world today there is hardly anything more important [...] than to
save and protect the vibrancy and freedom of the Internet.
The Internet is bringing life back to democracy. Anything that would
threaten the vibrancy and freedom of the Internet and the future,
I’m against.”
Al Gore
Source:http://torrentfreak.com/al-gore-sopa-is-a-threat-to-the-internet-120106/
Moral Coward
"While President Bush likes to project an image of
strength and courage, the truth is that in the
presence of his large financial contributors he is a
moral coward - so weak that he seldom if ever says
'No' to them on anything - no matter what the public
interest might mandate
AL Gore 1-15-04
Personal Search
"I have for several years now been engaged in
and intensive search for truths about myself and
my life; many other people I know are doing the
same. More people than ever are asking , 'Who
are we? What is our purpose?' The resurgence
of fundamentalism in every world religion, from
Islam to Judaism to Hinduism to Christianity;
the proliferation of new spiritual movements,
ideologies, and cults of all shapes and
descriptions; the popularity of New Age
doctrines and the current fascination with
exploratory myths and stories from cultures
the world over -- all serve as evidence for
the conclusion that there is indeed a spiritual
crisis in modern civilization that seems to be
based on an emptiness at its center and the
absence of a larger spiritual purpose."
Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology
and the Human Spirit, 1992, p. 367
Petty Political Tactic
"For the president of the United States to claim
in a television ad that those who disagreed with
the decision to go to war with Iraq are against
attacking terrorists is a disgrace. It is a cheap
and petty political tactic not worthy of the
presidency. It is something you would find in a
down-and-dirty sleazy campaign for city council."
Al Gore, Tennessee State University 11-25-03
Religious Liberty
"Americans are human beings, subject to the
same temptations and the same pride and the
same fears that afflict people of all nations.
Puritans in Boston hanged Quakers in a grim
public ceremony on the limbs of the Great Elm
on Boston Commons. Baptists under Roger
Williams had to flee Massachusetts. . . .
Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Latter
Day Saints, the Mormons, was murdered by
a mob. . . Anti-Semitism is a stain on our
history. . Even as we celebrate our religious
liberty today, killing in the name of religion goes
on all around the world. . Throughout history,
religious wars have always been the most
brutal and cruel and merciless."
Al Gore -- Religious Freedom Day speech,
Richmond, Virginia, 14 January 1994
"I strongly believe in the separation of church
and state. But freedom of religion does not
mean freedom from religion, there is a better way."
Al Gore -- speech at a Salvation Army drug
rehabilitation center in Atlanta, Georgia,
May 1999
"I was raised in a tradition that honors the
establishment clause, and I think that puts an
extra obligation on those who serve in public
office, especially in a constitutional position, to
refrain from implying some special guidance by
virtue of their relationship to God or religious
tradition. And I try never to inadvertently
communicate something like that. But at the
same time, I think that we have gone too far in
conveying the impression that those in public
life are obligated to refrain from ever
acknowledging that they have a spiritual life and
that they have a set of core beliefs."
Al Gore -- interview with U.S. News, 2000
"In America, faith finds its expression through
many different religious traditions. Indeed,
tolerance of religious diversity has been
strong and growing in America since our
country's inception. We take pride as a nation
in being a home for all religions and in
respecting the rights of those who choose not
to believe in God. And the large majority of
us believe in the importance of maintaining a
clear separation between government
and religion."
Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The
Transformation of the American Family,
2002, p. 39
"Organized religions seem to carry the same
vulnerability to abuse and excess that can
flourish in any group that inspires passion and
confers a distinctive identity. But luckily for
America's families, that lesson was fresh in the
minds of our founders after all the religious wars
and persecution that swept Europe before and
during the time of our colonization . . ."
Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The
Transformation of the American Family,
2002, p. 41
"Interestingly, the high level of religious
activity in America compared to most other
nations has been attributed by many experts
to the high degree of separation between church
and state, and the consistent emphasis on
religious freedom."
Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The
Transformation of the American Family,
2002, p. 41-42
Seeing God
"It is my own belief that the image of God can
be seen in every corner of creation, even in us,
but only faintly. By gathering in the mind's eye
all of creation, one can perceive the image of
the Creator vividly. . . .
I believe that the image of the Creator, which
sometimes seems so faint in the tiny corner of
creation each of us beholds, is nonetheless
present in its entirety -- and present in
us as well."
Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the
Human Spirit, 1992, p. 265
Stewards Of God's Creation
"For some Christians, the prophetic vision of the
apocalypse is used -- in my view, unforgivably --
as an excuse for abdicating their responsibility
to be good stewards of God's creation.
Al Gore
"The religious ethic of stewardship is indeed
harder to accept if one believes the world is
in danger of being destroyed --
by either God or humankind."
Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the
Human Spirit, 1992, p. 263
Strom Thrumond
I have to tell you that I did some research
about the vice presidency and found that quite
a number of my predecessors did not really
fully appreciate the job, and some of them
resigned. Just to give one example before I
get into my speech here, John C. Calhoun
actually resigned the vice presidency in 1825
to become a senator from South Carolina.
And as many of you know, he subsequently lost
that seat to Strom Thurmond . . .
Sustainable Capitalism
"We are once again facing one of those rare turning points in
history when dangerous challenges and limitless opportunities
cry out for clear, long-term thinking, The disruptive threats now
facing the planet are extraordinary: climate change, water scarcity,
poverty, disease, growing income inequality, urbanisation,
massive economic volatility and more. Businesses cannot be
asked to do the job of governments, but companies and investors
will ultimately mobilise most of the capital needed to overcome
the unprecedented challenges we now face.
Al Gore
Source:http://www.mediafuturist.com/2012/01/article-manifesto-for-
sustainable-capitalism-good-al-gore-quote.html
9-11 and Terrorism To begin with, to put first things first, I believe that we ought to be focusing our efforts first and foremost against those who attacked us on September 11th and who have thus far gotten away with it. The vast majority of those who sponsored, planned and implemented the cold-blooded murder of more than 3,000 Americans are still at large, still neither located nor apprehended, much less punished and neutralized. I do not believe that we should allow ourselves to be distracted from this urgent task simply because it is proving to be more difficult and lengthy than was predicted. Great nations persevere and then prevail. They do not jump from one unfinished task to another. We should remain focused on the war against terrorism. Al Gore's speech before the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco
Al Gore Sr. "They tried to make out like my dad was an atheist because he didn't want a constitutional amendment putting the government in charge of telling children how they ought to worship God in the public schools. They came out with accusations that he was unpatriotic because he was opposed to the Vietnam War and the mistaken policy that got us into that war." Believers "We have often felt the presence of God and the power of prayer, so although we have grown up in the church, we are believers not by habit but by decision." Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family, 2002, p. 40 Bush Administration "In almost every policy area, the Administration's consistent goal has been to eliminate any constraints on their exercise of raw power, whether by law, regulation, alliance or treaty - and in the process they have in each case caused America to be seen by the other nations of the world as showing disdain for the international community." AL Gore 1-15-04 Bush's Attack On Freedom "They have taken us much farther down the road toward an intrusive, 'big brother'-style government -- toward the dangers prophesied by George Orwell (search) in his book '1984' -- than anyone ever thought would be possible in the United States of America," "In my opinion, it makes no more sense to launch an assault on our civil liberties as the best way to get at terrorists than it did to launch an invasion of Iraq as the best way to get at Usama bin Laden,"
Environment ". . . much of our success in rescuing the global ecological system will depend upon whether we can find a new reverence for the environment as a whole -- not just its parts." AL Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, 1992, pp. 204-205
Faith "Of course, faith is just a word unless it is invested with personal meaning; my own faith is rooted in the unshakeable belief in God as creator and sustainer, a deeply personal interpretation of and relationship with Christ, and an awareness of a constant and holy spiritual presence in all people, all live, and all things." Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, 1992, pp. 368 "A shared commitment to faith has always been a central element in the life of our own family. Our deeply held beliefs form the very core of the values we hold in common, and the rituals of our faith tradition have always provided a reassuring and stabilizing rhythm to family life." Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family, 2002, p. 40 Faith & the Information Age "The richness and diversity of our religious tradition throughout history is a spiritual resource long ignored by people of faith, who are often afraid to open their minds to teachings first offered outside their own system of belief. But the emergence of a civilization in which knowledge moves freely and almost instantaneously throughout the world has led to an intense new interest in the different perspectives on life in other cultures and has spurred a renewed investigation of the wisdom distilled by all faiths. This panreligious perspective may prove especially important where our global civilization's responsibility for the earth is concerned." Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, 1992, pp. 258-259 Fear "Fear was activated on Sept. 11 for all of us, And it was exploitable for a variety of purposes unrelated to the initial cause of fear. I was one of millions who asked him (President Bush) to lead us wisely and well, and he abused the trust of the people by exploiting the fears of the American people in order to take this nation on an adventure that had been preordained before the attacks of Sept. 11 ever took place." Al Gore Feb 5th,2004 Fight "If you agree with me, then stand up with conviction for what we believe in and fight for it,"
