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| Thread: What Al Gore REALLY said | |
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Peacemaker
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Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 07, 2003 05:51 PM |
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What Al Gore REALLY said
I've been meaning to get around to this for a long time. I hated it when they went after Clinton for smoking dope, I hated it when they tried to get Bush to acknowledge his past drug use. But the straw that broke the camel's back was when I saw an ancient peeling-around-the-edges piece of celluloid with Arnold taking a hit off a joint like some thirty-five years ago probably before he even had hair between his legs.
I don't care if they're Republicans, Democrats, demagogues or chimpanzees. If you're going to go after them for something, then let it be something relevant, not how many chickiepoo's knees they squeezed when they were in high school, whether they used to get high (which should disqualify just about my entire generation) or whether they said something they never really said.
BEWARE THE SPIN, MY YOUNG VOTING FRIENDS....
For example, the bloodthirsty Republicans (not to suggest only Republicans can be bloodthirsty), desperate apparently for just about anything with which to slander Gore, took up a simple phrase from an interview with Wolf Blitzer during the campaign in which he was uttering a list of causes he supported during his stents in the House, Senate, and White House.
So what was it that Al Gore really claimed about the internet????
Quote:
Al Gore "invented the Internet" - resources
by Seth Finkelstein
Transcript: Vice President Gore on CNN's 'Late Edition'
BLITZER: I want to get to some of the substance of domestic and international issues in a minute, but let's just wrap up a little bit of the politics right now.
Why should Democrats, looking at the Democratic nomination process, support you instead of Bill Bradley, a friend of yours, a former colleague in the Senate? What do you have to bring to this that he doesn't necessarily bring to this process?
GORE: Well, I will be offering -- I'll be offering my vision when my campaign begins. And it will be comprehensive and sweeping. And I hope that it will be compelling enough to draw people toward it. I feel that it will be.
But it will emerge from my dialogue with the American people. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system.
Note the word "invent" is nowhere to be found. Seeing the context of this statement in a string of other initiatives he supported while in Congress reveals just how desperate that Republican spin really was, and how utterly gullible the American public can be.
So, what did Al Gore really do to jusfity a claim that he "took the initiative" in the creation of the internet?
Vinton Cerf and Robert Kahn, two of the most influencial architects of the internet, responded to the tar-and-feathering of Gore that followed. Here is that response:
Quote:
Subject: IP: Al Gore's support of the Internet, by V.Cerf and B.Kahn [ I second this djf]
From: Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 08:29:48 -0400
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 17:43:58 -0400
From: vinton g. cerf <vcerf@MCI.NET>
To: Declan McCullaugh <declan@well.com>, farber@cis.upenn.edu
Cc: rkahn@cnri.reston.va.us
Subject: Al Gore and the Internet
Dave and Declan,
I am taking the liberty of sending to you both a brief
summary of Al Gore's Internet involvement, prepared by
Bob Kahn and me. As you know, there have been a seemingly
unending series of jokes chiding the vice president for
his assertion that he "took the initiative in creating
the Internet."
Bob and I believe that the vice president deserves significant
credit for his early recognition of the importance of what has
become the Internet.
I thought you might find this short summary of sufficient
interest to share it with Politech and the IP lists, respectively.
==============================================================
Al Gore and the Internet
By Robert Kahn and Vinton Cerf
Al Gore was the first political leader to recognize the importance of the
Internet and to promote and support its development.
No one person or even small group of persons exclusively "invented" the
Internet. It is the result of many years of ongoing collaboration among
people in government and the university community. But as the two people
who designed the basic architecture and the core protocols that make the
Internet work, we would like to acknowledge VP Gore's contributions as a
Congressman, Senator and as Vice President. No other elected official, to
our knowledge, has made a greater contribution over a longer period of time.
Last year the Vice President made a straightforward statement on his
role. He said: "During my service in the United States Congress I took the
initiative in creating the Internet." We don't think, as some people have
argued, that Gore intended to claim he "invented" the Internet. Moreover,
there is no question in our minds that while serving as Senator, Gore's
initiatives had a significant and beneficial effect on the still-evolving
Internet. The fact of the matter is that Gore was talking about and
promoting the Internet long before most people were listening. We feel it
is timely to offer our perspective.
