The Weekly Top Ten Is Back

It has been a few weeks but the PoliticsTV Top Ten is back. Here is your top ten political videos of the week:

Conservatives Protesting Live Earth

Get ready for a lesson in lunacy. Conservative activists (all 15 of them) descended upon the Live Earth event in Washington to protest for global warming. Apparently they like that our planet is getting hotter and the climate becoming more erratic. It seems our Al Gore haters don't pay attention to the devastating effects of this change. Whats a few islands being swallowed up by rising sea levels anyways (Not to mention stronger hurricanes, deathly heat waves, catastrophic floods and devastating droughts)?

The "Volunteer" Live Earth Experience

First of all, I must say that was one of the best concerts I've seen in a while. When The Police sang "S.O.S. to the World" and John Mayer and Kanye West came out to back them up, that was something I knew would never be seen again. Equally good was Roger Waters. Half the crowd got stoned when he came out (either first or second-hand) and played three amazing Pink Floyd classics. The music lasted from 2 to 10:30 pm, but my day started way before then.

I got up early to catch the train to Secaucus to make the 8am shuttle bus, but being that this is a liberal event, there was no shuttle until 8:45. Then the bus dropped us off on the other side of the Meadowlands, so the walk was a bit long. Finally we found the volunteer tent and I got to work.

Having credentials duty, I stayed put and helped people get setup to do their jobs. Handing out bracelets, water, meal tickets and I.D. badges doesn't sound so bad. But when you have hundreds of people streaming towards one line for A-M and my line for N-Z last names, it can be kind of hectic. Despite the 500 or so people processed between 9 and noon, it went rather quickly and efficiently.

The best part was meeting each person if even for a moment. People came from Portland, Oregon, Vermont, Massachusetts, Upstate NY, Pennsylvania, Long Island and beyond. There were all sorts of environmental shirts and flair. And on top of it all, the weather wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Before I knew it my shift was over and I wished that it wasn't over yet. But I picked myself up and went to the NJ state fair anyways. The food there was good and the rides looked tempting, but I was sad to see they still had 'freak' shows, isn't this 2007?

Time flew by again and I got a seat on the side of the stage on the 2nd level. The acts were all good save for Kelly Clarkson. From my vantage point I saw the teleprompter scrolling her lyrics as she sang. When she wasn't singing you wished she wasn't talking, she sounded like a complete airhead. Besides her act, I was glad to see everyone else. If I had to give a top three, it would be Dave Matthews, The Police and Roger Waters. With all of the music, drinking and inevitable drugs around the area, the event went smoothly and no one got hurt. It was a great, long day.

But the question is, will it do anything for climate change? In between acts celebrities came out and the loudspeaker told us ways to cut down on our carbon emissions. People pledged to shop at stores that were had more energy-efficient products and politicians like Al Gore and Robert Kennedy Jr. told us how things are going to be different with international treaties mandating reduced emissions from countries around the world.

Will that make a difference? Will nine concerts around the world on one day make people change overnight? Probably not, but it does increase awareness of the problem by taking the issue off of the back burner in people's minds. They key is to keep it front and center.

New Jersey Going Green

New Jersey hosting one of the Live Earth concerts at the Meadowlands today to bring attention to the problem of climate change. The mood must be festive out there already, because Governor Corzine was in an extremely green mood yesterday when he enacted laws to curb greenhouse gas emissions. New Jersey is only the second state in the nation behind California to take such monumental action. Al Gore couldn't have been happier.

From WCBS-TV:

"From now on when I give my slideshow around the world I'm gonna include New Jersey," Gore said. Under the law, the state will have until 2020 to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent, and until 2050 to cut emissions by 80 percent. Power plants will have to become more efficient and cars will have to spew less carbon dioxide into the air. "It is the strongest global warming cap in the country," said Suzanne Leta Liou of Environment New Jersey.

No one has really said how New Jersey will do this exactly, but at least there is groundwork to build on. Perhaps Corzine can take some pointers from New York City's PlaNYC that has dozens of climate-saving ideas. Not only should Jersey being getting pointers, they should be a part of a growing chorus that demands the federal government do something about climate change. Too bad the current resident at the White House isn't bothering to listen.

Bring On The Live Earth!

I know there are plenty of detractors out there who are calling this event inconsequential or even counter-productive for the environment. Despite their claims, the producers of the event are going to extraordinary lengths to make it a green event and raise awareness of the peril of our climate, all while having eight nine amazing concerts all in one day across the world. The surprise ninth event is going to be held on the National Mall down in Washington. Even if you don't have tickets, check it out free on the internet.

I am happy to say have already said that I'll be at the one outside NYC tomorrow. I was one of the lucky ones to volunteer in the morning so I can see the show in the afternoon. I'll be working the credentials area, so all of you media people be nice to the kid with the cane (still recovering from knee surgery unfortunately). If you are among the thousands headed out to Giants Stadium tomorrow, check out this handy Survival Guide from The North Jersey Record.

It is going to be a great time, but remember the mission. We all need to live on the planet in a more globally-conscious way. Make sure you take mass-transit to the event, stop using plastic bags at the market and think about eliminating your carbon footprint altogether.

Live Earth-New York Is In New Jersey

Live Earth is less than two days away and the complaints from New Jersey are already surfacing from the politicians across the Hudson. The concert is being billed as a New York event as it should be, despite the calls to rename it for the exact geographical location. I feel for the Garden State on this one, I really do.

I must say that I am honored to go out to the Meadowlands on Saturday. Somehow I got lucky enough to be a volunteer for the event. I'll have to wake up and get on a 7:14 AM train to Secaucus and then catch a bus to Giants Stadium to work my 9-12 shift. And I will love every minute being out there. Plus I'll blog about it afterwards, so stay tuned on Saturday night or Sunday morning for the details.

Nevertheless New York is the number one media market in the country. When you ask someone that doesn't live in the U.S. if they recognize either New Jersey or New York, they'll go with the latter. That is why it is Live Earth: New York. So please quit complaining.

Al Gore: Moving Beyond Kyoto

The United States isn't even close to meeting the goals set by the Kyoto treaty several years ago. Other industrialized nations around the world are beginning to move towards compliance of the Kyoto Protocols but in these urgent times we need to do better than that. Al Gore knows this and he wants America and the world to step it up a notch (or for Bush to step up at all).

From The New York Times (Opinion Section):

...To this end, we should demand that the United States join an international treaty within the next two years that cuts global warming pollution by 90 percent in developed countries and by more than half worldwide in time for the next generation to inherit a healthy Earth.

This treaty would mark a new effort. I am proud of my role during the Clinton administration in negotiating the Kyoto protocol. But I believe that the protocol has been so demonized in the United States that it probably cannot be ratified here — much in the way the Carter administration was prevented from winning ratification of an expanded strategic arms limitation treaty in 1979. Moreover, the negotiations will soon begin on a tougher climate treaty.

Therefore, just as President Reagan renamed and modified the SALT agreement (calling it Start), after belatedly recognizing the need for it, our next president must immediately focus on quickly concluding a new and even tougher climate change pact. We should aim to complete this global treaty by the end of 2009 — and not wait until 2012 as currently planned.

Al realizes that semantics are an important component to helping people realize the serious situation we face. Invoking the words of Reagan and Carter are also very good in helping to back up the point that this is a moral issue and not a political one. Read the whole piece here.