Ecotality said:
As co-founder and chairman of the firm Gore presumably draws an income or will make money as its investments prosper. In other words, he “buys” his “carbon offsets” from himself, through a transaction designed to boost his own investments and return a profit to himself. To be blunt, Gore doesn’t buy “carbon offsets” through Generation Investment Management – he buys stocks.

This is really just supposition masquerading as fact, vaguely hinted at with the use of the word “presumably.” Does everyone know what that means? It means that Ecotality, Drudge, Gaius, and others do not know for a fact if Gore is personally profiting from investments in Generation Investment Management. Nor do they know what Gore’s own personal investment stake in GIM is.

But I dare say none of them care if they’re being honest or accurate- as long as Gore gets slimed, it’s all good with them.

Ecotality said:
And it is not clear at all that Gore’s stock purchases – excuse me, “carbon offsets” purchases – actually help reduce the use of carbon-based energy at all

Again- Ecotality, Drudge, Gaius and others have no knowledge of Gore’s agreement with GIM. “Stock purchases” might be what everyone knows as a relationship between an investment fund and an individual, but it’s absurd to think that’s the only way an individual interacts with an investment fund.

A willing investment firm can tailor an agreement for almost any transaction- including carbon offsets. It’s entirely possible that the agreement has some seriously strict guidelines as to what GIM can do with Gore’s money. I don’t know, Drudge doesn’t know, Ecotality doesn’t know, Gaius doesn’t know. In my mind, that makes Gore innocent until proven guilty, but not to those other guys- Gore is guilty no matter what the facts.

It is rank speculation to simply assume Gore personally profits from giving money to GIM. It’s akin to claiming that Gore personally profited from “An Inconvenient Truth.”

But to Drudge, Ecotality, Gaius, and others, it’s much more fun to smear the guy with speculation and ignore the larger point that Gore makes, over and over and over again. It’s just such a drag and “uncool” to heed the message that we are significantly contributing to Global Warming and Climate Change, and we should adjust our activities accordingly.

I mean, if we really bought into that message, kicking Gore around wouldn’t really matter, now would it? No, best we live the high life, and screw our grandkids. It’s just so much easier and more fun that way. I mean, if we won’t be around to suffer for our own folly, then why should we care? Right?

So when someone says “Al must be telling the truth, he has no monetary interest in it” you may want to say…uh yea, right, except for the part where he does, and stands to be a wealthy man on everyone’s guilt. ……

Iowahawk’s answer to this dilemna.