Do as I say, not as I do....

[Don Corleone]

Merriam-Webster's Online dictionary defines 'Hypocricy' as

1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
- hypocrite adjective

.

Today, while testifying why Congress needs to enact strict legislation hamstringing the American economy and the average American's personal energy usage at home, former Vice-President Al Gore received a request from the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, Senator James Inhofe.

Senator Inhofe presented records indicating that the former Vice-president consumes electrical power at a rate twenty times that of the average American household. He then asked Gore if Gore, fully aware of the dire consequences of man's activities upon the planet and it's direct, causal affect to hurricanes, wouldn't take a pledge to reduce his consumption to no more than the national average household usage. A curt "no" was all Gore would answer with. Senator Inhofe pressed on, indicating that surely Gore would be a beacon for all and encourage responsible energy usage among millions of Americans by his voluntary reduction in his own energy usage.

The former Vice-president responded with a furioius "Go screw yourself, buddy. I am the law. The rules are for the rest of you slaves, erh, I mean citizens".

Actually, he made a vague reference to carbon offsets, claiming he had planted a tree. The affects of carbon offsets are dubious at best, and even when taken at face value can take up to a century. Vice-President Gore does not believe Congress should allow for carbon offsets by American industries or by American families in their own energy usage.

So, I'm just curious. Why would Gore, who's convinced and trying to convince Congress that energy consumption and mankind in general is killing the planet, consume over twenty times the national average? If that doesn't fit the bill of hypocricy, I don't know what does.

Poster's note: I agree the planet is warming. I suspect mankind's activity has had a tertiary affect on it, but has not been the primary contributor. Even so, for reasons of national security and for other environmental concerns, I personally would outlaw the use of fossil fuels the day after I secured the White House in my junta, but would switch over to full nuclear the very same day. I'd build each and every town it's very own reactor. Presto! Problem solved.