Ralph Nader Visits Conway
Issue date: 5/4/01 Section: Campus News
- Page 1 of 1
The Honors College of University of Central Arkansas hosted Challenge Week 2001 April 16-22. The week was a celebration culminating on Earth Day, April 22. 2000 Green Party Presidential candidate Ralph Nader addressed listeners on April 18 as part of the week’s events.
Nader’s message was simple. We must pay attention to what we are doing to our environment, what he calls, “this thin slice of life.”
The speaker noted several assaults we are inflicting on the Earth. Deforestation and industrial and nuclear waste were highlighted. Specifically, Nader informed the listeners that each year an area the size of Connecticut, approximately 3.3 million acres is paved for parking lots, roads and other uses.
Nader stated that there are two ways to destroy the world, by nuclear destruction or by mistake. These mistakes are due to misinformation. This is what the 1958 graduate of Harvard Law School is concerned with.
He stressed the importance of education and understanding of environmental problems. Misinformation and denial of facts are Nader’s primary concern. He claimed we must be educated and we must act based on our knowledge in order to “combat the lucrative ignorance of people like Rush Limbaugh.”
Ralph Nader said that we must not fail to recognize that all regions of our ecosystem are interconnected. That quality makes the Earth vulnerable to damage in any area of the planet.
In order to protect our natural resources and be proud of our environmental legacy, we must modernize and become more efficient in our environmental actions.
In addition to the Tuesday night address, Nader spoke with pre-law students, law students, faculty, and other interested individuals about using the law in the public interest on Tuesday afternoon.
In a spirit true to Howard Zinn, Nader encouraged future legal professionals to empower “the small man.” He urged resistance to corporate pressures.
He stated “the greatest function of the law is prevention.” Protecting people through clearing houses like the ACLU, NAACP, and the Sierra Club or Nader’s creation, the Apple Seed Centers, are some ways to achieve this goal.
Nader encouraged a yearly state of justice address to be given by Attorneys General in states and published voting records in order to promote accountability and education. He stated that those actions could at least begin to inform citizens of the rights they do and do not have.
Nader concluded the small presentation with a general statement on law and the justice system. He noted it is not a static system. Rather, it is an ever-changing being. He urged the listeners to attempt to make the system better for the good of our global community. He continued, if we are not contributing to the betterment of the system and our community, we are making it worse through our inattention.
Nader’s message was simple. We must pay attention to what we are doing to our environment, what he calls, “this thin slice of life.”
The speaker noted several assaults we are inflicting on the Earth. Deforestation and industrial and nuclear waste were highlighted. Specifically, Nader informed the listeners that each year an area the size of Connecticut, approximately 3.3 million acres is paved for parking lots, roads and other uses.
Nader stated that there are two ways to destroy the world, by nuclear destruction or by mistake. These mistakes are due to misinformation. This is what the 1958 graduate of Harvard Law School is concerned with.
He stressed the importance of education and understanding of environmental problems. Misinformation and denial of facts are Nader’s primary concern. He claimed we must be educated and we must act based on our knowledge in order to “combat the lucrative ignorance of people like Rush Limbaugh.”
Ralph Nader said that we must not fail to recognize that all regions of our ecosystem are interconnected. That quality makes the Earth vulnerable to damage in any area of the planet.
In order to protect our natural resources and be proud of our environmental legacy, we must modernize and become more efficient in our environmental actions.
In addition to the Tuesday night address, Nader spoke with pre-law students, law students, faculty, and other interested individuals about using the law in the public interest on Tuesday afternoon.
In a spirit true to Howard Zinn, Nader encouraged future legal professionals to empower “the small man.” He urged resistance to corporate pressures.
He stated “the greatest function of the law is prevention.” Protecting people through clearing houses like the ACLU, NAACP, and the Sierra Club or Nader’s creation, the Apple Seed Centers, are some ways to achieve this goal.
Nader encouraged a yearly state of justice address to be given by Attorneys General in states and published voting records in order to promote accountability and education. He stated that those actions could at least begin to inform citizens of the rights they do and do not have.
Nader concluded the small presentation with a general statement on law and the justice system. He noted it is not a static system. Rather, it is an ever-changing being. He urged the listeners to attempt to make the system better for the good of our global community. He continued, if we are not contributing to the betterment of the system and our community, we are making it worse through our inattention.