Drew Johnson, president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research drove out to Al Gore’s mansion during Earth Hour Saturday night and claims that the former vice president ignored the event. According to Mr. Johnson, some of the house lights were left on, as were flood lights for the trees, and a light for the house number. Apparently there are photographs…

Really? Are these the ONLY pictures you have? You went out into the dark of night Mr. Johnson, hoping to discredit that villainous liberal/Hollywood elitist Al Gore and expose his global warming con, and this was the best you could do? Two pictures of a lit house number? Which in many communities is required to be visible at night so that emergency vehicles can locate the home in case of… you guessed it… an emergency? And the third picture? I don’t even know what that is!

Do you know how to operate a camera Mr. Johnson? Did you not know how to get the whole house in view? Give me a break. You are as big of a fraud as you claim Al Gore to be. Thanks to your shoddy camera work, how can I conclude otherwise?

Of course all the right-wing sites are aflutter at the apparent hypocrisy of Al Gore ignoring Earth Hour even as he responded through his spokesperson…

“The Gores honored Earth Hour by shutting off the lights at their residence. The heating and air conditioning were turned off as well. But more importantly, the Gores live in a Gold LEED certified home, powered by geothermal power. They have undergone renovations to put solar panels on the roof and participate in all of the renewable power programs offered by their local utility. They aren’t perfect, no family is, but they do their best, year-round to try to make a difference at home and across the country to make a difference on the climate crisis.”

Move along folks. This is just another manufactured controversy by a wingnut conservative consumed by partisan politics, nothing more. Go away Mr. Johnson, and please, learn how to use a camera next time… okay?

Last week I made an urgent call to my parents in Florida when I realized that hurricane Fay was coming ashore only a few miles from their home. I was simultaneously worried and irritated with myself, for not having tracked the storm’s progress and calling them sooner. While we often get caught up in the events of our own lives, it’s important not to lose track of events happening in the lives of others. Often times those are the ones that are most important.

While I had difficulty reaching them initially (twice answered by a fax machine, and once by broken voice mail) I was relieved when I finally got through. They assured me of course that they were fine and unsurprisingly, not really concerned. They’ve been through numerous hurricanes and seemed more interested in reminding me that the schizophrenic storm shared my mother’s middle name, Fay.

Now another hurricane, Gustav, is spinning it’s way through the Gulf of Mexico and picking up steam, heading where it has no business going. I’ve been visiting a website tracking the storm at http://i.wund.com/tropical. Formatted for the iPhone (which of course is always with me), it provides a clear snapshot of Gustav’s position and where it’s headed. Check it out.

I know the site will come in handy when the next hurricane approaches Florida, and hopefully will prompt a call to my parents a little earlier next time.

Over the next few days, as Gustav’s path becomes more clear, I am hopeful that neither the right or left will politicize the storm in this partisan-charged climate. Those who may be standing in it’s path will deserve better than that.

However, Gustav’s expected arrival around the third anniversary of Katrina, and at the opening of the Republican Convention in Minneapolis, the irony, unfortunately, is anything but lost.