George Bush ain't gonna see it and Jeb Bush, W's brother and banana republic governor, said he'd rather see "X-Men." All the more reason you should get a group of friends and family this July 4th weekend to see my former boss and friend Al Gore's documentary on global warming. Since its release a few weeks back, "An Inconvenient Truth" has received fantastic reviews and is a huge success -- already the #10 documentary of all time.
It is clear, though, that the right wing, the White House, and the oil companies are going to fight this thing to the end. Bush this week insisted yet again that there is a real scientific debate about whether global warming is caused by human interactions. Truth is, except for scientists bought and paid for by Exxon and employed in the White House, there is no scientific dispute whatsoever. And, to predictable laughter, when asked a few weeks ago whether he would be open-minded enough to see the movie, W dismissed the idea with a smarty-pants "Doubt it."
Even if you know a lot about global warming -- go see "An Inconvenient Truth" anyway as a political action. Even better, send an email to your entire network urging the same thing. Paramount Studios is showing the film in more than 500 theaters all around the country. You can find the one nearest you on this website.
Continued strength at the box office will do a few things: 1) demonstrate that there is a mandate on global warming so that Congress and the White House will get serious about something other than married gays burning American flags; 2) it will keep the movie on screens longer and expand it into other markets so that more Americans can see the urgency and facts of the issue; and (3) most importantly, you can help the movie spark a sustained political movement on global warming.
No better time to be a true patriot than to make a political statement during Independence Weekend. But no shooting bottle rockets in the theater, please.