Democracy for New Mexico

Al Gore: Sign the Live Earth Pledge

First, if you haven't yet done so, read Al Gore's compelling NY Times op-ed. Then read his letter urging humans to sign the Live Earth Pledge and click the link to do it:

On 7.7.07 more than two billion people will come together during Live Earth. That number is unfathomable - more than one-fourth of the world’s population will participate in a single event and demand a solution to the climate crisis. This unique moment presents us with a unique choice.

Do we use this unprecedented opportunity to organize a global movement that will last beyond 7.7.07? Or do we let the moment pass?

I know my answer - and I think I know yours. That’s why I am issuing this challenge: Let’s use this moment to pledge our support to solving the climate crisis. Just as important – let’s ask everyone we know to join us as part of this movement.

Sign the 07.07.07 Live Earth Pledge.

I PLEDGE:

1. To demand that my country join an international treaty within the next 2 years that cuts global warming pollution by 90% in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy earth;

2. To take personal action to help solve the climate crisis by reducing my own CO2 pollution as much as I can and offsetting the rest to become "carbon neutral;"

3. To fight for a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without the capacity to safely trap and store the CO2;

4. To work for a dramatic increase in the energy efficiency of my home, workplace, school, place of worship, and means of transportation;

5. To fight for laws and policies that expand the use of renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil and coal;

6. To plant new trees and to join with others in preserving and protecting forests; and,

7. To buy from businesses and support leaders who share my commitment to solving the climate crisis and building a sustainable, just, and prosperous world for the 21st century.

Together we were able to make March’s Congressional hearings a huge moment by collecting more than 500,000 messages and demonstrating the significant public support for solving the climate crisis to our elected leaders and the media. Our next opportunity to demonstrate this growing movement will come on 7.7.07

Live Earth will not just be a 24-hour concert – but the launch of a massive campaign to demonstrate that the political will exists to solve the climate crisis.

As our movement grows larger we will shake loose the paralysis currently gripping our political system. Working together we can get it done.

Thank you,

Al Gore
https://www.algore.com/

Our previous posts on Live Earth are here and here. They include links for watching the concerts online, on TV, at local events and more. Live video and footage from concerts earlier today available here.

Where and When Can I See Live Earth? (Starts Tonight)

From Live Earth:
MSN will stream the Live Earth concerts LIVE from all seven continents starting from Sydney, Australia and continuing geographically and chronologically across the globe. Log on tonight -- Friday, July 6th -- at  7:15 PM (MT) (since it's tomorrow already in Australia) for the start of what is destined to be an incomparable 24 hours. Watch the Al Gore webcast video.

OFFICIAL CONCERTS AND SCHEDULE

USA START TIME (MDT): Summary Sheet
Live Earth Sydney - 7:10 PM, 7/6
Live Earth Tokyo  - 9:00 PM, 7/6 
Live Earth Shanghai - 5:00 AM, 7/7 
Live Earth Hamburg - 6:00 AM, 7/7
Live Earth London - 6:30 AM, 7/7
Live Earth Johannesburg - 10:00 AM, 7/7
Live Earth New York - 12:30 PM, 7/7 
Live Earth Rio de Janeiro - 1:00 PM, 7/7

Due to the global nature of this event, all times are subject to change. Stay tuned to www.liveearth.msn.com for the most current information on all the Live Earth concerts.

LIVE EARTH ON THE AIR
Live Earth will be transmitted worldwide in standard and high definition across multiple media channels - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels. In the US, highlights from all Live Earth concerts and events will air on NBC at 8:00 PM on Saturday, 07.07.07. Visit www.liveearth.org for a more expansive list of International Broadcast Partners or click this direct link to on the air providers. Don't wanna watch it alone? There are over 8000 Friends of Live Earth events happening worldwide. Find one near you right here. Washington DC concert added.

Note: I'd double check online with the MSN and Live Earth sites as the events near their stated start times as last minute changes are to be expected. One event that doesn't yet show on the schedule is today's addition of a Live Earth event in Washington DC in the form of a Mother Earth concert and program hosted by Native Americans at the National Museum of the American Indian. Besides Native American speakers and musicians, including Albuquerque reggae band Native Roots, the event will feature a performance by Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood. It looks like it's scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 AM MDT. It's unclear when the band of scientists in Anarctica will perform!

