As a harbinger of Earth Day this Sunday, prominent environmental activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., chastised the George W. Bush administration, the American press and big corporations in his "Our Environmental Destiny" speech Thursday night.
"Tonight, I'm going to talk less about the environment than about the broader issues happening in our country, including the corrosive impact of excessive corporate control on our democracy," Kennedy said.
A mixed audience of around 150 students and members of the general public attended the event, which was hosted by the Duke University Union's Major Speakers Committee, in Page Auditorium.
"It's a criticism of President Bush's administration," Kennedy said. "But I'm not criticizing the President because he's Republican, and I'm a Democrat."
The son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, former attorney general and brother of President John F. Kennedy, blamed the "negligent and indolent" media for failing to inform Americans of pressing issues through well-rounded coverage.
"An uninformed public will trade 100 hours of welfare for 100 years of civil rights," Kennedy said.
The "liberal media" is misleading, he said, adding that the correct label for the press is the "big media."
"There's no such thing as a liberal media in this country-there's a right-wing media," Kennedy said, noting that the press and government departments are being manipulated by lobbyists for big corporations.
He then discussed human health risks arising from sources of pollution, such as increasing mercury levels in fish and increasing air and water pollution.
"One out of every six American women now has so much mercury in her womb that her children are at risk for a great number of diseases," Kennedy said.
He attributed the failures of the Clean Air Act on the Bush administration, which dismissed pollution lawsuits against 75 plants after accepting their contributions to its campaign.
Kennedy characterized the role of environmental activists as "emissaries for the future generation" and called for a "visual and aggressive" press that is willing to stand up to power.
"We're not trying to protect the environment for the sake of the fishes and birds-we're protecting it for ourselves," he said. "The future gives a whisper, and we give a shout."
Kennedy said his ideas are equally well-received by Democrats and Republicans-with the exception that Republicans are less informed about these issues.
"I sometimes think that 85 percent of Republicans are just Democrats who don't know what's going on," he said.
Sophomore Isel del Valle, Major Speakers chair, said Kennedy was a befitting choice for the occasion.
"He's an important environmentalist who has done much to create and implement environmental policies," del Valle said. "We felt that he would be a very engaging speaker, especially because he is speaking right around Earth Day."
Students found Kennedy's words inspirational.
"It just reminded me why I want to do what I want to do," said sophomore Sarah Marlay, an environmental sciences major.
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