in the news - celebrity spawn with drugs pulled over doing 105 in Hybrid

[gwyneth]

Even if it weren't a famous family, the kid would face a lot of potential trouble just by his birth position: the youngest, a boy after several sisters, with III after his name. Recipe for being spoiled, in general. Then, almost getting killed at age six--further spoiling and sheltering.

But dad has occupied very high stress, high visibility, high time-consumption roles since kid was 8 or 9 (and "just" a senator for years between kid's birth and then.)

Now, consider the timing of the incident: the week before his dad puts on a seven-continent event that's clearly involved a lot of time and energy planning, after a year or two writing book, promoting same, making movie, promoting same.

At the least, it seems like a barely subconscious scream, 'stop helping the rest of the world and pay attention to ME!'

Might be even more, given self-destructive aspects of vehicle's speed.

[eezlock]

in the news....

After this incident Al Gore III, might better be known to all as a "dopehead
on a moped" no more cars for him,would serve him right!

[scorrpio]

I just dunno... Ok, a drunk 11-year old behind a wheel is sure a shocker, but she is still at that tender age of being able to do things without fully realizing their gravity.

But at this guy's age, he gotta have some f-ing clue. I understand Gore still has ambitions to run for president. Now anyone can say: this guy can't even keep his own kid out of trouble - how can you entrust him with running a country?

[gwyneth]

But at this guy's age, he gotta have some f-ing clue. I understand Gore still has ambitions to run for president. Now anyone can say: this guy can't even keep his own kid out of trouble - how can you entrust him with running a country?

But as you say, the son is old enough to screw up on his own. Besides, the Bush twins weren't a powerful enough negative to impact their father...

[Black wallnut]

Well, the problem there is, the inclusion of this tired old chestnut in the OP means that things already ARE political. I'm sure Loring meant those words tongue-in-cheek, but that doesn't make them any less effective in keeping this bit of misinformation alive.

What Gore actually said -- read it here, if you wish -- was awkwardly phrased, less-than-fully explained, and certainly self-congratulatory, but he said it during a political campaign when such statements are hardly rare.

More to the point:

A few weeks ago, Paris Hilton was running rough-shod over her family's good name. A few years ago, Bush's then-underage daughter was busted for alcohol possession. None of these stories would be newsworthy in the least were it not for the accident of birth that gave these people their surnames.

Hey Larry just for giggles I followed your link. Seemed to me to have just as much spin as one gets from any media outlet, as I've come to expect from Snopes. so I did a search myself of online dictionaries. Kinda makes the whole arguement one of semantics and none the less moot. Algore said what he said, perhaps not exactly what he meant to say. Without bringing any particular political leaning I think those in politics really need to be better at public speaking. I'll conceed that both sides of the isle have members who trip over words leading to mis-quotes.

I think the fact that a driver of a green car going that fast at night while DUI, plus possession of narcs kinda does bring this to the front page. Is this Algores fault; I think not! That said Billy Beer just seemed so much more civilized!

[MilDoc]

Prescription drugs have almost replaced MaryJo on college campuses. Easy to obtain (Internet, your own, etc). Freely traded and sold. It;s become a bigger problem on some campuses than even good ol' booze!

[gsmittle]

Wow things have changed since I was in college. Back then when you got high you drove REALLY SLOWLY while listening to the Grateful Dead or the Doors at ear-splitting volumes, as smoke gently billowed out the windows of your VW microbus. You actually took time to grok at the karma of your oneness with the universe. Not that I have any personal experience of course...

Maybe AG3's pot was laced with "Speed"?

Yeah, man, I've heard that before. Like, when I was in college in the '70s. ... I think I was in college in the '70s, man. I really don't remember, man....

g.

[germdoc]

Without going out on a political limb, if we disqualified politicians for dumb things their families have done there'd be no one left to run the country. Not that that'd be such a bad thing... Maybe there is something genetic here, and not peculiar to Americans. You should read about Winston Churchill's son sometime.

Billy Carter was certainly the most amusing. I do miss him, and his outspoken mamma too. At one time we had a six-pack of his beer, then some fool houseguest drank one, ruining the collectability of the beverage.

[TheRic]

... Algore said what he said, perhaps not exactly what he meant to say. Without bringing any particular political leaning I think those in politics really need to be better at public speaking. I'll conceed that both sides of the isle have members who trip over words leading to mis-quotes. ......

I agree 100% that all sides have had their share of goofs. Some more than others. Like they say about Ohio weather, if you don't like it give it a few minutes it will change. In this case give it some time the large share of goofs will switch to a different group.

I have given speeches to good size groups before, about 1,000+ people. I have found that (for me) I don't practice any speech, I just go with the flow. If you practice too much you will make mistakes because you are mixing different versions up.

When speaking to a group you want to get key things across. Those key things, and how you want to say them change many times from when the idea first comes up to when they are spoken. Sometimes they change just minutes before you are already to give your speech.

Unless the speech is 100% the same time after time. It is very easy to cross two different versions into something that sounds way out of whack. It is also very easy to get ahead of yourself, what you are thinking and what you are saying, that things will come out wrong.

Most politicians are repeating what someone is telling them. Trying to get in KEY words for one reason or another. There is no way any politician can know everything about every topic, but that is what we/media expect of them.

When you are talking to your buddy you might make a goof that neither one of you catch. But when you have a large group of people listening someone is bound to catch every little goof. Then the media catches a little goof, it is no longer little but a major item.

[Knottscott]

As long as he didn't "inhale", the case should be dismissed...