Also see our earlier post on LIve Earth, which includes links to local viewing gatherings.

07.07.07 Party for the Planet

You've got your choice of events related to Al Gore's 07.07.07 Live Earth concert. You can find or host your own Live Earth gathering via this page at the Live Earth website. You can also watch a live stream online at their website or tune in to a variety of TV and radio channels.

MoveOn folks are also organizing various parties around the nation focusing on their Online Climate Town Hall with all the Dem candidates for president, as well as concert viewing. To find a party near you or create your own, type in your zip code here.

Defenders of Wildlife in NM is also hosting a Live Earth Watch Party at Coaches Sports Grill, 1414 Central SE in Albuquerque, just west of University on Saturday 7/7, from 6-10 PM. Doors open at 5 PM. No RSVP needed -- first come, first served.

You can also enter their raffle to win some great green prizes, including Al Gore’s book, green products, outdoor gear and more! Anyone who walks, rides their bike, or takes the bus to the event gets a free raffle ticket! Contact Lisa Hummons for more info: (505) 248-0118 x5, or lhummon@defenders.org

Concerts start in Sydney, Australia on Friday night Mountain Time, and end in New York City on Saturday. There will be as many as five concerts taking place simultaneously at any given time, each from a different continent. Coverage will vary depending on where and how you're getting your feed.

Also see our later post with updated information.

Video and More: Honor the Earth in NM, AZ

After their Santa Fe concert last month, the Indigo Girls performed at Honor the Earth clean energy benefit events in Shiprock and Flagstaff. Amy Ray provides a report and videos about the events via their e-news:

Notes from Amy Ray of Indigo Girls:
We had a couple of really successful Honor the Earth shows in the Southwest last month. Both of these shows were held to benefit a renewable energy future in Native Communities. As a lot of you know, this has been a main focus for Honor since its inception. In these times of growing awareness and access to more resources for wind and solar development, we feel even more excitement than usual for what can be achieved in Indian Country.

Shiprock, NM: We started out in Shiprock, New Mexico in Navajo country where communities have been in a stand off with Sithe Global Power and the Dine Power Authority over construction of a new coal fired power plant at Desert Rock. A group of hardy folks have been camped out since December where the proposed plant would be. This plant would drain the water aquifer even further and contribute an alarming amount of pollutants to the struggling atmosphere of the Four Corners Region where numerous other power plants already exist. The communities suffer from respiratory diseases and cancers from the current coal industry. They have continuously been asked to trade their health and ecosystem for an economy. The money raised from this show went to: Dooda Desert Rock Committee, Operation Desert Rock, Dine Citizens Against Ruining the Environment (DINE Care), and Utah Dine Bikeya Committee.

Earl Tulley, Winona LaDuke and Lori Goodman

The event was a total communal effort with all the groups tabling in the lobby, Winona LaDuke speaking, and the Hopi Reggae band Casper opening the show. We ended the night with a Q and A between the audience and the beneficiaries that quickly turned into a really interesting public forum.

Earl Tulley, Amy, Elouise Brown, Lori Goodman and Emily

Video from Shiprock Honor the Earth:

• Shiprock Part 1
• Shiprock Part 2
• Shiprock Part 3
• Shiprock Part 4

Flagstaff, AZ: We drove on our bio-diesel fueled bus to Flagstaff, Arizona for the next show. This show was the second half of the “turning bad energy to good” equation. Proceeds benefited Native groups within the Just Transition Coalition, such as the Black Mesa Water Coalition. The Just Transition plan is a totally brilliant model of how to shift to renewable energy. The Coalition developed this strategy when a super polluting power plant called the Mojave Generating Station closed down in Laughlin, Nevada. This plant served Southern California’s power needs, but it did it by destroying the health and ecosystem of the Hopi and Dine people. When the plant was forced to close due to work by groups such as the Sierra Club, this team of strategists developed a plan that would take the revenues from the sale of Southern California Edison’s sulfur credits and turn the to good use.

