[SJ-24]

Sometimes its tough being GREEN! So Dr. Dave is full of shit as well....I wonder how much he pulls from his little cause each month for wages? I bet he writes off more crap than he is worth. Not a bad gig, taken right out of Liberal PlayBook I'd say!

$1:

The painful truth behind political activist David Suzuki's decision to drive a diesel bus across Canada, instead of using greener options that were available to him, is that he chose comfort and convenience over the environment.

I know a lot of Suzuki supporters don't like to hear that.

They don't want to know that their icon can be just as fallible as the rest of us and that he, too, sometimes chooses his own comfort and convenience over the environment.

The Suzuki-diesel-bus story -- now making national headlines -- has been an eye-opener for Canadians.

I've been flooded with e-mails from across the country during the past few days, mostly from people agreeing that Suzuki is a hypocrite to lecture us about carbon emissions when he's driving a diesel bus for his 40-city tour.

Our Sun Media on-line poll showed 71% of voters (out of 2,552) agreed Suzuki was being hypocritical.

But I also offended a very vocal minority of unconditional Suzuki supporters who were apoplectic that I would dare criticize their "national icon."

According to them, Suzuki has done so much good for the environment that we should cut him some slack when it comes to his diesel bus.

That would be fine if Suzuki weren't lecturing us ad nauseam about the need to make daily choices to reduce our carbon emissions, saying if we don't drastically change how we live, we're going to damage the Earth.

But he's not drastically changing how cross-country tours are done.

So he's full of it.

He had all kinds of options on what mode of transportation to use.

If he were practising what he preached, he would have chosen something much cleaner than a massive, diesel tour bus, which his own spokesman admitted was fancier than what they needed.

Suzuki could have chosen biodiesel, a smaller vehicle or a hybrid. Even country-music star Willy Nelson uses a biodiesel bus on his tours.

You can't tell people they have to make sacrifices like leaving their car at home more often and cycling, walking or taking transit to work, when you're not willing to make those sacrifices yourself.

Not if you want credibility, that is.

I think the Suzuki supporters were just more disappointed than anything else that their leader let them down -- that he's not the super environmentalist some make him out to be.

They think he's some kind of untouchable figure.

What they may not know about Suzuki, though, is that he's a hard-nosed political scrapper who does quite a bit of mudslinging himself.

And if he's going to dole it out, he should be able to take it, too.

For example, Suzuki runs around the country trying to discredit qualified, award-winning scientists who teach and do research at Canadian universities in the field of climate change.

Suzuki tries to vilify scientists who have a different view than he does on global warming and what's causing it, saying they're just supported by oil companies when. in fact. many of them are not.

The truth is, Suzuki's own group -- the Suzuki Foundation -- gets some of its funding from ATCO Gas, an Alberta-based natural gas distributor.

Normally I wouldn't care who funds Suzuki. I don't think the source is relevant, as long as it's not from taxpayers. But when Suzuki criticizes other scientists for allegedly being funded by oil companies, when he himself receives funding from a natural gas distributor, I think it's a bit hypocritical.

And disingenuous.

If nothing else, we've all learned a little more about David Suzuki this week.

[Scrappy]

He's made a career out of his name and his opinions, and I take what he says as just that "His opinion".

[ridenrain]

Nice post SJ-24. I'm not going to be so polite.
He's just some has-been that found a nitch at the CBC and made a career for himself though great marketing and a rising tide of gulible suckers. He can blow it out his ass.

[SJ-24]

I pulled this from the newspaper story below because I think it sums up what most of us feel.

$1:

"Tackling the issue of greenhouse gas reduction will require more than hot air and grandstanding," said Stelmach.

"Doctor Suzuki's comments reflect the unproductive emotional rhetoric and personal attacks that distract from efforts to find constructive solutions."

I also lost respect for Suski several years ago when he spoke at my university and was suggesting enviromental terrorism has it's place in the fight for saving our planet.... Suski is a terrorist and should be treat as such.

$1:

February 25, 2007

Stelmach fires back at Suzuki

Stelmach fuming over suggestion he puts economic growth ahead of green solution

By DOUG MCINTYRE -- Sun Media

Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach fired back at environmentalist David Suzuki yesterday for blasting the province over not reining in development in the oilsands.