As far back as the 1970s Congressman Gore promoted the idea of high speed
telecommunications as an engine for both economic growth and the
improvement of our educational system. He was the first elected official
to grasp the potential of computer communications to have a broader impact
than just improving the conduct of science and scholarship. Though easily
forgotten, now, at the time this was an unproven and controversial
concept. Our work on the Internet started in 1973 and was based on even
earlier work that took place in the mid-late 1960s. But the Internet, as we
know it today, was not deployed until 1983. When the Internet was still in
the early stages of its deployment, Congressman Gore provided intellectual
leadership by helping create the vision of the potential benefits of high
speed computing and communication. As an example, he sponsored hearings on
how advanced technologies might be put to use in areas like coordinating
the response of government agencies to natural disasters and other crises.
As a Senator in the 1980s Gore urged government agencies to consolidate
what at the time were several dozen different and unconnected networks into
an "Interagency Network." Working in a bi-partisan manner with officials
in Ronald Reagan and George Bush's administrations, Gore secured the
passage of the High Performance Computing and Communications Act in
1991. This "Gore Act" supported the National Research and Education
Network (NREN) initiative that became one of the major vehicles for the
spread of the Internet beyond the field of computer science.
As Vice President Gore promoted building the Internet both up and out, as
well as releasing the Internet from the control of the government agencies
that spawned it. He served as the major administration proponent for
continued investment in advanced computing and networking and private
sector initiatives such as Net Day. He was and is a strong proponent of
extending access to the network to schools and libraries. Today,
approximately 95% of our nation's schools are on the Internet. Gore
provided much-needed political support for the speedy privatization of the
Internet when the time arrived for it to become a commercially-driven
operation.
There are many factors that have contributed to the Internet's rapid growth
since the later 1980s, not the least of which has been political support
for its privatization and continued support for research in advanced
networking technology. No one in public life has been more intellectually
engaged in helping to create the climate for a thriving Internet than the
Vice President. Gore has been a clear champion of this effort, both in the
councils of government and with the public at large.
The Vice President deserves credit for his early recognition of the value
of high speed computing and communication and for his long-term and
consistent articulation of the potential value of the Internet to American
citizens and industry and, indeed, to the rest of the world.
Version 1.2
Word count: 709
=================================================================
WorldCom
22001 Loudoun County Parkway
Building F2, Room 4115, ATTN: Vint Cerf
Ashburn, VA 20147
Telephone (703) 886-1690
FAX (703) 886-0047
"INTERNET IS FOR EVERYONE!"
INET 2001: Internet Global Summit
5-8 June 2001
Sweden International Fairs
Stockholm, Sweden
http://www.isoc.org/inet2001
It is a common phrase for a government representative to use when (s)he says (s)he "takes the initiative in" something. To "take the initiative" in a topic is to support it, sponsor it, champion it, promote it, and/or vote for it.
Yet, some political analysts have commented that, as apparently indicated by a dive in Gore's popularity ratings after this little smear campaign, it could very well have been that one little thing that cost him those 14,000 votes it took to push the thing out of the the hands of the Florida tabulators and into the hands of the Supreme Court.
Just think about THAT one for a minute.
P.S. I did inhale. And Gore did take the initiative in creating the internet, clearly, from the above communication.
Guess neither of us will ever be president if stupid stuff like this prevents us from it.
____________
I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Delfontes
Known Hero
Sorcerer Extraordinaire
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posted November 07, 2003 08:32 PM |
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This was definitely interesting, 3 years ago.
Most people, at least that I knew, were aware it was out of context, and even aware of how much he had done for the "creation" of the internet.
Gore doesn't appear to have any current political aspirations, though truthfully I wish he did, so why bother bringing this up now? 
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 07, 2003 09:59 PM |
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Yes, I knew somebody would ask that question. I think it was seeing that thing about Schwartzenegger smoking pot in puberty that spurred my little tirade.
It's always a good lesson, though, to note how vicious and misleading politics can get.
