Take back Al Gore's Oscar, 2 Academy members demand in light of Climategate [Updated]

No, it wouldn't do anything for the environment.

But two Hollywood conservatives (yes, there are some) have called upon the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to rescind the prestigious, profitable gold Oscar statuette that it gave ex-Vice President Al Gore et al two years ago for the environmental movie "An Inconvenient Truth."

---

FOR THE RECORD:
A Top of the Ticket post Dec. 4 about former Vice President Al Gore and the film “An Inconvenient Truth” incorrectly reported that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Gore an Oscar. Although Gore appeared in the film and participated in the Academy Awards ceremony, the Oscar was given to the movie for best documentary. The post also refers to the “leak” of controversial e-mails concerning research into global warming but did not explain how the documents were obtained. The e-mails were obtained by computer hackers who then leaked their contents to the public by posting them online.

---

Roger L. Simon and Lionel Chetwynd, both academy members, are among a small, meandering pack of known political conservatives still believed to be on the loose in the liberal bastion of movie-making.

In 2007, Hollywood's academy sanctified Gore's cinematic message of global warming with its famous statue, enriched his earnings by $100,000 per 85-minute appearance and helped elevate the Tennesseean's profile to win the Nobel Peace Prize despite losing the election battle of 2000 to a Texan and living in a large house with lots of energy-driven appliances.

Chetwynd and Simon were prompted to make their hopeless demand this week by the ... 

... leak two weeks ago of a blizzard of British academic e-mails purporting to show that scientists at the University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit systematically falsified data to document the appearance of global warming in recent years.

The university is reportedly investigating the claims, which added dry fuel to the never-ending political debate over whether the Earth really is warming as a result of human activity or if it's just normal natural cycles and the debate is what's heated. The demand to withdraw Gore's award provides yet another opportunity to argue.

The startling leak comes at an inconvenient time just before next week's United Nations climate change meeting that will cause an immense carbon footprint with thousands of people flying up or over to Denmark to talk about saving the environment.

These airplanes will include Air Force One with its primary passenger President Obama, who's returning to the Copenhagen scene where he didn't help win the 2016 Summer Olympics for Chicago, which could do with a little global warming at this time of year.

Simon, a screenwriter who is also chief executive officer of Pajamas Media, a network of conservative online blogs, conceded he knew of no precedent for the Academy withdrawing a previously-awarded Oscar, despite decades of Hollywood hijinks and worse. But, he added, "I think they should rescind this one."

The controversial leaked documents have been assembled here by Pajamas Media and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. The joint demand by Simon and filmmaker Chetwynd is available on video here.

The television news-watching world in America has not learned much about the so-called Climategate scandal because it has not really been mentioned on the air except for a notorious cable news channel named for a three-lettered, wily, wild animal that often seems to revel in debunking liberal shibboleths.

Network news programs have been far more concerned with the obviously more important White House party-crasher story involving a couple of formally-dressed phonies.

The falsified documents do not come up in Gore interview excerpts published late last night here by Politico's John F. Harris and Mike Allen.

This week White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs claimed that global warming was no longer in dispute by most people. But a subsequent Rasmussen Reports poll of Americans finds only 1 in 4 adults believe that most scientists agree on the topic.

And while only 20% claim to have followed the leaked e-mail story Very Closely, nearly 60% believe it is at least somewhat likely that scientists have falsified environmental data to support their own global warming beliefs and theories.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Speaking of saving the environment, click here to receive Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And we're also over here on Facebook.

Photos: Associated Press

Comments

[TiltedTalkDomagoy]

This is just another example of how the Left move their agenda forward regardless of the accuracy of the data they use. They did the same thing with the 1992 study by the Boston Federal Reserve bank (which was loaded with mistakes) in their drive to demonize banks and drastically lower lending standards in the name of "affordable housing." How did that story end? Just look at the mortgage meltdown and the wild success of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

[zanne]

Remember algore's secret lock box? Well, he is inside it right now eating Twinkies by the case. MSM fails again.