Internet & SOPA “In our world today there is hardly anything more important [...] than to save and protect the vibrancy and freedom of the Internet. The Internet is bringing life back to democracy. Anything that would threaten the vibrancy and freedom of the Internet and the future, I’m against.” Al Gore Source:http://torrentfreak.com/al-gore-sopa-is-a-threat-to-the-internet-120106/ Moral Coward "While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors he is a moral coward - so weak that he seldom if ever says 'No' to them on anything - no matter what the public interest might mandate AL Gore 1-15-04 Personal Search "I have for several years now been engaged in and intensive search for truths about myself and my life; many other people I know are doing the same. More people than ever are asking , 'Who are we? What is our purpose?' The resurgence of fundamentalism in every world religion, from Islam to Judaism to Hinduism to Christianity; the proliferation of new spiritual movements, ideologies, and cults of all shapes and descriptions; the popularity of New Age doctrines and the current fascination with exploratory myths and stories from cultures the world over -- all serve as evidence for the conclusion that there is indeed a spiritual crisis in modern civilization that seems to be based on an emptiness at its center and the absence of a larger spiritual purpose." Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, 1992, p. 367 Petty Political Tactic "For the president of the United States to claim in a television ad that those who disagreed with the decision to go to war with Iraq are against attacking terrorists is a disgrace. It is a cheap and petty political tactic not worthy of the presidency. It is something you would find in a down-and-dirty sleazy campaign for city council." Al Gore, Tennessee State University 11-25-03 Religious Liberty "Americans are human beings, subject to the same temptations and the same pride and the same fears that afflict people of all nations. Puritans in Boston hanged Quakers in a grim public ceremony on the limbs of the Great Elm on Boston Commons. Baptists under Roger Williams had to flee Massachusetts. . . . Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints, the Mormons, was murdered by a mob. . . Anti-Semitism is a stain on our history. . Even as we celebrate our religious liberty today, killing in the name of religion goes on all around the world. . Throughout history, religious wars have always been the most brutal and cruel and merciless." Al Gore -- Religious Freedom Day speech, Richmond, Virginia, 14 January 1994 "I strongly believe in the separation of church and state. But freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion, there is a better way." Al Gore -- speech at a Salvation Army drug rehabilitation center in Atlanta, Georgia, May 1999
"I was raised in a tradition that honors the establishment clause, and I think that puts an extra obligation on those who serve in public office, especially in a constitutional position, to refrain from implying some special guidance by virtue of their relationship to God or religious tradition. And I try never to inadvertently communicate something like that. But at the same time, I think that we have gone too far in conveying the impression that those in public life are obligated to refrain from ever acknowledging that they have a spiritual life and that they have a set of core beliefs." Al Gore -- interview with U.S. News, 2000 "In America, faith finds its expression through many different religious traditions. Indeed, tolerance of religious diversity has been strong and growing in America since our country's inception. We take pride as a nation in being a home for all religions and in respecting the rights of those who choose not to believe in God. And the large majority of us believe in the importance of maintaining a clear separation between government and religion." Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family, 2002, p. 39 "Organized religions seem to carry the same vulnerability to abuse and excess that can flourish in any group that inspires passion and confers a distinctive identity. But luckily for America's families, that lesson was fresh in the minds of our founders after all the religious wars and persecution that swept Europe before and during the time of our colonization . . ." Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family, 2002, p. 41 "Interestingly, the high level of religious activity in America compared to most other nations has been attributed by many experts to the high degree of separation between church and state, and the consistent emphasis on religious freedom." Al Gore -- Joined at the Heart: The Transformation of the American Family, 2002, p. 41-42
Seeing God "It is my own belief that the image of God can be seen in every corner of creation, even in us, but only faintly. By gathering in the mind's eye all of creation, one can perceive the image of the Creator vividly. . . . I believe that the image of the Creator, which sometimes seems so faint in the tiny corner of creation each of us beholds, is nonetheless present in its entirety -- and present in us as well." Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, 1992, p. 265 Stewards Of God's Creation "For some Christians, the prophetic vision of the apocalypse is used -- in my view, unforgivably -- as an excuse for abdicating their responsibility to be good stewards of God's creation. Al Gore "The religious ethic of stewardship is indeed harder to accept if one believes the world is in danger of being destroyed -- by either God or humankind." Al Gore -- Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, 1992, p. 263
Strom Thrumond I have to tell you that I did some research about the vice presidency and found that quite a number of my predecessors did not really fully appreciate the job, and some of them resigned. Just to give one example before I get into my speech here, John C. Calhoun actually resigned the vice presidency in 1825 to become a senator from South Carolina. And as many of you know, he subsequently lost that seat to Strom Thurmond . . . Sustainable Capitalism "We are once again facing one of those rare turning points in history when dangerous challenges and limitless opportunities cry out for clear, long-term thinking, The disruptive threats now facing the planet are extraordinary: climate change, water scarcity, poverty, disease, growing income inequality, urbanisation, massive economic volatility and more. Businesses cannot be asked to do the job of governments, but companies and investors will ultimately mobilise most of the capital needed to overcome the unprecedented challenges we now face. Al Gore Source:http://www.mediafuturist.com/2012/01/article-manifesto-for- sustainable-capitalism-good-al-gore-quote.html
