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The Roanoke TimesRoanoke.com
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Email story
Print story
RFK Jr. rips President Bush for environmental policy
Speaking at Virginia Tech, the son of a 1960s
Democratic icon said the nation is living a
"science-fiction nightmare."
By Greg Esposito
BLACKSBURG -- The crowd that nearly filled Virginia Tech's 3,000-seat
Burruss Hall Auditorium to hear environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
speak probably had an idea about what he thought of the Bush
administration before he took the podium.
Some of Kennedy's books were on sale in the auditorium lobby,
including his most recent -- "Crimes Against Nature: How George W.
Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking
Our Democracy."
But early on in a rambling speech Monday night that lasted more than
an hour, the son of a 1960s Democratic icon made it clear that he
wasn't critical of Bush because of his political affiliation.
He was critical of him, he said, because Bush has implemented policies
and circumvented the law in order to enrich his donors at the expense
of thousands of lives and America's environmental future.
"You can't talk honestly about the environment today ... without being
critical of the president," he said.
The speech capped a day of discussion and events that were part of
Tech's Dean's Forum on the Environment. The event was designed to
stimulate conversation and showcase the university's latest research
and activity on environmental issues. Tech trails many universities in
areas such as sustainability and environmentally friendly policies but
is in the process of implementing several initiatives that could close
the gap.
Kennedy, whose speech was titled "Our Environmental Destiny," is a
member of several national environmental organizations. He's president
of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a grass-roots advocacy group dedicated to
preserving water and protecting it from pollution. He's also senior
attorney for the National Resources Defense Council and chief
prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper organization.
The university paid $20,000 for his visit. This was the second trip to
Virginia Tech in three years for Kennedy, who visited Blacksburg in
March 2004 as part of a symposium series on smart growth in the New
River Valley.
While he pointed out good work and sound perspectives from past
Republican and Democratic presidents Monday, he labeled the Bush
administration the worst in history when it comes to the environment.
To make his point he outlined a litany of what he sees as Bush's
offenses -- from rolling back environmental regulations to dropping
lawsuits to naming lobbyists for oil, timber and utility companies to
head federal organizations designed to curb environmental abuse.
But Kennedy's attacks weren't reserved for Bush. He criticized what he
called a "negligent and indolent press" for perpetuating the idea that
there's still a debate about global warming despite overwhelming
scientific evidence that it is real. He went after scientists -- he
called them "biostitutes" -- hired by big oil and big coal who churned
out reports for pay after decades of not publishing anything.
And while he said he loathed partisanship and said the worst thing
that could happen to environmentalism would be for it to become the
province of one political party, Kennedy fired a few more zingers at
the Republicans. The one that drew the most laughter was in reference
to a study done by the University of Maryland after the 2004
presidential election showing how misinformation affected the way
people voted.
"Eighty percent of Republicans are just Democrats who don't know
what's going on," he said.
But aside from a few cracks, Monday's speech had a somber tone and
warned of what today's actions could mean for future generations, not
to mention the current one.
"We're living in a science-fiction nightmare in this country ...
because somebody gave money to a politician," he said.
2007
The Roanoke TimesRoanoke.com
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Email story
Print story
RFK Jr. rips President Bush for environmental policy
Speaking at Virginia Tech, the son of a 1960s
Democratic icon said the nation is living a
"science-fiction nightmare."
By Greg Esposito
BLACKSBURG -- The crowd that nearly filled Virginia Tech's 3,000-seat
Burruss Hall Auditorium to hear environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
speak probably had an idea about what he thought of the Bush
administration before he took the podium.
Some of Kennedy's books were on sale in the auditorium lobby,
including his most recent -- "Crimes Against Nature: How George W.
Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking
Our Democracy."
But early on in a rambling speech Monday night that lasted more than
an hour, the son of a 1960s Democratic icon made it clear that he
wasn't critical of Bush because of his political affiliation.
He was critical of him, he said, because Bush has implemented policies
and circumvented the law in order to enrich his donors at the expense
of thousands of lives and America's environmental future.
"You can't talk honestly about the environment today ... without being
critical of the president," he said.
The speech capped a day of discussion and events that were part of
Tech's Dean's Forum on the Environment. The event was designed to
stimulate conversation and showcase the university's latest research
and activity on environmental issues. Tech trails many universities in
areas such as sustainability and environmentally friendly policies but
is in the process of implementing several initiatives that could close
the gap.
Kennedy, whose speech was titled "Our Environmental Destiny," is a
member of several national environmental organizations. He's president
of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a grass-roots advocacy group dedicated to
preserving water and protecting it from pollution. He's also senior
attorney for the National Resources Defense Council and chief
prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper organization.
The university paid $20,000 for his visit. This was the second trip to
Virginia Tech in three years for Kennedy, who visited Blacksburg in
March 2004 as part of a symposium series on smart growth in the New
River Valley.
While he pointed out good work and sound perspectives from past
Republican and Democratic presidents Monday, he labeled the Bush
administration the worst in history when it comes to the environment.
To make his point he outlined a litany of what he sees as Bush's
offenses -- from rolling back environmental regulations to dropping
lawsuits to naming lobbyists for oil, timber and utility companies to
head federal organizations designed to curb environmental abuse.
But Kennedy's attacks weren't reserved for Bush. He criticized what he
called a "negligent and indolent press" for perpetuating the idea that
there's still a debate about global warming despite overwhelming
scientific evidence that it is real. He went after scientists -- he
called them "biostitutes" -- hired by big oil and big coal who churned
out reports for pay after decades of not publishing anything.
And while he said he loathed partisanship and said the worst thing
that could happen to environmentalism would be for it to become the
province of one political party, Kennedy fired a few more zingers at
the Republicans. The one that drew the most laughter was in reference
to a study done by the University of Maryland after the 2004
presidential election showing how misinformation affected the way
people voted.
"Eighty percent of Republicans are just Democrats who don't know
what's going on," he said.
But aside from a few cracks, Monday's speech had a somber tone and
warned of what today's actions could mean for future generations, not
to mention the current one.
"We're living in a science-fiction nightmare in this country ...
because somebody gave money to a politician," he said.
2007