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Visionaires,<br><br>What Doug has posted below was included last week in Dale Courtney's odious blog, "Right-Mind," and in both cases the fact that the article is not true -- it's a satire, and not a very good one at that -- is not noted; it was simply lifted from another humor blog. I emailed Courtney to tell him that I think he is once again reckless in posting crap that many, if not most, of his readers think is true -- without the "hey folks, this is humor and entirely fictional" disclaimer that shouldn't be necessary but, sadly, is. He at least acknowledges on his site that he got it elsewhere, although he doesn't tell the reader it's a work of fiction from a humor site. I would hope at least a handful of savvy readers would check out the source, enjoy the chuckle, and forget about it, but I have my doubts. <br><br>Of course Dale didn't respond, and of course the "article" is still there, looking just enough like a serious news story that the uninformed, close-minded, naive and unthinkingly conservative reader will use it as a confirmation of why Al Gore is a bad, bad man and, worse, a terrible example of a head of household.<br><br>That Doug Farris has now posted it, with not even a reference to the blogsite from which it was originally printed as satire, tells me that either he is uninformed, close-minded, naive and unthinkingly conservative, or he is so impressed by Dale Courtney's finesse as a cultural commentator that he longs to follow in his footsteps. Either way, it's sad. Like the "Jewish conspiracy" satire Dale posted last month, this looks and sounds like the smoking gun that bigots and far right-wingers have been waiting for, and both men should be ashamed. I love -- and sometimes write -- sharp satire, but I don't hide it behind a cloak of legitimacy so that my less-analytical readers can use it to bolster their prejudices. Both Dale and Doug have every right to enjoy and share good satire, but both should not count on their buddies to discern satire from truth. <br><br>Because the fact that they applaud and support these culture warriors tells me that "discernment" is not a characteristic greatly in evidence by any of their pals. And on that, I speak entirely without satire, exaggeration, or humor.<br><br>keely<br><br><br><br><br><br><span style="font-style: italic;">"And these women that you spit on as they try to change their worlds/</span><br style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Are immune to your consultations . . . they're quite aware of what they're going through"</span><br>(With apologies to David Bowie)<br><br><br>> To: vision2020@moscow.com<br>> Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:49:00 -0400<br>> From: heirdoug@netscape.net<br>> Subject: [Vision2020] Gore Provides Surprising Reason for Son's Behavior<br>> <br>> Gore Provides Surprising Reason for Son's Behavior<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> BERKELEY, CA - By now we all know that Al Gore III, son of the former <br>> vice president, was arrested last week. Gore III was pulled over for <br>> driving about 100 mph. During the arrest, police officers found <br>> marijuana along with several other "medications."<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> The surprise this week is not that the former vice president is <br>> defending his son; the surprise is the reason he is giving for his <br>> son's behavior.<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> In a speech at Cal-Berkeley yesterday, Bill Clinton's number 2 said, <br>> "My son, Al III, has a very sensitive side, especially when it comes to <br>> the environment. You know how I feel about nature, but my son has taken <br>> it much farther. He has a deep desire to defend the Mother Goddess <br>> against all of those evil conservatives who want to destroy her."<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> At that point, the summer-school students who came to listen to Gore <br>> gave him a standing ovation and shouted, "Impeach Bush! Impeach Bush!"<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> Gore continued, "Last week my son hit a new low. He was just so <br>> depressed about the state of the environment. I could not cheer him up <br>> at all. Even the Live Earth concerts could not lift his spirits. My son <br>> told me, 'Dad, I just can't get past the problem with global warming. <br>> Our beautiful planet is going to die in less than 25 years due to <br>> global warming and there isn't anything we can do about it. If only you <br>> had won the election in 2000!' I reminded him that I actually did win, <br>> but was robbed in Florida. Anyway, my son was very upset."<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> After a dramatic pause, Gore summed up his son's behavior and arrest, <br>> "My boy was upset about global warming. The terror that is global <br>> warming was the cause of his arrest. He was so upset that he <br>> momentarily lost control of his emotions and began driving too fast. <br>> The medications he possessed were not enough to help alleviate his <br>> depression."<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> Gore concluded, "If we would spend less time focusing on sin as the <br>> cause of people's problems, and begin looking more closely at global <br>> warming, pollution, and the rapidly decreasing ozone layer, we could <br>> make some real progress in this country."<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> At the end of the speech, Gore took one question. We at TBNN were <br>> grateful to supply it. We asked, "If your son is so concerned about the <br>> environment and global warming, then why was he driving so fast, <br>> thereby consuming greater amounts of gasoline and expelling extra <br>> greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere?"<br>> <br>> <br>> <br>> Gore answered by simply saying, "Global warming was the cause of his <br>> arrest." He reportedly quickly departed to catch his private jet to a <br>> movie premier in Paris.<br>> ________________________________________________________________________<br>> Check Out the new free AIM(R) Mail -- Unlimited storage and <br>> industry-leading spam and email virus protection.<br>> <br>> =======================================================<br>> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br>> http://www.fsr.net <br>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> =======================================================<br><br /><hr />Local listings, incredible imagery, and driving directions - all in one place! <a href='http://maps.live.com/?wip=69&FORM=MGAC01' target='_new'>Find it!</a></body>
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