It’s been nearly a week since Al Gore’s son was arrested on drug charges, his third such arrest, and it has been 2 days since the concert for awareness that Al Gore may still run for President. What’s the connection between the two? That’s today’s post.

Al Gore III was arrested after a traffic stop. He was traveling at over 100mph on the freeway. Police found less than an ounce of marijuana along with several prescription drugs (for which he did not have a prescription), one of which is known to be used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. He has a similar prior arrest for possession, along with an arrest for DUI. He is 24 years old, but clearly this young man has some serious issues. I’m not going to go after him. If he has a drug problem, I truly hope he can clean himself up. If he gets jail time, then so be it (although the double standard in the justice system that the Left howled about with Scooter Libby will likely take effect here, the difference of course being that Al III actually committed a crime). Somewhere along the way, this guy made some bad decisions. Here’s hoping he is able to right his proverbial ship.

So what does daddy plan to do? He had plenty of time to talk about it over the past week during his media tour to promote his Lie Earth concert. When asked, his rehearsed response was “it’s a private family matter”. I agree with him. It most certainly is a private family matter. The media has no right to know what’s happening in Al’s family if he doesn’t want them to know. It was the right response, but the wrong audience. Instead of saying this on his media tour, Al should have been saying this to his Lie Earth associates. In other words, as a father, I feel that Al should have been home with his son rather than devoting so much time over the past week promoting a concert the purpose of which I still haven’t figured out. Was this show meant to raise global warming awareness? Is that really necessary? Or was it simply to feed the growing ego of a man and his Hollywood cronies, while also alleviating the guilt they feel about their massive daily carbon footprints? You decide.

Turns out, the concert was a flop. It was able to gather about ¼ the audience of Live Aid and had dismal TV ratings. It seems the people recognized this for what it really was, more a concert for Gore’s political aspirations than a concert for the earth. But, it was in many ways quite revealing. To me it showed the world much about Al’s personal priorities. Nothing is more important than Al’s own agenda, not even his own son. That’s the message sent, and I’m not the only one who saw it.

If my child was going through yet another personal crisis, I would be there, even if there was little I could do. It’s amazing what the mere presence of a loved one can do when things turn upside down in your life. One wonders what kind of impact it would have had if Al had foregone his beloved concert just to be by his son’s side. That would have said a lot. One wonders if this kind of snub happened in this young man’s life before, and how many times? One wonders if that had any contribution to his poor decision making. Is this just a dumb kid making dumb choices, or is it the latest in a long line of grabs for daddy’s attention?

Al needs to take care of his business. His son needs him. Global warming can wait. If you’re not willing to take care of your children, then what’s the point of saving the planet? Al missed an opportunity to make a major impression on his child, and on people like me who have very little reason to respect him. If he wants to be an example for us to follow, I think being there for your child in a time of crisis is a good start. That’s what a father should do. There are so many out there who fail at this, a prominent political figure doing the same is the last thing we need as a society.