"We need a leader with vision. We need Al Gore."

Standing in the sun

Non-fiction prize would go to reconciler of Earth and self-interest

Editor, The Times:

Congratulations to big Albert Gore for winning a Nobel Prize and shame on the Nobel committee for being caught up in his big lie. The Times, to its credit, did publish "Judge: Truth is, Gore film has 9 errors" [Times, News, Oct. 12], about Judge Michael Burton of the High Court in England ruling that Gore's movie, "An Inconvenient Truth," contained nine major, misleading errors. Unfortunately, the nine errors have been conveniently concealed by our "filtered" news outlets.

While global warming may be a reality, it is far preferable to global cooling. What is at question is whether it is the result of the hand of man. Even if that were proven true, the major world polluters would be China and India, and the Nobel Prize would rightfully go to the one who successfully convinces those two nations to abandon their hopes for economic prosperity.

Isn't a convenient lie the same as an inconvenient truth? What a "Convenient Lie" it is that can win an Emmy, Academy Award and now a Nobel Prize.

— Gerald Yorioka, Mill Creek

Under a magnifying lens

While auto manufacturers, oil companies and head-in-the-sand deniers choose to believe otherwise, Al Gore has presented a persuasive argument that global warming poses a serious threat to our planet ["Will Nobel bring action on global warming?" page, one, Oct. 13]. The Nobel Peace Prize adds additional weight to Gore's already-beefy presentation.

Global warming is the issue of the century. Long after the upcoming presidential election is over, after the Iraq war has finished, after every other major issue facing today's world leaders has come and gone, global warming will be with us. It will inevitably change our world. And it is very likely that the change will not be for the better.

We have a choice: We can either ignore the environmental freight train barreling down on us, or we can take steps now to minimize the damage.

As with Gore, I vote for the latter.

— Joe Sullivan, Kirkland

Oasis of doom

The Nobel Peace Prize has been degraded into a cheap, demagogic political bludgeon. Alfred Nobel himself wanted it awarded "to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

The award to Al Gore, a bad science student himself, is for a movie built on apocalyptic exaggerations of long-term climate predictions. It does nothing for fraternity between nations, unless citizens who question his assertions are excluded from the brotherhood.

And Gore, in refusing to debate the film's premises with several scientists posing questions, proves himself a master of propaganda by dubious authority — but not a master of science.

— Hank Bradley, Seattle

Mentor of the universe

I believe we need Al Gore to run for president ["Award puts Gore back in spotlight," News, Oct. 13]. He has been right on all major issues of his time, even taking unpopular stands that later turned out to be correct. Whether the issue has been global warming, war and peace, reforming government or leading a technological revolution, Gore has been ahead of the curve. The climate crisis may be hot today, but Congressman Gore brought this issue to the forefront long before Washington had even heard of global warming!

At a time when politicians have lost the art of inspiring and leading, Gore speaks the truth and speaks it from the heart. His message is born out of conviction and is often decades ahead of its time. We need a leader with vision. We need Al Gore.

— Judith Shattuck, Redmond

Weather-vain spin

The real driving forces behind our weather and climate cycles are changes in the sun's activity levels, changes in ocean currents, water vapor in the atmosphere, etc. ["Nature, not man, is to blame, Gore critic insists," News, Oct. 13.]

To make the claim there is a man-caused culprit in climate change basically ignores the real and meaningfully significant forces behind our weather and climate cycles. We are nearly at the end of, if not already past, the 30-year warm cycle that began in the late '70s. Should this process of 30-year warm and cool cycles continue, which is well-documented going back to the late 1800s, we are about to enter the next 30-year cool cycle, if we haven't already entered.

It saddens me that the science of meteorology, which I have been involved in for nearly 40 years, has been misrepresented by those prophesying gloom and doom. Basic science is conveniently ignored. Their cause seems to be driven by fear and ulterior motives, with only enough "science" thrown in to provide a degree of legitimacy in order to sway as many people as possible.

Global climates have been going, and likely will continue to go, through cycles since the beginning.

— Greg Matzen, Olympia

Diminishing tracks

Mighty frail

"Should you trust Sound Transit now?" [page one, Oct. 12] poses one good question. As a civil engineer, I also question the sentence, "Officials insist they have learned from hard experience."

Until Sound Transit officials make every effort to avoid tunneling for light rail, it will demonstrate that they have yet to learn the most important element affecting construction costs.

Unlike most large cities in the country, Seattle is situated on soils left by ice-age glaciers. Glaciers dug Puget Sound and Lake Washington to unusual depths and left us with a geological, variable conglomeration made up mostly of sands, gravels and clays.

These largely unconsolidated formations lack the self-supporting characteristics that make solid rock the most economical formations in which to build tunnels.

Tunnels constructed in Seattle's glacial soils require elaborate and expensive linings to provide structural stability and safety.

In order to build an affordable system with many miles of track, Sound Transit must stay above ground to the greatest extent possible. We cannot afford the out-of-sight, out-of-mind feature that makes tunneled systems so desirable.

— Edward Wittmann, Seattle

Silver squeak

Actually, it doesn't matter whether I "trust Sound Transit now." Mostly, I am just dumbfounded.

Congress authorized construction of the first transcontinental railroad in the middle of 1862 (in the middle of the Civil War!). Constructed primarily by manual labor, it ran nearly 2,000 miles over the Rocky Mountains, the Sierra Nevada and the desert country of Utah and Nevada. It was completed May 10, 1869, at Promontory Point, Utah.

Sound Transit intends to take 20 years to build 50 miles of light rail to Lynnwood, Overlake and Tacoma?! I don't get it.

— Eric Weissman, Lake Forest Park