So Cal Edison received credits when the plant closed, these can be sold to other polluters that need them. It’s sort of a bad system of big profits that allows those with the money to keep polluting but it can also be used for good like in this case-where the money could go to the Hopi and Dine communities that sacrificed for decades to provide cheap power to the customers of So Cal Edison. This revenue from the sale of sulfur credits could amount to as much as 20 million dollars a year and give immediate relief for lost water and coal royalties, lost jobs from the closure, and support the building of a renewable energy industry in this region, which would provide jobs and income.

What has been the most striking to see is that these communities don’t even use much of the power they generate. Many of them are still living off the grid and the rest don’t benefit because most of the power is transported off the reservations. After draining the water aquifers and poisoning the earth and sky, this plan would usher in a new energy economy to the Dine and Hopi people, who have suffered the most for the sake of our energy needs. I think the Just Transition is a model for turning the tide of our energy future.

Members of the Just Transition Coalition and allies in Flagstaff

The show itself was very festive. Hoop dancer, Nakotah LaRance opened the event, Sonaya and the People’s Crew played a set of world music, Winona spoke, and we ended the night with an IG music set. We had an auction to sing with us that raised about $4,700. Cheers to Jamie Gillette, Michelle Picini, Kerry Gilbert, and Teresa Murphy for donating the money and doing a fine rendition of Closer to Fine.

Video from Shiprock Honor the Earth

Editor's Note: To learn more about the battle against the Desert Rock Power Plant visit the Dooda Desert Rock website. For more info on the work of the Just Transition Coalition, visit the . Make a donation. Write a letter to the editor and Governor. Get involved.

Cornstalk Music Fest and Fundraiser Set for June 16

From the Cornstalk Institute:
 
The Cornstalk Institute presents
The Festival of the Great Unknowns: A Music Lover's Delight
June 16, 11 AM to Midnite
Tickets to the festival are on sale at Natural Sound on Central and at cornstalkinstitute@yahoo.com. A pass for the day is $30 for one person or $50 for two, which is more fun anyhow. 
            
For 15 years the Cornstalk Institute in Albuquerque's South Valley has provided outstanding experiential education programs to Albuquerque's young folk. Mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, climbing, gardening, building and mentoring are among the many activities we use to " educate independent students to become community assets and effective leaders for 21st century democracy."

During the past couple of months, the Institute has been named "Outstanding Prevention Program in the Southwest" and a "Best of 'Burque 'Staff Pick" as the "Best After-School Program You've Probably Never Heard Of" by the Weekly Alibi.

From Noon to Midnite on June 16th, we're presenting The Festival of the Great Unknowns, a music festival at the Institute. Incredible musicians, singers, songwriters, pickers and players from all over the country have donated their time and talent to help us celebrate our 15th year and to raise funds for some of our outstanding students to take some wonderful education expeditions.

Come listen and dance yo butt off to the music of Tucson's Grayhound Soul; Santa Fe geetar whiz Ken Valdez; Madrid singer, songwriter Jim Almand; NYC singer/songwriter Emory Joseph; Red River master tunesmith; Rick Fowler; the inimitable Daddy Long Loin; 'Burque faves Jasper; multi- talented Jeffrey Richards and Bright Carver; the incomparable Cole Mitchell; guitar master Scott Chard from Edmund OK, the good-timing Ditch Dawgs, and from Muscle Shoals Alabama singer/songwriter David Walton and the wonderful Karen Gruber.

We hope you can join us for this music and fun. 

Thanks to you, the kids at Cornstalk will have some wonderful opportunities that would not have been possible otherwise. There are a couple of programs that will be funded as early as this summer, including sending two kids to Camp Winnarainbow, Wavy Gravy's performing arts camp in California, and sending a couple of students on a bike trip in South America. These are talented, deserving young people who would not otherwise have the opportunity for such enriching experiences, so ... a big, heartfelt thanks to each of you. 

Come on and hang out at the festival and enjoy yourselves! The primary vendor for the festival is Johndhi's on Rio Grande, so there will be great food, cold beer, etc. We hope you'll make yourselves at home!

IT"S ONLY MONEY....Good fun for a Good Cause

We're looking  for looking for volunteers to assist with a variety of tasks and chores. Volunteering for a couple of hours is a good way to help and will get you in the festival free. Sign up at cornstalkinstitute@yahoo.com

Don't forget your tix for "Maybelline," the 1959 Pontiac Catalina that we're raffling off at the festival!  We're holding a silent raffle for a spanking new Fender Stratocaster signed by two of the world's best players--Robert Cray AND Eric Clapton. Click for raffle flyer (doc).

