A Report from the Heartland...VERY encouraging.

[Greybnk48]

Two things happened yesterday that blew me away.

My husband and I went to our local county fair yesterday in NE Wisconsin. It's held in a small town near us and is in an area that has been and is staunchly conservative (in the old fashioned sense, not neocon). The first thing we saw driving into town was a bumper sticker on a young girl's car that read "Sorry I missed Church, I was busy practicing Witchcraft and becoming a Lesbian." LOL. I commented that I thought that sticker was almost dangerous in this area and admired her guts.

When we got to the fair we were stopped immediately in the parking lot by a woman in her sixties (my husband wasn't even out the door yet). She commented on his bumper sticker "Rich man's war, poor man's blood" with the total of casualties underneath. She said "Aint it the truth" and just went off. Her grandson is in Iraq for the THIRD time, coming home in August. A few other people stopped to listen to us, and no one disagreed. They were ALL pissed. Inside the grounds we also overheard a group of people talking about how the troops had to be brought home NOW. When we walked by another person joined the group discussion, which from what I heard was all onesided, anti-war. These were all locals who knew each other and one Carny worker. It was awesome.

We left there in the early evening and drove back to town to see Al Gore's movie, picking up my 81 y/o M.I.L on the way. The movie pissed me off so badly I almost didn't enjoy it. But the reaction afterward was very cool. There were about 30 people there, not surprising since it was "supper time" in our area. There was hearty applause at the end, something that rarely happens (we're Mid-Westerners) and a spontaneous discussion. I suggested that the movie be mandatory for all Jr. High and High School students in WI. Everyone agreed so I'm going to see about that; not sure where to start. But the response to the movie in general was anger, anger, anger. People were stoked. Only one person left before the credits and suggestions about what we can do about the crisis. All others wanted to talk, it was great.

[iamjoy]

1. Inconvenient Truth Should Be Required

but so should a movie that disputes global warming. Let people have the facts to make up their own minds.

The movies should be required for our elected officials, too.

[ananda]

4. ermm

One problem. A movie disputing gw wouldn't be factual.

[jwirr]

7. The challenge of good education is for a teacher to ask the

students to investigate the facts after seeing the movie. I learned to love history by reading a book and then researching the facts.

[iamjoy]

9. Worst Case Scenarios

that was the movie's focus. And they are based on projections. There are other scenarios, aren't there?

Anyway, don't know if you consider them scientists or not, but many meteorologists are skeptical on global warming.

Hey, humans are at least partially responsible for global climate change and it could have disastrous consequences. If anything, we should err on the side of caution. We have so little to lose if we act as if it is real and it turns out not to be. In contrast, we have a lot to lose if we ignore the threat and it turns out to be real.

Al Gore sort of shot himself in the foot by politicizing the film. It allows people to become distracted from the scientific message and gives some credibility to "the other side's" claims that they should have a chance to share their views.

[Greybnk48]

6. As Al Gore says in his movie

there is no dispute among the learned. The tactic that there are two sides to this story is pure bullshit. This is the same tactic the tobacco industry used to claim cigarettes were not harmful, and they got Drs. to recommend certain cigarettes. There is no other side of the story. Period.

[iamjoy]

10. He Didn't Count Meteorologists

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=1640314&mesg_id=1644728

[BOSSHOG]

2. One of the best bumper stickers I've seen

was on an old beat up pick up truck on Interstate 59 in South Missisippi about a year ago:

"He's been dead for more than 2,000 years, get over it"

Your idea about Gore's movie is an outstanding one, however you'll be opposed by those who choose not to have our children exposed to the truth. You know, republicans and conservatives and the religiously insane.

[Greybnk48]

5. Yes and the insanity is rampant here

we have several mega Churches cranking out vacant eyed zealots. But I refuse to roll over.

[Warpy]

3. I hear the same thing here in flyover country (NM)

People are ANGRY at the way this administration has bungled things. However, if you keep listening to them long enough, you'll discover that they're equally angry at Congress, especially the Democrats they see (rightly or wrongly) as simply laying down and playing dead while Stupid has a bunch of rubber stamp neocons do his bidding.

Democrats in office are going to have to get off their fat asses and GO OUT AND GET ON THE AIR on their local stations. They are going to have to start talking about the ECONOMY and about the WAR. They are going to have to stop keeping a low profile and they're going to need to take some RISKS.

People aren't going to vote for Democrats just because a GOP president is bad. They have to be given a CHOICE, and ALTERNATIVE.

Runnning on business as usual is SUICIDE.

[Forrest Greene]

8. Just A Small Quibble

...about the often-expressed idea that the current administration has "bungled" things. Although certainly true, the phrasing seems to imply that the speaker regrets the bungling, not the things. That is, it can easily sound as if you wish they had done a better job of ignoring the Constitution, illegally invading a sovereign nation, raping the environment, & so on. This might not be what you were intending to express.