After a speech Friday at Altadore elementary school, Suzuki said his hopes for an enhanced green policy in Alberta have been squashed by Stelmach's recent comments on the environment.

An angry Stelmach retorted yesterday that the province must balance environmental stewardship with economic growth.

"Tackling the issue of greenhouse gas reduction will require more than hot air and grandstanding," said Stelmach.

"Doctor Suzuki's comments reflect the unproductive emotional rhetoric and personal attacks that distract from efforts to find constructive solutions."

Stelmach drew Suzuki's ire when he said the environmental issue is based as much on emotion as science during an address Thursday to the Economics Society of Calgary.

However, the premier maintained Alberta has invested heavily in emissions-cutting technology.

"This approach has already produced ... a 16 per cent reduction in emissions intensity from 1992 levels," said Stelmach.

Calgary-Northwest MLA Greg Melchin, who served as energy minister from 2004 to 2006, said Alberta imposes some of the tightest environmental standards among the world's major energy producers.

"It's easy to pick on the oilsands because it's an easy target," said Melchin, who noted the oilsands produce slightly more than one-million barrels daily compared to the 10 million produced by Saudi Arabia.

"David Suzuki is a consumer like the rest of us, and I suspect he travels in buses and cars and airplanes like the rest of us."

Stelmach also had harsh words for Suzuki's assertion the province's high standard of living makes oilsands expansion a moot point, calling the scientist "misinformed about Alberta's history.

"Alberta was in fact the poorest Prairie province during the Great Depression, and in the 1980s, we were subject to a severe economic downturn," he said.

Provincial NDP Leader Brian Mason, meanwhile, said the spat with Suzuki plays right into Stelmach's hands.

"It's a government in trouble, so he'd like to pick a fight with an enemy he portrays as threatening to our way of life," said Mason.

[Virgil]

David Suzuki is most definitely being hypocritical in driving a diesel bus across the country.

However, I do not see his "emotional rhetoric" as being aimed as a solution for global warming, but rather his whipping up of the populace to the cause, to force governments to concentrate more on the Green cause.

[SJ-24]

Virgil Virgil:

David Suzuki is most definitely being hypocritical in driving a diesel bus across the country.

However, I do not see his "emotional rhetoric" as being aimed as a solution for global warming, but rather his whipping up of the populace to the cause, to force governments to concentrate more on the Green cause.

To say any government could or would "concentrate more on the green cause" would be a lie. The government has so many different policies and problems to deal with that concentrating on any one of them is impossible. They may get priority, but nothing close to being concentrated on.

[Patrick_Ross]

Yeah, I'm pretty disappointed in David Suzuki. I've been willing to forgive him for being a political loudmouth ("his head is so far up mr. Bush's ass"), so long as I could believe he had the best of intentions.

Now, not so much.

[ridenrain]

Considering his comments, I would like his foundation to lose it's charitable status. Groups like that must remain non-partisan and Mr. Suzuki is definitely crossing the line there.
Good editorial today:

$1:

Suzuki harms his own cause with his wild outbursts
The Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, March 01, 2007

David Suzuki ought to be publicity-savvy enough after all these years to know that if you say things that make people feel like shooting the messenger, then the message itself has been lost on them.

Suzuki was using heavy rhetorical artillery when he said last week that Ed Stelmach is unfit to be premier of Alberta.

As if still not satisfied with the damage he'd inflicted on himself, he followed that up with wildly inaccurate statements about Alberta always having had the highest standard of living of any of the provinces and the comment that "we haven't even begun to apply the brain power to exploit the tar sands the proper way."

Had Suzuki cracked a Canadian history book, he would know that during the Depression the Maritime provinces sent food, supplies and other relief to stricken Alberta.

Our province knew hardship again when the economic crash of the early 1980s sucker-punched Alberta's boom-and-bust economy.

Suzuki's urgent environmental message has been lost with overblown theatrics and personal attacks on the premier. Only a few today deny that global warming has been exacerbated by man-made carbon dioxide emissions and that action is needed.

