October 4, 2000

5:53 AM

Yeah, Nader couldn't get in, but...Did anyone read the bottom of this story?

Other protesters objected to Gore's relationship with Occidental Petroleum, which plans exploratory drilling a few miles outside the boundaries of a U'wa Indian tribe reserve in Colombia. The U'wa believe oil exploration will destroy their culture.

This, to me sounds pretty hypocritical of Gore. He bemoans Bush's ties to Oil, when he himself also has ties, and then complains about opening up the Wildlife preserve in Alaska. But hey, I guess other people's and countrie's rights don't matter when it comes to money, and it isn't in America.
posted by da5id (12 comments total)

Why am I totally not surprised? Personally I spent last night watching "Buffy" and "Angel" which had a hell of a lot better writing, humor and suspense than I'm sure the debates did.

I had my wife flip to the debate for about 30 seconds and saw Gore talking. All I could think was how insincere and fake he looked. Frankly, I don' even care about Bush anymore.
posted by bkdelong at 7:41 AM on October 4, 2000

Why didn't they let Nader stay in the alternate area, especially if he had a ticket? That bothers me more than lumping Nader in with the crazies and agendaholics, like the article does.
posted by chicobangs at 8:20 AM on October 4, 2000

Angel was on last night? Damn, and to think I wasted 40 minutes (about all I could stomach) watching the debate.

Oh well, at least I got to watch U-571, or at least 2/3rds of it... not a bad flick. Not Gladiator but not bad...
posted by da5id at 8:29 AM on October 4, 2000

activist link: The Rainforest Action Network's U'wa campaign

the horrific injustices done to indigenous people in the name of empire have never stopped -- they just dropped below your radar, so to speak.
posted by sudama at 8:44 AM on October 4, 2000

Does anyone else think it's a shame that Nader didn't continue to peacefully insist, and as a result, get himself arrested? Think of the press!
posted by frykitty at 9:01 AM on October 4, 2000

Thanks for the link sudama... really interesting reading.

Funny how hardly never gets mentioned in the press, yet Dubya's ties with Oil are all over the place...

Oh well.
posted by da5id at 9:01 AM on October 4, 2000

I think Nader should have gathered up his supporters and sat down. What right did they have to keep him out??? What kinda jurisdiction does the Election Commision have? None as far as I am aware... Since when did they become a Law-enforcement entity???

I am tired of the 2-party stranglehold. It is time for the Reps and Dems allow others into thier party.
posted by da5id at 9:03 AM on October 4, 2000

da5id -- if you're looking for stories like this and not finding them, then you follow the wrong press.

listen to democracy now for a pretty devastating dose of reality each morning.
posted by sudama at 9:17 AM on October 4, 2000

That's because Gore's link to Occidental is more tenuous--he's the beneficiary of a family trust fund that invests in Occidental. Bush was an oil executive. Difference of degrees.
posted by shylock at 10:14 AM on October 4, 2000

Why don't I ever see this kind of stuff outside of the Nader camp, he/they have mention this many times. It salways some 19 year old with a Nader sign is informing the mainstream media about the shit they should be looking up for themselves. Instead we get a spectacle of hot-button issues (abortion etc) that take up way too much time and make it nice and easy for the politicos to avoid any real criticism, especially on their record of promises vs. actual doing.
posted by skallas at 10:24 AM on October 4, 2000

Gore's link may be tenous, but it is a link non-the-less. Both are linked by money, and both have interest in oil due to this money.

If Gore is so against Oil, then instead of accepting the money from the trust, why not refuse it, or give it to a charity or enviromental group.
posted by da5id at 10:31 AM on October 4, 2000

Gore isn't against oil companies, per se. He's against giving them the right to drill for oil in protected environmental reserves in the U.S. The oil companies are against Gore because he wants to fund research into alternative and renewable energy sources, which will cut into petroleum profits at home and abroad.
posted by shylock at 2:15 PM on October 4, 2000