[Rob Last]

Dear Mr. Malcolm,

I must congratulate you on your fine efforts. Based on the comments section it is clear that the vast majority of your readers are now only rabid, true conservatives. You've stirred them up and made them angry. Great work. Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck would be proud. The only problem is that they represent less than 19% of the total population, at least based on the latest polls of self identified Republicans.

So unfortunately for you and the LA Times the vast majority of us have no interest in this sort of tripe, and is clearly the reason why your newpaper is dying. So I'll also congratulate you on killing off your own company. Maybe it's time for you to look for another job?!

[Catherine]

"who expects that the northern polar ice cap is right on target for total summer melting by 2050." This is another example of fear mongering and lack of knowledge. If you go in to the archives of the US Navy you will find a photo taken of one of their submarines that had breached the ice ON the North Pole: the photo is black and white 'cause it was taken in the '50s and in December! Climate change happens! Compared to volcanic action, man's "carbon footprint" is a insignificant flea! ---- Control the masses by a 'State of Fear'. == It is interesting that the only way LAT would even mention "climategate" is to be able to mock non-believers in the religion of global warming.

[Bob]

Global Warming Ha! Turn on the weather channel... SNOW in Houston Tx. Record breaking low temps three days back to back in Al's home state.

[Kate]

Hey, this has been Fun!!

I'm sitting out here in Minnesota laughing my head off. Good for You LA Times. Way To Go!!!!

For the three or four of you who are expressing anger at the Times here, take the evening off. See a movie. Or call one of these guys and commiserate.
http://www.peopleforwesternheritage.com/PFWHRMAdditionalQuotes.htm

[FRed]

Can you imagine if some Conservative came out with a move about how there really is no Global Warming and then we found out there was much in the way of fudging the books to support that point of view. It would be above the fold in every major newspaper in the nation... but since in this case the fudging happens to go against what the media want you to believe it receives little more than a mention and only when Oscar is involved.

http://www.UpYoursObama.com

[Ken]

Mr. Gore deserves an award about as much as Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Gore is a lying corrupt busineesman

[Rob Last]

Dear Albert,

I read your posting. I'm so hurt! I'm going to guess that you also believe in black helicopters, UFO's, George Bush's WMD's in Iraq, and the tooth fairy. The bad news for you is that your pure hatred of everything and everyone who doesn't agree with you just makes you ignorant and wrong.

I'll just point you to one article. In October, the Associated Press gave the raw temperature data to a group of statisticians (you know, those guys who crunch numbers for a living) without telling them what they were analyzing. And guess what they found? That global warming is REAL. Here's the article:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33482750/ns/us_news-environment/

And no amount of crazy talk from you and your ilk will change this.

The sad part is that you and your family are going to be affected by this like everyone else. When it finally becomes bad enough to be noticable even by you, remember to remind them that you don't believe it is real.

[jona]

Oh.. I can smell the "SMUG" coming from this pathetic article. Why even write an article if you have taken one side? DO you REALLY think we're so STUPID as to buy your side of the story inlight of the damning evidence?

Why did the limp wristed Academy GIVE gore the Oscar in the first place?

Because THEY, in there infinite wisdom, THOUGHT IT WAS THE COLD HARD TRUTH. Idiots. LEave NOTHING up to them. They are a collection of self absorbed fools.

[Rex Range]

Dear hopeless liberal LA Times writers/editors, let me help you out with the real text for one of your paragraphs:

"Roger L. Simon and Lionel Chetwynd, both Academy members, are among a small, COURAGEOUS group of political conservatives BANDING TOGETHER TO EXERCISE FREE THOUGHT in the "1984"-esque ultraliberal BASTION of HOLLYWOOD AND THE EAST AND WEST COAST LIBERAL MEDIA LEFTIST/ELITISTS."

[Braden]

That they gave Al Gore an Academy Award in the first place is testimony to the Academy's stupidity. I think I will write a book entitled 'Mars in the Balance,' since the ice caps on Mars are also melting!

[Suzanne]

I'm thoroughly enjoying these tongue-in-cheek pieces you've been doing lately, Mr. Malcolm!

