Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Tim Groseclose already mentioned that al-Jazeera has bought Al Gore's Current TV. But the story just keeps getting better. The Wall Street Journal reports:
The deal comes several months after Messrs. Gore and Hyatt, the two largest owners of Current TV, put the channel on the market.
Mr. Hyatt said they agreed to sell to al-Jazeera in part because "al-Jazeera was founded with the same goals we had for Current," including "to give voice to those whose voices are not typically heard" and "to speak truth to power." Other suitors who didn't share Current's ideology were rebuffed. Glenn Beck's The Blaze approached Current about buying the channel last year, but was told that "the legacy of who the network goes to is important to us and we are sensitive to networks not aligned with our point of view," according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
But wait. That's not all:
A source close to negotiations also told The New York Times that the deal was probably worth around $500 million, meaning a $100 million pay-day for Gore, who was reportedly eager to complete the deal by Dec. 31 in order to avoid higher tax rates that took effect on Jan. 1.
Kevin Williamson at National Review notes:
But with the Qatari royals investing in Al Gore’s network and the rulers of the United Arab Emirates backing Matt Damon’s anti-gas hysteria, it appears that Middle Eastern petro-potentates find some real value in left-leaning American media, especially that of a greenish hue. Fancy that.
Even for Al Gore, the hypocrisy is a sight to see.
- Comment (13)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (7)
Comments:
Jun '12
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
NPR was gushing about this this morning, which promptly made me throw up my breakfast. Pitiful.
Apr '12
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
The environmental movement is just another cloak for anti-business/ anti-globalization movement, which is a cloak for Communism. Recognize it for what it is, and treat it accordingly.
Jun '11
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Dennis Prager has railed (well, in the polite, thoughtful way he does) for years about the emerging, unholy alliance between the global left and radical Islam -- ideologies united by exactly nothing except a shared hatred of America and American values.
The Al twins -- Jazeera and Gore -- have now proven the truth of Prager's thesis. God help us all.
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
I just noticed that I had spelled hypocrisy as "hyprocisy" in the headline. I count on you guys to alert me to such egregious typos! Hyprocisy makes it look like I was drinking while posting! Which I would never, ever, ever do.
May '10
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Crosspost from Grossclose post:
If Al Gore and Joel Hyatt (G&H) are pocketing any profit from this deal I would be shocked.
A few years back, Current tried to raise money through an IPO and had to withdraw it for lack of interest. The financial statements that they filed with the SEC showed that they were barely below the break-even mark. (Losing tens of thousands as opposed to losing millions.)
In 2005 G&H bought News World International from Vivendi and the CBC for the same reason that Al Jazeera is buying it now - existing cable slots.
After Current's original programming model of user-generated content failed miserably, they overcompensated wildly. At one point the network had over 200 producers on its payroll. When that strategy failed they "invested" in Keith Olbermann. It also meant that they needed NYC studio space because they were now entering the world of live production. And all of that ended in a huge, messy divorce with a law suit and a counter suit.
It has been one costly mistake after the other.
Apr '12
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Wow.
I didn't think anyone still used the phrase "speak truth to power."
It's quaint, in a queasy sort of way. Like leftism in general.
Edited on January 3, 2013 at 7:54pmMay '12
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
That's the important thing to remember: that it isn't always what 'likes' in common that keep couples together, rather what they 'hate'. In this case it the shared hatred of America, Judeo-Christian Western Civilization, and Israel with keeps these two groups together. For the Left, they believe they can 'tame' the Islamic beast, they believe in the old maxim; that the enemy(Islam) of their enemy(Jews & Christians) is their friend.
They haven't considered the alternative: That the enemy of their enemy might be their enemy too.
I can't help but think of all those foolish Iranian university students, trade unionists, "Intellectuals", Socialists who only saw the Ayatollah Khomeini as they wanted to see him and not what he truly was.
French philosopher Michel Foucault was another. Foucault, a homosexual, enthusiastically praised the Iranian Revolution, even though the regime would kill homosexuals like Foucault himself. It was his hatred for the West that blinded him from seeing the truth.
Edited on January 3, 2013 at 9:29pmApr '12
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Jim Ixtian
That's the important thing to remember: that it isn't always what 'likes' in common that keep couples together, rather what they 'hate'. In this case it the shared hatred of America, Judeo-Christian Western Civilization, and Israel with keeps these two groups together. For the Left, they believe they can 'tame' the Islamic beast, they believe in the old maxim; that the enemy(Islam) of their enemy(Jews & Christians) is their friend.
Edited 6 minutes ago
The inverse of that exchange is also true.
Read Sayyid Qutb or Frantz Fanon... Radical Islam has borrowed heavily from the Left. If you substitute the word "Jihad" for "Revolution," and Capitalists for Colonial or Israeli powers, you will understand the roots of Muslim Brotherhood ideology. It's all the same bad idea, recycled for whomever needs to be convinced why to start killing. Even the adoption of bombings as a tactic was influenced by Leftism.
Dec '10
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Some of Al Gore's greatest hits: Al travels in a G-II, weekends in his 100 ft yacht, motors around in a fleet of SUVs, keeps his electric bills down to $10,000.00/mo.
Since he's deeply concerned about our well-being, he strongly recommends that we either walk or ride bicycles, keep our thermostats at 65F in the winter and 80F in the summer ... well you get the idea about his concern for our life styles ...
May '12
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Mr. Brown
The inverse of that exchange is also true.
Read Sayyid Qutb or Frantz Fanon... Radical Islam has borrowed heavily from the Left. If you substitute the word "Jihad" for "Revolution," and Capitalists for Colonial or Israeli powers, you will understand the roots of Muslim Brotherhood ideology.
Very true, terrible minds think alike. No? Your post prompted me to remember many of those attempt by various Islamic groups and individuals to synthesize Islam and Leftist ideologies creating a watermelon ideology-Islamic green on the outside, Communist on the inside eg Qaddaffi's Green Book vis-a-vis Mao's Little Red Book.
Apr '12
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
They do. I think whenever we run into an ideology that teaches that violence is necessary for political change, and not simply possible (over even likely), we should smell a rat.
Apr '11
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
For additional schadenfreude -- note Al Gore rushed the deal before Dec. 31st so that he'd stay on the prior tax rate.
Aug '10
Re: Al Gore, Al Jazeera and Al Hypocrisy
Gee, I hope they have that reality show where they stone the homosexuals...