March 31, 2007

Inhofe Wreaks Revenge on Gore, the Earth, Sane People, and Music Lovers Everywhere

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Al Gore’s Live Earth concert—performances on seven continents slated for 7/7/07—has been thwarted by none other than the Interior Department. The department refused to grant organizers a permit to host part of the worldwide event on Capitol Hill, claiming that they would not be able to provide enough portapotties. Maybe those reading the application glanced right over the Gore letterhead it was on? Or then again, maybe that’s all they saw, given Bush’s painstaking efforts to politicize every bureaucratic office in the government.

Gore, who’s still got a few connections, headed over to Congress to try to get a resolution that would allow the event to go ahead. Rejected by Senator James Inhofe, climate-change denier and one seriously vindictive dude! Inhofe threw a hissy fit, calling the event partisan (and therefore inappropriate for the Capitol?), though Gore has said climate change isn’t a partisan issue but a moral issue, and the resolution he sought was co-sponsored by Republican Olympia Snow.

It’s not like Inhofe is confronting a radical proposal to stop climate change. We’re talking about a rock concert, for Christ’s sake. When will somebody put Inhofe in a rubber room and let the rest of us get on with the baby steps toward sanity we’re finally taking with regard to climate change?

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We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

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