Human rights activist speaks out at college
Topics include war, environment, politics
Kaycie Miller
Issue date: 10/26/09 Section: News
Pete McCloskey, former U.S. congressman and leader in the environmental movement, spoke about the relationship between human rights and environmental issues as part of the Human Rights Education Institute's "Water, Sex, China," Oct. 6 in the SUB.
McCloskey served as a representative for California in the 90th U.S. Congress and the seven subsequent Congresses. While serving, McCloskey was co-chairman of the first Earth Day in 1970, congressional delegate to the International Whaling Conference and adviser to the Law of the Sea Treaty Delegation. McCloskey was the first in the House to call for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon for obstruction of justice, and he ran for the presidency in 1972, challenging Nixon's Vietnam War policies.
"I was a politician for 15 years," he said. "Before that I thought politics was a dirty business and no honorable person went into political life, but those 15 years sort of confirmed my feeling, and perhaps most of you share a common view that most politicians are idiots and shouldn't be trusted with our future."
McCloskey made his living as an environmental and civil rights lawyer. Even though McCloskey is now retired, the law firm McCloskey is associated with recently filed a petition on behalf of the Inuit Indian Tribe because the people are losing their villages, homes and livelihood due to the effects of global warming on the lakes, rivers and wildlife.
"The environmental issue and the human rights issue have become sort of inextricably intertwined," he said.
McCloskey spoke about the environmental movement in the 70s.
"Earth Day in 1970 was almost entirely the creature of high school and college students. In 1970, those students changed the policy of the United States.
"There were no environmentalists to speak of in the Congress. Environmentalists in 1970 were looked on as either college students or little old ladies in tennis shoes that went out and looked at birds."
Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin at the time, recruited McCloskey to help those students pass the bill in the congress.
"It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday, and sitting out in meadows and on hilltops were a bunch of girls with flowers in their hair petting their dogs, drinking a little beer, maybe smoking a little pot," McCloskey said recalling the first Earth Day.
McCloskey called on people to take a stand in their communities.
"Unless the people, particularly young people, rise up and insist that their politicians change positions such as going to war in Iraq, or making war in places where we want to protect our sources of oil, or building dams in the few remaining rivers of America, driving people out of the valleys when those dams flood," he said.
"Water, Sex, China" is part of a two-year program started by HREI in January, called, "Fast Forward: Globalization and Human Rights."
McCloskey served as a representative for California in the 90th U.S. Congress and the seven subsequent Congresses. While serving, McCloskey was co-chairman of the first Earth Day in 1970, congressional delegate to the International Whaling Conference and adviser to the Law of the Sea Treaty Delegation. McCloskey was the first in the House to call for the impeachment of President Richard Nixon for obstruction of justice, and he ran for the presidency in 1972, challenging Nixon's Vietnam War policies.
"I was a politician for 15 years," he said. "Before that I thought politics was a dirty business and no honorable person went into political life, but those 15 years sort of confirmed my feeling, and perhaps most of you share a common view that most politicians are idiots and shouldn't be trusted with our future."
McCloskey made his living as an environmental and civil rights lawyer. Even though McCloskey is now retired, the law firm McCloskey is associated with recently filed a petition on behalf of the Inuit Indian Tribe because the people are losing their villages, homes and livelihood due to the effects of global warming on the lakes, rivers and wildlife.
"The environmental issue and the human rights issue have become sort of inextricably intertwined," he said.
McCloskey spoke about the environmental movement in the 70s.
"Earth Day in 1970 was almost entirely the creature of high school and college students. In 1970, those students changed the policy of the United States.
"There were no environmentalists to speak of in the Congress. Environmentalists in 1970 were looked on as either college students or little old ladies in tennis shoes that went out and looked at birds."
Gaylord Nelson, a senator from Wisconsin at the time, recruited McCloskey to help those students pass the bill in the congress.
"It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday, and sitting out in meadows and on hilltops were a bunch of girls with flowers in their hair petting their dogs, drinking a little beer, maybe smoking a little pot," McCloskey said recalling the first Earth Day.
McCloskey called on people to take a stand in their communities.
"Unless the people, particularly young people, rise up and insist that their politicians change positions such as going to war in Iraq, or making war in places where we want to protect our sources of oil, or building dams in the few remaining rivers of America, driving people out of the valleys when those dams flood," he said.
"Water, Sex, China" is part of a two-year program started by HREI in January, called, "Fast Forward: Globalization and Human Rights."
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