We would be hugely appreciative if you would pass this along to your friends!

-Directions: Take I-25 south to Rio Bravo. Go west on Rio Bravo past Isleta to the 4th light at Del Rio.  Go right (north) on Del Rio to Barcelona Road. Go left (west) on Barcelona for about 1/2 mile. Cornstalk is the 1st place on the right past the ditch where the cottonwoods get tall. Yellow house, blue trim. You can also come south on Coors if that's easier, then take a left (east) on Barcelona Road (after Arenal but before Rio Bravo). Cornstalk is .6 mile east of Coors on the left. There'll be signs.

Once again, thank you so much for your generosity in taking on this event!  We are so excited that you're going to be part of this, and we truly hope that it is fun for all of you as well. We are grateful for your contribution to the scholarship fund.

Sing. Dance. Eat. Love ... and if we're lucky, change the world. Thems that want to have fun, come. Thems that don't stay home."

Deryle
samcooke@ix.netcom.com

Act Now to Save Internet Radio

Tell Rep. Wilson, Sen. Bingaman and Sen. Domenici:
Rescue Internet Radio

From Free Press: Internet music may soon fall silent.  A new rule concerning a massive increase in fees paid by Internet radio webcasters could force thousands of independent and noncommercial Internet radio operators off the Web. The ruling will go into effect on July 15 unless we act now and urge Congress to rescue Internet radio: Rescue Internet Radio: Take Action Now

After intense lobbying from the recording industry, the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) ignored a massive public outcry and ruled to dramatically increase the rates webcasters must pay every time they stream a song. These draconian rules will shut down many noncommercial and independent Internet radio outlets, leaving the Web with the same cookie-cutter music formats that have destroyed commercial broadcast radio.

Independent musicians, independent labels, webcasters, media reformers and thousands of Internet radio listeners have joined forces with members of Congress to reverse this bad decision. The bipartisan "Internet Radio Equality Act of 2007" has been introduced in the House by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.) and in the Senate by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Sam Brownback (R-Kan.). The legislation would reverse the CRB decision in favor of a balanced structure that supports artists without putting webcasters out of business.

Musicians must be compensated for their work. But the new regulations would silence many outlets that play independent artists and musical genres that just can't be found on the radio dial. And nonprofit NPR, Pacifica and community radio stations would be forced to take down most of their online musical programming for fear of unmanageable royalty fees.

The bills introduced in the House and Senate would allow artists and musicians to thrive on Internet radio. Industry-wide consolidation has destroyed musical diversity on commercial broadcast radio. We must not let this happen to the Internet.

Onward,
Frannie Wellings, Associate Policy Director
Free Press, www.freepress.net

P.S. You can click here to join our email list and become a Free Press activist.

Happy Springtime (Bush Is Over)

Music video presented by JTMP.org and performed by Op-Critical featuring the Harmonic Angels. Please see BushIsOver.org , www.A28.org, and AfterDowningStreet.org to be a part of this rebirth movement.

Iraq Coalition CasualtiesIraq Casualty Count: U.S. Troop Deaths 3,333 (85 this month). U.S. Non-Mortal Casualties 26,188. Untold Iraqi Security Force and Civilian Wounded and Dead. War in Iraq Costs: $420,320,000,000 and counting.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich has introduced articles of impeachment against Cheney. Learn more.

A28 impeachment events everywhere on Saturday. Find one near you: https://www.a28.org

Also visit: https://www.impeach07.org

Impeachment Put on Table at Capitol Today
Submitted by davidswanson on Wed, 2007-04-25 23:15.

At noon today a distinguished group of public elected officials, prominent voices of conscience, actors and artists, and military families gathered in front of the U.S. Capitol to call for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

With debate sharpening between Congress and administration over including withdrawal dates from Iraq in the Supplemental Spending Bill, today's press conference continued the growing momentum against the Bush Administration. Dennis Kucinich, having filed an impeachment resolution Tuesday against Vice President Cheney appeared at today's press conference and said that yesterday the press said he was alone in calling for impeachment. Today standing together with the 100 of us gathered in front of the Capitol, he declared that he is not alone, he is standing with the people for impeachment.