And no, unfortunately, people were not aware of all this when it was happening. I am surrounded by conservative types who still reference this little incident as an example of how unreliable Gore would have been in the White House, how relieved they are he wasn't in charge of 9-11, etc. etc. etc.
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Delfontes
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Sorcerer Extraordinaire
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posted November 07, 2003 10:11 PM |
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Really? I just remember, within days of this story "breaking" people came to defend him.
Maybe it is because I'm in California, a democratic state. The people who would still use that comment against him are the same people who forward on chain mail without first verifying it's authenticity.
Schwartzenegger is a different story though, as much as I like him (and voted for him), I do have to admit he has done some crazy things. Smoking pot on camera in the 70's, when he was already an Icon in the body building world, was one of them. I don't know what picture you saw, but he was still smoking publicly when people were looking up to him and he should have known better.
He also had a tendancy to grope people without being asked to, again more power to him if he could get away with it... and back then it seems it was an easier thing to pull off.
I don't think it is right for people to bring stuff up from 20+ years ago, but some people care, and the news media is just another network show that cares about ratings.
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bjorn190
Responsible
Supreme Hero
Jebus maker
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posted November 07, 2003 10:27 PM |
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Do you guys have any idea how different the world would be if Al Gore had won the election?
A guy that for over 30 years have seen the internet as the future, and cares about other nations and trade..
And instead, the americans chose to put up a babymonkey-looking nepotism marionette for the oilcompanies that starts a few wars and tears up the agreement against pollution. Then they put an action actor as governor.
.. only in america
U know, if u foos keep going at it this way the world will be totally trashed. Fight fire with fire - and you end up with ashes. Vote for fictional characters - and you end up ignoring the fixes to real world problems.
Wassup with dat?
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 07, 2003 10:31 PM |
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(Schwartzenegger's name corrected in the above post after seeing it spelled correctly by one of his constituents)
Yes Delfontes, perhaps I exaggerated a bit. But I agree that the media thrives on yellow press about totally irrelevant stuff to an individual's powers of governance. I will stand by my original defense -- of all of them -- for the same reasons as I already stated. Not that it appears to me that you disagree or anything. I think you're basically saying the same thing.
(I'm not one for the illegalization of Marijuana by the way and I'm sure it shows in my ire about this stuff.)
Thanks for the feedback!!!!!
____________
I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 07, 2003 10:34 PM |
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Bjorn -- you go dude. I don't necessarily agree with mocking the president, but am wholheartedly in agreement with your general sentiment of "fight fire with fire and you end up with ashes."
When watching the debates betwen Gore and Bush I used to have nightmarish visions of their IQ's popping up at the bottom of the screen every time one of them would speak --
Gore: 145
Bush: 99
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Delfontes
Known Hero
Sorcerer Extraordinaire
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posted November 07, 2003 10:37 PM |
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Doh, I just went and looked it up...
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Pretty sure you weren't making fun of me, but I realise his name is a witch to spell, and thought it would be cool if I was lucky enough to get it right... and I wasn't.
As for him being a Fictional Character... well, my governor could beat up your governor.
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Wolfman
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Insomniac
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posted November 08, 2003 01:37 AM |
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Interesting stuff there, Peacemaker. I don’t bash Gore because of the whole Internet fiasco, but I still don’t like him.
Quote:
how relieved they are he wasn't in charge of 9-11, etc. etc. etc.
I am relieved, I don’t think he would have pushed for the revenge that so many Americans wanted after 9/11.
Quote:
And instead, the americans chose to put up a babymonkey-looking nepotism marionette for the oilcompanies that starts a few wars and tears up the agreement against pollution. Then they put an action actor as governor.
.. only in America
“babymonkey-looking nepotism marionette for the oilcompanies”? That’s a little uncalled for, don’t you think? That’s just rude, do democrats always attack people on how they look? Paul Begala on “Crossfire” today labeled a congresswoman from Florida, that happens to be a Republican, as Cruella De Vil from the Disney movie, “101 Dalmatians”. That’s just rude too.
And Ronald Reagan in the ‘80’s, he was an actor. And one of the best presidents of the 20th century.
