“Today, we are the most hated nation on earth. This country is worth fighting for.”
- Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., environmental activist and lawyer

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gave a rousing discourse on environmentalism that bled into politics and even capitalism last Thursday as the guest speaker for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

Kennedy, an environmental activist and lawyer, has been fighting for a cleaner, less polluted America for over 20 years.

“What he chose to do was to give the American people the power to make sure that those who govern … realize what a precious asset we have and how careful we have to be with that asset,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

Kennedy furthered Barrett’s sentiment.

“Nature is the infrastructure of our communities,” he said.

In his latest book, “Crimes Against Nature,” Kennedy picks at the root causes that make pollution an ongoing problem in the United States.

“It’s a critique of the Bush administration,” Kennedy said. “This is the worst environmental president we’ve had in our history.”

He went on to point out some key issues that prevent America from cleaning up its act and, in turn, prevent pollution-related sickness and disease. He referred to the hazy language of some environmental laws and the lackadaisical enforcement of those laws.

“We have some of the best environmental laws in the world,” he said, “but they’re not enforced.”

He also alluded to the “concealed actions” that go on behind the scenes. He named Phillip Cooney, former member of President Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality, who was accused of deliberately suppressing facts that downplayed the oil industry’s participation in pollution and global warming. In the middle of that scandal, Cooney left the council to work for Exxon Mobil Corp. Prior to working on the council, Cooney was a lobbyist for the oil industry.

“These people are the worst of the worst,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy also expressed concern for the media, stating that the media has transformed into nothing more than an entertainment industry.

“The news outlets have become corporate profit centers,” he said.

He said that this country no longer has an unbiased media, pointing out that almost every news outlet is owned and controlled by one of five corporate media giants who only care about protecting much-coveted advertising money. Some of those news outlets are even made to swear that they will not say anything negative about the Bush administration, he said.

“We are the best-entertained and least-informed people on the Earth,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy was also quick to discuss how these issues hit home in Wisconsin.

He said that the high mercury content that makes our freshwater fish inedible could be the result of coal-burning plants. The illegal burning of coal also sends sulfur dioxide into the air, causing numerous atmospheric effects, respiratory illnesses and even death, Kennedy said.

Even worse than the effects of pollution are the effects that our children, alive and unborn, may experience. The buildup of mercury in women can cause birth defects such as cognitive impairment or the improper development of the child’s brain, he said.

“Our children are going to pay for our joyride,” Kennedy said.

The White House differs on Kennedy’s opinion of President Bush’s environmental ambition. The White House Web site lists an aggressive approach to improving all aspects of environmental quality, along with a list of Bush’s accomplishments in this area.

“Today, we are the most hated nation on earth,” Kennedy said. “This country is worth fighting for.”

Kennedy said after the lecture on May 4 that he may be headed for public office in the future. In the past he has tried to avoid becoming a politician for personal and family reasons, but thinks now that it may be the best way to effect real change.

He started his work at the Riverkeeper organization in 1984 as an attorney helping to prosecute polluters of the Hudson River. Today, he is the chief prosecuting attorney for that same group and is also president of the Waterkeeper Alliance, according to his Web site, robertfkennedyjr.com.

> Comments