Among today's speakers were Mayor Rocky Anderson (Salt Lake City); Pultizer Prize winning journalist Chris Hedges; Daniel Ellsberg; Cindy Sheehan; World Can't Wait Director, Debra Sweet; The Nation correspondent, John Nichols; co-founder of Afterdowningstreet.org, David Swanson; and Washington State legislator, Eric Oemig.

Several speakers brought out the full array of crimes of the Bush Administration. Chris Hedges said: "The President is guilty, in short, of what in legal circles is known as the "crime of aggression." And, if we as citizens do not hold him accountable for these crimes, if we do not begin the process of impeachment, we will be complicit in the codification of a new world order, one that will have terrifying consequences."

Fragile: Earth Day 2007

Above image courtesy of the Image Science & Analysis Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center, AS17-148-22727, from https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov.

"'If people can see Earth from up here, see it without those borders, see it without any differences in race or religion, they would have a completely different perspective. Because when you see it from that angle, you cannot think of your home or your country. All you can see is one Earth...."'

--Anousheh Ansari, Iranian-American space tourist who flew last year to the international space station.

Many are trading their inefficient incandescent light bulbs for energy saving fluorescent bulbs these days. Let's hope we can also trade this dim bulb for one that lights the way to change:

Finally, here's something Sting performed in honor of 9-11 right after it occurred, but I think it could apply to most things happening on the Earth right now, the lives being lived (and those ending) on the planet and maybe even the planet itself. How fragile we are ....

Indigo Girls Shiprock & Flagstaff Concerts to Benefit Fight Against Desert Rock Power Plant

Click on image for larger version or click for PDF of flyer

Honor the Earth and Indigo Girls in the Southwest
There is a great deal of amazing energy justice organizing happening in Native communities in the Southwest. We are excited to announce two benefit shows in Shiprock, New Mexico and Flagstaff, Arizona this May, supporting the efforts of the Desert Rock blockade and the Just Transition Coalition. For more information on Honor the Earth, please check out www.honorearth.org.

05.21.07 - Shiprock, New Mexico

05.22.07 - Flagstaff, Arizona

Honor the Earth Concert in Shiprock Calls for Safe Energy on Native Lands
On Monday night, May 21st, the Grammy Award winning folk-rock duo, Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers), will take the stage at the Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center in Shiprock for a special night of music with a message. The concert, entitled Honor the Earth, is a benefit designed to lend support to grassroots Native groups working to stop the Desert Rock coal plant and herald in a new, safe energy economy, one based on the vast renewable energy potential of Native lands.

The Indigo Girls - Honor the Earth concert will start at 7:00 PM, with doors at 6:00 PM. The acclaimed Hopi reggae band Casper will open the show. Tickets are on sale at the Phil Thomas Performing Arts Center and the Shiprock Trading Center in Shiprock, at Hastings in Farmington, and at Maria's Bookstore in Durango, CO. To charge by phone, call 505.368.2490. Ticket prices range from $20.00 to $30.00.

“The heroic struggle of the Navajo people against coal and uranium mining and for a new, safe energy economy offers a vital and positive vision for all of Indian country, and all of America,” said Winona LaDuke, Executive Director of the national Native environmental group Honor the Earth, which is sponsoring the concert.

“Honor the Earth has worked for decades to support communities protecting their land, water, air and future generations. With this benefit concert, we will continue to stand with the people of Dine Bii Kaya,” stated LaDuke. “Energy does not have to come at the expense of a people’s ecosystem and culture.”

Navajo communities in the Four Corners area have been at a stand off with Sithe Global Power and the Dine Power Authority over the construction of Desert Rock, a 1,500 megawatt minemouth, coal fired power plant that would cost 2.2 billion dollars to build and sit on 580 acres about 30 miles southwest of Farmington.

At a time when tribes, cities, states and nations are working to curb greenhouse gas emissions, the Desert Rock plant would increase them. CO2 emissions from Desert Rock will amount to 10 million metric tons a year, effectively canceling any gains from Governor Bill Richardson’s Executive Order calling for a reduction of 10.5 million metric tons of carbon per year by 2012.