[Scott]

Here is "The Inconvenient Truth" that Al Gore doesn't want anyone to find out about. The "scientists" have been cooking the numbers on the climate data. Hey Al, is that your inconvenient truth?
How come you are skipping the Copenhagen meetings Al? Don't want to be asked about the phony data??? Chicken

[Oh No B HO]

CAP AND TRADE CONGRESS!!!!!!!! NO INCUMBENTS!!!!!!!!!

[carolyn johnson]

Al Gore is completely wrong about the entire issue and is a big cry baby cause he lost the presidency. COME OFF IT!! You Hollywood people know darn well that this is all a big of ....; you are all pathetic!!!!

[Sue]

When my daughter told her teacher she didn't believe in Al Gore's concept of Global Warming, she was laughed at by the class. I was so angry because these kids were forced to watch his movie and accept his ideals. I believe he should go to jail for lying to our children and this country while getting rich and not abiding his own rules. People of the left were telling us to walk or ride our bikes to work to save the planet and Al Gore was flying around in his jets. Let's ask for justice and the people should demand nothing less. If we don't he will be an example to others who want to swindle Americans and it will happen again. He is no better than Bernie Madoff. Let him keep the Oscar but give back every penny he made from the movie.

[Craig]

This isn't about liberal or conservative, both Newt Gingrich and George W. Bush have sold the idea of man-made global warming and I hate it that the media tries to make this left/right. But at least 2 weeks later, some mainstream media outlet are now finally starting to cover the most devastating blow to the predator ruling class' attempt to demolish the middle class with cap and trade. We now have the smoking gun of Gore and company's fraud, let the trials begin.

[Maria Nance]

For gosh sakes quit calling the Gore movie a "Documentary", step 2 take the Award back and give it to the #2 Film maker provided they made a real Documentary.

Finally #3 Quit refering to Climate change as a scam - every day the climate changes so that's an accurate statement. We need to call it the Gore Scam, or call him Al Fraud Gore, this wasn't a mere oversight on the part of the Portly one it was a calculated attemp to rip a good portion of the world off.

[sceptic]

Investigated by Competitive Enterprise Institute and Pajamas Media, which made up of primarily conservatives and libertarians. There is possibility that these organization is out to sabotage the scientists in order to create doubt in the public. I wouldn't throw the towel in yet just because of a few emails being leaked. There's way more evidence than this can justify.

[smartypanz]

All I ask you to do is...go to the beach where you may have visited as a child.
Now look around, isn't the water line almost exactly where it was when you were a child ? It probably didn't move an inch (withstanding tides and all).
WAKE-UPPPPPP.
You know it's true, tell me where this is not the case....

[Renegade]

Yep, everything is a conspiracy. There can't be anything that is true anymore. I don't think we are smart enough to save ourselves. Ignorance is bliss.

[Anthony]

Al Gore along with the rest of the bleeding hearts are totally useless. It's too bad it took this long for people to realize it.

[Jim H]

Gee, first the right spends 10 years making fun of reason, disrespecting science, and even committing criminal trespass to try and "debunk" global warming. Then they point to the surveys pointing to the public's confusion -- which they created -- as a political victory.

Only complete meatheads dispute the main principles of global warming: we're getting hotter and hotter, and the chances are over 95% that it is human-caused.

Leatherheads beware: if you delay rational action long enough, we're courting disaster. And that will be YOUR fault.

[Danny W]

Can we take back Al Gore's Academy Award?

Nah, let him keep it but change the win category to fiction, comedy or drama.

[Mark Orr]

Chetwynd and Simon are taking a courageous stand in the face of Hollywood's current reverse- McCarthyism. The Global Warming Hoax is coming unraveled.

[miguel]

All scientists should unite to not allow science deniers the benefit of their science. You don't believe what hundreds of scientists say is true? Then no MRIs for you, no CAT scans, no chemotherapy. No LCD panels, no iPhones, no 3G networks.

My patents will not be allowed to be used in a product sold to science deniers!

Go see if the pundits can help you.