The discussion now needs to focus on what is to be done, and that's where a co-operative approach is the most effective way to decide the best tack to take.

Dissent and discourse on this hot-button issue must remain at a civilized level in a democratic society. There is no room for name-calling, personal attacks and other such unproductive behaviour. All it will accomplish is to polarize and alienate those who must work together to find solutions.

That is the unfortunate outcome of Suzuki's bombast, as illustrated by some of the letters the Herald has received. Many of the letters are unprintable because the authors' wrath have caused them to respond in excessively hostile language. For example, one likened Suzuki's speech to a Grade 3 class to a suicide bomber looking for recruits; another declared it is illegal for him to speak out.

The pace of green initiatives in the oilpatch may not be occurring at the rate Suzuki demands, but that does not mean it's not happening.

Syncrude and Suncor, among other companies, have made it clear they're on-side with responsible environmental stewardship and are working on ways to achieve that.

Stelmach has been premier for just two months. He is well aware of the tightrope he must walk in addressing green concerns while maintaining a balanced perspective on the demands for oilsands development and keeping Alberta's economy healthy.

Suzuki is a man on a mission and he is frustrated at the slowness with which he perceives action is being taken. But he has succeeded only in creating further frustration for himself, rather than rousing people to rally around a worthy cause.

[SJ-24]

Of course he's frustratd with the speed of which change is occuring. he's almost 70 years old isn't he? he hasn't much time left and he knows it.

Anyway, he is doing more damage amoung the mainstream then he knows. people see him as a freak and not as the doctor of earth science that he use to be. His hair-brain shouting is only make people look the other way, not pay attention to the actual message. If you say that "Fast Eddie" is a complete nut job at the same time as the butterflies are dying in Alberta, which message do you think hits the news? I'm pretty sure the "Fast Eddie" attack will be heard very loudly in Alberta and the dead butterflies will barely be thought about. What Susuki hasn't figured out is that if you attack the people you get nothing. He also doesn't understand that the people in Alberta are only one vote away from independence and anyone thinking that getting the feds to bitch slap "Fast Eddie" will ever happen should stop smoking that crack cocaine and get a grip. They are just feeding the call for independence instead.

[PluggyRug]

David Suzuki is trying to start a new trend, "Green Capitalism"

[BeaverBill]

SJ-24 SJ-24:

They are just feeding the call for independence instead.

It doesn't matter what you do the criminally represessed and tortured Albertans (those poor souls.... sniff, sniff) will find some angle to support their "just and rightous call for independance".

[BeaverBill]

ridenrain ridenrain:

Considering his comments, I would like his foundation to lose it's charitable status. Groups like that must remain non-partisan and Mr. Suzuki is definitely crossing the line there.
Good editorial today:

$1:

......

The pace of green initiatives in the oilpatch may not be occurring at the rate Suzuki demands, but that does not mean it's not happening.

Syncrude and Suncor, among other companies, have made it clear they're on-side with responsible environmental stewardship and are working on ways to achieve that.

Stelmach has been premier for just two months. He is well aware of the tightrope he must walk in addressing green concerns while maintaining a balanced perspective on the demands for oilsands development and keeping Alberta's economy healthy....

There we go, sweep the issue under the mat with a bit of lip service.

Suzuki is an evil, evil man.

[SJ-24]

Susuki isn't an evil man, he's just a little unbalanced....Ok, a little more than unbalanced. He's an old man with attitude for a cause that he appears to think only he knows anything about. If we had it his way we'd all be riding bikes and sowing fields and harvesting those green beans by hand....He's just a freaking hippy with mental problems.

[BeaverBill]

Bullsh!t. He goes around in a diesel bus..... You all are picking at flies to justify yourselves, and trying to sweep the issue under the mat.

....psst...inside information says he even flys from place to place in planes...!!!..... keep it quiet though... shhhhh

[BeaverBill]

Maybe Suzuki is trying to promote diesel as an alternative to gasoline, as diesel releases less CO2 than gasoline and gets you farther. In order to promote biodiesel you also need to have access to TD cars and since Canada is in the darkages when it comes to diesel cars...