The American wilderness is an integral part of U.S. culture andtradition but today is jeopardized by immoral corporations andcorrupt politicians, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said Wednesdaynight.

Kennedy, son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, is the author of”Crimes Against Nature” and a prominent environmentalist. He railedagainst President Bush’s “stealth attack” on the environment andsaid the upcoming election is critical.

“We’re really fighting now for the soul of our country, a visionof America that’s dignified and rich and something we can be proudof,” he concluded to a standing ovation from the crowd packingPick-Staiger Concert Hall.

About 800 people attended the speech, according to Pick-Staigerstaff estimates.

College Democrats invited Kennedy as the first in a series ofspeakers who will discuss more specialized topics that are ofinterest to students but often overlooked by the national media,said Weinberg junior Andrew Proksel, the group’s president.

Kennedy said he is more afraid of meat producer Smithfield Farmsthan of Osama bin Laden. He said democracy is intrinsically tied toa free market, which is threatened by the increasing power of bigcorporations using “legalized bribery.”

“Corporations, no matter how big they are, should not be runningthe government,” Kennedy said. “We are in a democracy, and weshould be running this government.”

Executives of coal-burning power plants, which have been provento cause childhood asthma, contributed millions of dollars toBush’s presidential campaign, Kennedy said. He said when Bush tookoffice, he dropped a Clinton administration investigation of 80coal-burning power plants, causing 55,000 deaths a year, Kennedyestimated. Three of Kennedy’s children have asthma, he said.

“We are living in a science-fiction nightmare,” Kennedy said.”My children and the children of millions of other Americans areliving in a world where the air is too poisonous for them tobreathe because somebody gave money to a politician.”

Kennedy highlighted other statistics he said showed why Bush isthe “worst environmental president we’ve had in our nation’shistory.”

Bush’s relaxation of the Clean Air Act causes 30,000 more deathsa year, and one in six women have harmful levels of mercury in theair — a figure Bush is partially responsible for, Kennedysaid.

He also accused Bush of cronyism and appointing known pollutersto lead agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency.

“The worst actors from the regulated industries are now runningthe regulatory agencies,” he said.

Kennedy spent a good portion of his speech giving a scathingcritique of the American media. He said the media “have devolvedfrom a marketplace of ideas to a marketplace of commerce.”Journalists report entertainment news, terror alerts and storiesthat purport to be balanced but instead present each side’sarguments without comprehensively investigating them.

“Journalists are not supposed to find balance,” he said.”They’re supposed to find truth and explain that to thepublic.”

Environmentalists are often misrepresented as crackpots and treehuggers, Kennedy said, but their cause is not confined to saving aspecies of fish or an acre of trees. Ultimately, he said, goodenvironmental policy will create long-term economic stability.

“Our children are going to pay for our joy ride,” hecautioned.

Ilana Rosen, a Weinberg freshman, said she found Kennedy’sspeech informative and disturbing.

“We all knew to some extent that the media shows you what theywant to show you, but I had no idea Bush’s environmental policieswere so harmful,” she said. “You’d never expect your president tobe killing the children he’s supposedly fighting to protect.”

Communication freshman Meghan Mackenzie said she appreciatedKennedy’s rhetorical style.

“I enjoyed his use of subtle sarcasm to bring in the audiencemembers,” she said. “He was steadfast in all his beliefs.”