[BLOGGER]

It is amazing how so many people commenting on this article know about the Email Fiasco. There is absolutely nothing in the email that proves the scientist were engaging in fraud or that Global Warming is a HOAX. One of the reason the two were trying to suffocate some the poorer research against global warmimg is the Conservative like the two in the article and too many of the commenters glom onto this bad science while ignoring everything else. What the email do shoe is Science and Politics often don't mix. What they did was stupid and will hurt their careers but it doesn't disprove Global Warming. The research on Global Warming comes from dozens of Labs all over the world. I always wonder why conservatives always think their is some huge global conspiracy, and only they, most ignorant of basic science, are privy to the truth. Arrogance and Stupidity are dangerous bedfellows.

[r.maggio]

flush twice it a long way to Al Gores house

[Gorio]

Ah yes, the loonies have come out of their closets to bash, OH MY GOD! Conservatives in Hollywood! Can you believe it? There are more than Andrew Breitbart and James Hirsen! Well, the cold(no pun intended) hard truth is that the earth does go through cyclical cooling and warming, historically at the most of 1 to 2 degrees F up or down over the past say 700 years. We are currently not in an upward trend regardless of what the Algore types are fusing on in banal tones of armageddon like consequences if we do not believe them. In fact the researchers own recorded facts prior to their convenient disposal in the shredder have shown that we have been cooling since around...oh, 1998. Just about the time that Algore and his misfits began screaming the sky is falling. Oh, sure there are ice flows affected by thei cooling just as are the currents in the oceans of the world which just so happen to be flowing in the direction of ice! Imagine that! Obviously, not to many bright greenies out there know the convection theories. Here's a hint boychiks, the next time that you go to your local ginmill, and order up one of those concoctions, notice how the water droplets appear on the glass? Hmm, in fact it happens when the outside air is more humid, you see, cold attracts water like liberals to a medicinal pot store! Sucks it right out of the air! Imagine now that the two coldest places on earth, besides Hillary's heart and Michelle's gaze, were to attract the warmer flows of the tropical currents due to, you guessed it, volcanic activity and heat rushing to the surface of the earths crust. By the way the above surface volcanic activity is about half of the activity beneath the ocean surface. Well, you guessed it updraft of curents will melt a little bit of ice and voila! It breaks! Now, another experiment for the boychiks and girlie men in the audience still able to stick to logic. Fillyour glass with ice to the top, yes, I know, no alcohol is no fun, but this just a test, you don't have to drink it. Then fil it to the rim with water. Then let it melt all the way until there is no ice left in the glass. Follow me? Once it's melted, how much has overflowed to the counter or table? Hmmm? Absolutely none. You can expect the same thing to happen to ocean levels when some ice melts. Treasure Island in SF bay will not become a diver's reef for pleasure diving. Besides, I did my Fire fighting training there while in the Navy, not s fun place regardless of what Ahnolt says. So, sure, I'm a skeptic, and logically so. Now on yer bike boychiks!

[JudgeMental]

Gore should be indicted for fraud.

[Al]

Isn't an Oscar for acting? Algore deserves his for acting like he really cared with his challenge at the end for people to use less energy. Considering he wouldn't take his own challenges when asked on the senate floor, he did a good job of acting.
Also, his hyperbole was unequaled and his use of imaginative factoids unmatched. Again, an Oscar worthy performance.
I actually saw 'The Day After Tomorrow' - same type of pap. Let Algore have his movie too. Cheap dramas are what Hollywood is good a cranking out.

[Milton]

Check the Grist May 9, 2006 interview of Al Revere with Al Gore. Mr. Gore admits that using the "over-representation of factual presentations" to get the attention of the Catagory 5 deniers. Right Al, never waste a good crises, even if you have to lie to create one.

[suibne]

Soon now, fools like gore and the rest of the socialist crowd out there in hollyweed will dragged out into the streets.

[Iben Hadd]

Count de Money, Count de Money.
$20 million to the deniers, $120 million in grants to the Globolonga crowd. Count de Money, Count de Money.