In fact, if Desert Rock becomes operational, it will push the Four Corners area over Federal EPA air quality standards. Asthma, other respiratory diseases and cancers are already rampant in the communities due to toxins spewed by existing power plants, mines, delivery systems and oil and gas wells; a new plant would only add to these adverse impacts.

“It is blatant environmental racism and injustice when you place a third Power Plant in an impoverished community with little or no access to healthcare,” said Lori Goodman of Dine CARE. “For our elders and future generations, we vow to fight this intrusion upon our people's health and way of life.”

The Honor the Earth Indigo Girls concert will not only draw attention to stopping new coal facilities, but also address the overarching issue of global climate change and the urgent need to transition away from an economy based on fossil fuels to one based on renewable energy, like wind and solar power. “We're seeing a change,” said Winona LaDuke, referring to her long term work on energy policy. “People are continuing to say that they want to protect their generations from toxins, but they are also demanding that we all take steps to avert climate collapse.”

The most abundant solar resources in America are in the southwestern states. According to EPA scientists, sufficient solar energy falls in the southwest to provide all of the nation’s electricity at current consumption levels. New photovoltaic technologies, such as concentrated solar power plants, can now produce electricity at a cost competitive to coal, and solar panels produce no CO2 and other pollutants when generating electricity. Such data highlights that Native people’s call for the creation of a renewable energy economy is more than visionary – it is doable.

Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls discussed Honor the Earth’s support for such visionary grassroots action by stating, “We stand in solidarity with Native communities who are fighting toxic and climate changing fossil fuel-based energy on their land. Shifting the current U.S. energy paradigm toward renewable sources is the hope for our future as we come to fully respect and implement the rights of people to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and protect the environment for future generations."

Second Show in Flagstaff May 22
Indigo Girls will perform a second show May 22 in Flagstaff, at the Pine Mountain Amphitheater. The two shows will benefit Operation Desert Rock, Dooda Desert Rock, Diné CARE and the Just Transition Coalition.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
HONOR THE EARTH 612-879-7529 or honorearth@earthlink.net
FOR TALENT INTERVIEWS:
BECKY BODONYI 404-377-9900 or becky@rcam.com

Editor's Note: The Indigo Girls, along with Richie Havens, will also perform at the Santa Fe Opera at 6:30 PM on May 17, billed as  Building a Culture of Peace: A World Peace Concert Event. Click for ticket information. Click for information on the itself, to be held in Santa Fe May 16-17, 2007.

Win, Al, Win; Run, Al, Run

UPDATE: An Inconvenient Truth won best documentary, and Melissa's song for the film also got an Oscar. Think Progress has video of all the Gore moments from Oscar night.
************

I'm pulling for Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth to win the Oscar tonight in the documentary category. The film's director, Davis Guggenheim, has said he'll bring President-In-Exile Al Gore up on stage to say a few words if they win. Melissa Etheridge's song from the movie, I Need to Wake Up (above), is also up for an Oscar in the song category and she'll be performing it tonight at the broadcast. Here's the official website for the 79th Academy Awards, which will be hosted by Ellen DeGeneris this year (6:00 PM Mountain, ABC).

Then there's Jimmy Carter, who endorsed Gore for president today during an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's This Week:

Carter lavished praise on "(his) favorite Democrat) former Vice President Al Gore. "If Al should decide to run -- which I'm afraid he won't -- I would support Al Gore."

"His burning issue now is global warming and preventing it.  He can do infinitely more to accomplish that goal as in the incumbent in the White House, than he can making even movies that get -- you know, that get Oscars."

... Despite public pressure from Carter and others, the former President does not believe Gore will make a second bid for the White House saying, "I don't think he will.  I've put so much pressure on Al to run that he's almost gotten aggravated with me."

Carter told Stephanopoulos that he had not called Gore "lately" adding, "He almost told me, the last time I talked, 'Don't call me anymore.'"

... "I really have not expressed any public approval or endorsement or preference for any of the Democratic candidates except (Gore)."

If you haven't yet read it, do check out Run, Al, Run by Tim Dickinson in a recent Rolling Stone.

And, if you haven't yet seen An Inconvenient Truth, you can get a free DVD of the film at Share the Truth. If you've already seen it, you can also make a donation there to cover the costs for someone else to see it via the free DVD offer.

You can view a video of the entire slide show put together by Gore, upon which the film is based, by visiting Climate Change Action.