Dear Al,
First, I'd like to thank you for the work that you are doing to raise awareness and address the issue of global climate change. You are doing us all a great service.
As you may have noticed, rumors have been swirling around here at Dkos that you might take another run at the Presidency. There is also a movement afoot to get you a post as United Nations Ambassador for the Global Environment. Both are intriguing possibilities. I have just one question.
Now, we have never formally met, but our paths have crossed on a few occasions. The first time was in 1992. I was organizing a campaign in support of the Penan people of Sarawak, who were working so hard to stop the logging operations that were destroying their forest, their homes,their livelihoods and their cultures. You, graciously accepted a request to be one of the spokespeople for the campaign.
I couldn't make it to the press conference in Washington DC, but I heard you were great. It was refreshing to see a politician standing up for what he believed in. You had written in your book, Earth in the Balance,
"The weak and powerless are the early victims, but the relentless and insatiable drive to exploit and plunder the earth will soon awaken the conscience of others who are only now beginning to interpret the alarms and muffled cries for help. In the famous words of Pastor Martin Niemoller, about how the Nazis were able to take over an entire society: `In Germany the Nazis came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak for me.'"
(p. 285)
You were walking the walk.
Then, when you sponsored Senate Resolution 280 you said:
"All around the world, cultures that have developed and thrived over the millennia are being destroyed by timber, mining, and commercial agricultural interests. Their loss is a tragedy to us all, and I believe that we must speak out against the human rights and environmental abuses they endure. The resolution I submit today calls upon the Government of Malaysia to preserve the tropical rain forests and the indigenous tribal culture of Sarawak." (Al Gore, Congressional Record, April 2, 1992)
Then came the Earth Summit, an historic opportunity for humanity. I was there, in Rio, when you stood up to the Bush Sr. Administration, lambasting them for not signing the Convention on Biological Diversity. You met with a group of people whom I work closely with, indigenous leaders from different areas of the world, after the meeting they told me that you might be the real deal. They said that if you became President we might just have a real ally; a friend who would act to stop the thousands of silent genocides that are going on in the world today.
Allow me to jump ahead to the year 2000, and the one question that I mentioned earlier. What's the deal with the Occidental Petroleum - U'wa controversy? I need to know.
You know the story. It goes - Occidental Petroleum was going to drill on the land of the U'wa people in Columbia. The U'wa didn't want anyone drilling on their land. They were trying to find a way to stop Occidental. They went to a shareholder meeting and sang a sacred song, then they asked Oxy's CEO to stay off of their land. They asked him to help them to protect their forest; they told him his children could visit them and learn about the rainforest. He wasn't interested.
They took the issue to court in Columbia, and they took it to the Organization of American States. This was their home. It gave them everything. They said the Creator gave them the instructions:
"to protect Nature, to love her, to care for her, and to use her gifts well"
They knew that if their lands were opened up to drilling that their water would become polluted, that their food would become scarce. They knew that their children would become sick. They knew that if the oil company was allowed to operate on their land, they would - in the not too distant future - disappear.
They were desperate. They threatened mass suicide if the oil company moved in. And they asked you to speak up on their behalf.
You didn't speak up.
Now this is where the facts get cloudy. I've looked around on the internets (thank you) and there seems to be differing points of view. According to some, you owned somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million of Occidental stock. According to others, you were the executor of your father's estate, which had significant stock in Occidental. Some say that you received $20,000 per year in mineral royalties from Occidental. And still others say that you didn't have anything to do with Occidental.
So what's the truth?
Did you own or control Occidental stock in 1999 - 2000?
Were you getting mineral rights checks?
Why didn't you speak up (when you had spoken in support of indigenous peoples in the past)?
If you were President what would you do to support indigenous peoples in the struggles to survive, protect their lands and secure their rights?
I just want to know.