[Rob Crouse]

Since the Liberals caused the Economic Disaster by enforcing their Community ReInvestment Act which made banks give mortgages to those who could not afford them but lied blaming Bush as the cause; and the Liberals lie about Health Care helping people and that taking much of Medicare's funding will not mean reduction in coverage; so why is anyone surprised that Liberals and Gore would not lie about Global Warming especially if they can make millions???

[thiacynw]

lame,lame,lame,lame,laaaaame! Al Gore,aka;lame, got caught and this piece of new is just wonderful with all the peeps finally taken the truth to the streets! Mannnnnn I love you guyssssssss! ;)

[Rob Last]

Dear Lauriek,

Okay, you want to play ball then let's play. Name any part of the computer models that are in error. Explain what is wrong with the Peer Review process; in fact please explain to all of us what the Scientific Method is. And finally please explain exactly what part of the raw data is in error or what data has been thrown away.

Otherwise you've just posted a whole bunch of angry nonsense.

[Paul]

I love all of this, history repeats itself. Learn it, Live It! If you look at what has happened to the globe thru time then you would know we have nothing and I mean nothing to do what is going on with this planet. Folks remember the ice age, what happened after that, Global warming? Were the caveman farting to much?

On the other side the USA has OSHA, EPA, etc... I've been to Mexico, China, India, etc...their rivers are like rainbows...The pollution is horrific and should be stopped..like here...

Liberal monkeys wake up...

[Rob Last]

Dear Gorio,

Your entire argument is premised on the fact that all the ice is already in the water. Unfortunately most ice on this planet is sitting on top of LAND, like in Greenland and the Antartic. If this ice melts, and it is melting, then it is like adding more ice into your drink, and you are going to get wet in more ways than one.

And if you really think this is just a conspiracy of all the scientists then I suggest that the next time you get ill, please don't go to those so called doctors since they also practice something call science.

[SueB]

It seems that Gore's film was mis-titled. Should have been "A Convenient Untruth." It sure served him well.

Rather amazingly, despite all this revelation, Obama still plans to give away $10 billion a year to foreign countries to fix global warming.

[Iben Hadd]

Being very long of tooth I remember in the sixties several "climatologist" (rhymes with astrologist) were predicting The Coming Ice Age. By the mid-seventies the Main Stream Press was proclaiming it as fact, the very same Lame-Stream-Press that has so ballyhooed Global Warm er, ah, Climate Change.
One of the guys predicting Ice wrote a book "Not by Fire but by Ice. His "facts" are at least as good as the warming crowd.

[Mr Reality]

Anyone that thinks either party isn't a bunch of thieves is kidding themselves and is intellectually bankrupt. Lib this, repubick that....Bush bankrupted this country with a useless occupation and Obama is allowing the fed to print money. Both parties are a joke and the USA is and the middle class are soon to be gone.

[Nico]

AlGoracle should be stripped of the Oscar for his bogus film, and then prosecuted for knowing all his claims are bogus, and peddled because he has become a very rich man as a result. I'd love to see ManBearPig humiliated. He's worse than Madoff. As for Gibbs, he's a dumb turd, the mouthpiece of his lying sack of s*it boss. He humiliates himself at every press conference. No brain, no class.

[kathy]

it is good for me that from the beginning i did not believe his global warming.
he knew that bill clit... was a bad boy and al gore was quite

[CC]

Climate Change/Global Warming is a religion to the 'tards that promote it.
They have convinced themselves that their beliefs show them to be smarter and more compassionate than others- which is pure BS.

[Ricl OShea]

If global warming, er, climate change gets any worse all my water pipes will freeze and burst.

[swissik]

Liberalism is indeed a mental disorder. AGore suffers from it as does the LA Times.

[salamibingo]

Don't watch movies and don't watch the academy awards and I could not care less about anyone receiving an academy award. Let him keep it, it means nothing to me! Stinking, lying pig!

[John Jimison]

My Liberal Brothers; we must coin a phrase to impune those that point out our fallacy. Henceforth we must call people such as this "Climaters". Remember, we must say it often and loud, it is the only way we can make this work and continue to line the pockets of our demogods.