Quote:
Gore: 145
Bush: 99
Again, just rude. You don’t need to be an intelligent person to run the U.S., just look at Clinton! Yes, I know, I should practice what I preach,and not “fight fire with fire”. But right now my fingers are getting cold typing all this, and I need to warm them up. 
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hamsi128
Promising
Supreme Hero
tosser tavern owner
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posted November 08, 2003 01:26 PM |
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the most disppointing thing is that a nation where the sun never goes down for centuries play puppet role ... i think blair is more dangereous then bush , at least we know how is bush but i still try to recognise blair the master of minions
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 08, 2003 07:37 PM |
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Wolfman -- LOL!!! People would be shocked to learn what a big fan I am of yours despite that we seldom agree. I really was alarmed by Bush's intellect at first. This was simply my impression. I also do not believe in simply insulting people, and want you to know that was not my intent.
Unfortunately he has done several things which in my mind have confirmed my fears. We could probably start a whole nother thread on things I am talking about, but popping off with a "crusade" against terrorist Muslims during a State-of the-Union address is just one example of many things that continue to alarm me. I remain concerned that he pushed the cabinet into a war with Iraq prematurely and without having a secure exit plan. Basically I think he is a good man, just lacking in some very important information. You are lightyears ahead of him my young friend, and as Republicans go, I'd feel more comfortable with you in the Office than him.
On being insulting and rude -- I just want to point out to you that Rush, the conservative icon of whom you are so fond, drove people like me away long ago because of his rude, insulting demeanor. So that stuff cuts both ways. Personally I don't care who does it, I just think they should not.
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Wolfman
Responsible
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Insomniac
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posted November 14, 2003 04:30 AM |
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Quote:
Wolfman -- LOL!!! People would be shocked to learn what a big fan I am of yours despite that we seldom agree.
A big fan? What am I, a celebrity?
Seriously, I am very surprised how upbeat most of your posts are. It always sounds like you just took a shower after being outside for a whole week working around and on horses all day long with only two shirts to wear, at least I was upbeat when that happened to me…anyway…
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You are lightyears ahead of him my young friend,
Yeah, well, I don’t like to brag…
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and as Republicans go, I'd feel more comfortable with you in the Office than him.
So would I, but that is not important now, maybe someday…
Quote:
On being insulting and rude -- I just want to point out to you that Rush, the conservative icon of whom you are so fond, drove people like me away long ago because of his rude, insulting demeanor. So that stuff cuts both ways. Personally I don't care who does it, I just think they should not.
I like him because he does that, few with his level of intellect do that. You really should read Bill O’Reilly’s new book, “Who’s Looking Out For You?” It is a very interesting book. I think you would enjoy it, no matter what others here will say.
But that’s enough for now…
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 15, 2003 04:22 PM |
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Quote:
It always sounds like you just took a shower after being outside for a whole week working around and on horses all day long with only two shirts to wear, at least I was upbeat when that happened to me…anyway…
Well, not always, at least not lately.... LOL!!!
Still it's nice to be perceived that way by someone who reads my posts.
But I must ask, what have you been up to with the horses scene???
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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Wolfman
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posted November 15, 2003 09:00 PM |
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That's what I did for seven weeks this summer. I worked as a wrangler at a Boy Scout Camp. Smelly beasts, those horses...can't wait 'til next summer!
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Peacemaker
Honorable
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Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 15, 2003 09:19 PM |
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KEWL! You go dude. Young Republicans need a good role model!!! (Like everybody else)
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Wolfman
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posted November 15, 2003 09:43 PM |
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Yeah.
Back on, somewhat, topic:
Is this his good side? Is he puckering up for Tipper? I always think it's funny when photographers take pictures of people in mid-word, it looks so silly. 
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Peacemaker
Honorable
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Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 15, 2003 10:18 PM |
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LOL!!!
What's that they say about turnabout?
(But Wolfman, you're usually above it you know)
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Wolfman
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posted November 15, 2003 10:26 PM |
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Turnabout? It is a funny picture, it doesn't matter who it is.
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Peacemaker
Honorable
Supreme Hero
Peacemaker = double entendre
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posted November 15, 2003 11:09 PM |
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YUP!!!!
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I have menopause and a handgun. Any questions?
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