Re:Al Gore Invented the Internet (Score 1)

On rightwing claims that Gore claimed to have invented the internet from http://www.coup2k.com/mm4.html CNN'S WOLF BLITZER: I want to get to some of the substance of domestic and international issues in a minute, but let's just wrap up a little bit of the politics right now. Why should Democrats, looking at the Democratic nomination process, support you instead of Bill Bradley, a friend of yours, a former colleague in the Senate? What do you have to bring to this that he doesn't necessarily bring to this process? AL GORE: Well, I'll be offering my vision when my campaign begins. And it will be comprehensive and sweeping. And I hope that it will be compelling enough to draw people toward it. I feel that it will be. But it will emerge from my dialogue with the American people. I've traveled to every part of this country during the last six years. During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet. I took the initiative in moving forward a whole range of initiatives that have proven to be important to our country's economic growth and environmental protection, improvements in our educational system. During a quarter century of public service, including most of it long before I came into my current job, I have worked to try to improve the quality of life in our country and in our world. And what I've seen during that experience is an emerging future that's very exciting, about which I'm very optimistic, and toward which I want to lead. By the way, although the press has debunked this stupid story about a million times, Republicans keep banging that tired old drum. Why? Because they cannot attack Gore's morality (he was never a pantyhound like George W.), or his policies (most Americans give Gore and the Democrats the edge on the issues). So they keep throwing lies around, hoping some will catch on. Some do. The world is full of stupid people. CASE IN POINT: (I don't have to name names, do I?) MORE ON GORE AND THE INTERNET FROM BOB DELAY (Yes, 'that' Delay... READ ON) From: Bob DeLay To: [e-mail] BCC: [e-mail] ; MWO Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2001 12:54 AM Subject: al gore and the internet Sometimes I feel so all alone in the world. According to Microsoft's very own reference resource, BOOKSHELF '96, Al Gore did pretty much invent the internet. We might assume that Microsoft would have a pretty good handle on that particular issue and would know what they're/it's talking about. Here's an excerpt from an article entitled, "The Internet: How did it originate?" "In 1991, Vice President Al Gore, then a U.S. senator, proposed widening the architecture of NSFNET to include more K-12 schools, community colleges, and 2-year colleges. The resulting legislation expanded NSFNET and renamed it NREN (National Research and Educational Network). This bill also allowed businesses to purchase part of the network for commercial uses. The mass commercialization of today's Internet is the direct result of this legislation." (That is a verbatim, copied-and-pasted quote.)