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The Truth Will Out

September 12, 2011 - Of all of the things that distress me about Republicans and their deliberate misuse of the English Language and of the truth, it is their lies of omission and their half-truths that upset me the most. After ten years, first of George W. Bush, and now of Eric Cantor and his ilk (aka the Tea Party), hearing the truth spoken by persons of influence is like filling my lungs with fresh, unpolluted air - I'd nearly forgotten how good it feels. That's why I'm looking forward to Wednesday night, October 15. Al Gore's latest contribution to the climate change discussion, called 24 Hours of Reality, will air, beginning at 7:00 pm EST. I will be watching (don't tell my boss), and I hope you will, too.

In order to bring about this landmark event, Gore founded and chairs the Climate Reality Project. The project, no doubt in large part because of its founder's celebrity, is sponsored by a large number of organizations, among them Georgia Climate Change Coalition, Greenpeace, the David Suzuki Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, Beautiful Israel, Native Energy, Rock the Vote, and the Natural Resource Defense Council. You can find more information about the project and presentation at www.climaterealityproject.org .

It's not just the problem of climate disruption that will be discussed. Solutions to this planet-altering cataclysm, which is even now unfolding, will also be given their due: "real solutions, systemic solutions, innovative solutions," according to the web site, will all be made known to an audience that could well run to scores of millions of people. The one hour program, 24 Hours of Reality, will be broadcast around the world for one entire day. Each broadcast location's unique environmental challenges will be made a part of the program.

For instance, New York City will be the location of the first hour's broadcast. The subtitle of NYC's page on the web site is "A megacity inching closer to sea level." The Big Apple has, in fact, already dealt with a 15 inch rise in sea level during the last 150 years. Worse still lies ahead: forecasters predict that by mid-21st century, the ocean may have risen as much as another 29 inches. The predicaments faced by such diverse cities as Boulder, Illulissat, Mexico City, Tonga, Islamabad, and Rio de Janeiro - among others - will also be highlighted.

So if double-talk has lost its luster, you should watch. If facts that serve merely as a facade for a hidden agenda no longer appeal to you, you should watch. If hopelessness isn't the answer you seek, you should watch. Listen and learn if you care about our wonderful home. Climate change is only the most serious challenge humankind has ever faced. This program offers us a way to solve our common problem together. There is , actually, no other way to do it.

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