Office of the Independent Blogger

Al Gore was in Australia this weekend and their Prime Minister, John Howard, refused to meet him, criticizing his movie and his person by taking the stance that he doesn’t take advice from failed Presidential candidates or movies. Instead, he says he gets his information from his good friend The Crocodile Hunter. Or, he used to, before, you know.

Really, I’m appalled by his comments because Al Gore is more than a political figure, in terms of environmentalism, and Howard’s comments betray a narrow mind. The fact is, if someone has advice for you, especially if they’re experts in their field, you at least listen to it, and if it’s an international leader (even a former one), you especially listen to it. Put me on record as being in favor of listening to even your opponents, ingenious though that may be, and I’m not in favor of it because it can be used as a political powerplay. I’m in favor of it because everyone is capable of a good idea. Which is to say, there’s nothing wrong with Howard consulting with the Crocodile Hunter or Nancy Reagan begging the Stars to save her husband from Iran-Contra, but it’s a good idea to talk to an environmentalist or a shrink every so often, too.

Everyone should be of the opinion that the lockbox of knowledge can be opened by anyone at anytime and that we should see who’s got the keys at any given moment.

Speaking of Al Gore: he’s in the news again, not just by alienating the Ancient and Most Noble Prime Minister, but for saying that he has not ruled out a second run for President. This is fabulous news in my blog — and, hey, this is my blog — because Gore is a strong candidate, probably our strongest. He’s smart, humorous, strong and principled, and this time around, nobody’s listening to Ralph Nader, Katherine Harris is locking herself out of her own home instead of him from the White House, and two now-ex Supreme Court members are gone. Al Gore ought to run again, and he’ll win, too.

There could be nothing better for the unification of this country than to have Al Gore march back into the White House, and there’s no man better suited for the job. A long long time ago, when I was younger, I used to tell people that Walt Disney should be President (back when I was young and stupid, as opposed to just young now, and before I knew that Walt Disney had been frozen so as to take over the world in the future), but now, oddly, instead of bringing people together, he and his company are a source of disillusionment and friction.

Guangdong factories producing merchandise for Walt Disney are still ill- treating their workers by underpaying them and making them overwork, according to a concern group.
A report released Sunday by the Hong Kong-based Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior, or SACOM, accused three factories in the province of gross violation of mainland labor laws and called for immediate action to halt the malpractices. It said the workers, besides being underpaid and forced to work overtime, were also not offered occupational insurance.

How some men can go through life without shame in their lockbox is beyond me. I suppose it’s okay because they’re Chinamen?

This entry was posted on Monday, September 11th, 2006 at 12:25 pm and is filed under Outside Retort (Current Affairs).