Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

In the latest attack on Al Gore, right wing bloggers have seized upon yet another opportunity to accuse the former Vice President and presidential candidate of hypocrisy when, at his daughter's wedding rehearsal dinner, over-fished and illegally fished Chilean Sea Bass was served on the menu.

Daily Mail - Eco-warrior Al Gore serves up endangered fish at daughter's party

Only a week after Live Earth, eco-warrior Al Gore didn't do much for his green credentials when he shocked fellow environmentalists by serving up an endangered fish at his daughter's wedding rehearsal dinner.

The former US vicepresident provided 75 guests with Chilean sea bass - one of the world's most threatened fish species.

...

Also known as Patagonian toothfish, the species is under huge pressure from illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities in the Southern Ocean, jeopardising the sustainability of remaining stocks.

It is known as one of the world's most endangered species of fish. Evidently a fact not known by the Gores.

...

The gaffe will have been even more embarrassing for the Gores because they tried to make the wedding between Sarah Gore and businessman Bill Lee - who met at a function for An Inconvenient Truth - as green as possible.

Of course, the last time I checked, conservatives weren't really the party of conservation. I'm always hearing them complain about how because of those "greeny save the earth style" liberals, we can't drill for oil in Alaska or can't disrupt maritime marshes on the Gulf to allow for increased oil exploration and drilling or housing construction because it could upset the delicate balance of the environment and it's available species of distinct and unique species of animals.

So here's something conservatives can do, right now, if they really care about the fate of the Chilean Sea Bass, as well as conservation at large. Since they're so very good at organizing and coordinating smear campaigns against people for their own personal actions, perhaps they'd like to start a grassroots campaign to raise awareness to the threat to Chilean Sea Bass posed by overfishing and illegal fishing.

Take Action!

Today, Chilean Sea Bass are being seriously over-fished, largely by pirate fishing fleets. Scientists have been monitoring the decline for several years. International laws exist to protect the species from over-fishing, but these laws are ineffective and hard to enforce. Unless demand for the fish declines, estimates suggest that it may be commercially extinct within five years.

Do your part! Don't order Chilean Sea Bass in restaurants or shops. But first, sign the pledge below -- every voice counts.

Full Petition Text:

Whereas,

Chilean sea bass (Toothfish) may be commercially extinct within five years at the current rate of illegal fishing;

60% of Chilean sea bass sold on the international market is illegally obtained.

Between 1996 and 1999, 330,000 seabirds, including endangered species of albatross, were killed as they dove for the bait set for Toothfish, becoming hooked and drowned.

The restaurant industry accounts for 70% of all Toothfish sales in the United States.

Therefore, I will join consumers across the nation to "Take a Pass on Chilean Sea Bass" and will not order Chilean sea bass from the menus in any restaurant or buy it in a store until a scientifically reliable estimate of the population has been compiled, illegal fishing for it is eliminated and vessels hunting Chilean sea bass stop catching endangered seabirds on the fishing lines.
Signed by:
[Your name]
[Your address]

There's a petition that can be signed on that page as well.

My thought, however, was that if enough conservatives clammor together to raise awareness about this important issue, they can begin posting and cross-posting (like they do with smear campaigns) about this important issue, raise money, start ad campaigns, and perhaps even motivate Congress to take serious action on this front.

Who knows--perhaps if they generate enough noise about this worthy cause, even Matt Drudge will pick up on the story and run it as lead Monday morning.

•  Save The Chilean Sea Bass Tip Jar

  

  by Stand Strong on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 05:59:41 AM PDT

  •  This latest Gore smear has been fully debunked

    The fish at the rehearsal dinner came...

    "from one of the world's few well-managed, sustainable populations of toothfish, and caught and documented in compliance with Marine Stewardship Council regulations." Reported By Catherine Elsworth in Al Gore's fish dinner turns out green

    .

    Furthermore, the rehearsal dinner was hosted by the groom's family

    The Gores, she says, took great steps to make sure that Sarah Gore had a "Green wedding." "Unfortunately," she added, "the Chilean Sea Bass turned up at the rehearsal dinner where the Gores were just guests," the dinner having been hosted by the groom's family. See More on the Fish story.

    Therefore the story has been summarily debunked. It's time for retractions and apologies from all those that jumped the gun to smear Gore happily on this nonsense.

    Gore's staff handled rebuffing this smear fairly well. A B+ from me. Faster response time would be more effective.

    It's time for us to go around unspinning the smear whereever we find it. Readers, please bookmark my comment and the two links, and whenever/whereever you come across this Gore smear, please post a response as a comment or call in to set the record straight if you see the smear on TV. Thanks.

    by NeuvoLiberal on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 06:55:11 AM PDT

    •  I know

      which is what makes it even that much more valuable.

      Here are conservatives, rallying not only against Al Gore, but also against his eating of an endangered fish! The story wouldn't have any teeth whatsoever if there wasn't an angle they thought they could exploit. And by exploiting it, they put up a false sense that they actually care about the basis of the story--the plight of the Chilean Sea Bass.

      But holding them accountable, they either put up or shut up, plain and simple.

      by Stand Strong on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 07:30:53 AM PDT

      •  the fish is NOT endangered, FYI.

        i'll give more links later, if you want, but here is one: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/...

        "The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)—a London-based nonprofit that certifies fish from sustainable, monitored fisheries—has given its OK to Patagonian toothfish caught in one fishery."

        And, note that "Catherine Elsworth" mentioned MSC regulations in her response that i posted above.

        by NeuvoLiberal on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 08:38:57 AM PDT

        •  I know.

          But that's not even the point I was making.

          by Stand Strong on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 09:39:11 AM PDT

•  GOP, the party of nit-pickery. n/t

  by daulton on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 06:25:52 AM PDT

  •  If they're so damn concerned about what they see

    as Gore's travesty against the environment, surely they would take their own action to prove how wrong he is and how right they are, right? That would seem to be the logical move.

    I'm not counting my chickens, however.

    by Stand Strong on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 06:27:55 AM PDT

    •  Logic is not their forte

      Example:

      • The media is left-wing.
      • The fairness doctrine is censorship.

      Really? If the media is so unfair to them, why are they against fairness? Gosh, they really are so altruistic.

      (And the Fairness Doctrine is a red herring anyway. Media ownership is the real issue.)

      by daulton on Sat Jul 21, 2007 at 06:42:22 AM PDT