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(A J ale of iwo Women
Marjon Stonemnan Douglas and Mlaijoric 1 larris Carr
Segment: Marjories talk about elected officials, James Watt and Reaganism
Source: Interview with Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Marjorie Harris Carr. Videotaped in Islamorada,
Published 1985.
Length of Segment: 00:02:33
Transcript and audio recording are copyright 1983-2009 Florida International University.
TRANSCRIPT
We were just in the middle of your talking about how the appointed officials reflect the attitudes of the
elected officials, who appoint them. Could you restate that, because we had to stop?"
MSD: "Yes, your question was about the attitude. At the moment, the present administration doesn't
seem to understand much about the environment, so the appointed officials, like Watt, are completely
off base. So, that's the way things go, occasionally, with political policies, that are more political than
environmental and it has stirred us up terribly."
M Carr: "It's a tragedy, what's happening, I think the worst thing that probably has happened is what it
has done to the very fine people in EPA, in the Department of the Interior. There were fine people,
there. Now a lot of them have been fired. Those that are left...it must be a terrible psychological
burden..."
MSD: "Yes, yes."
M Carr: "...to work under James Watt..."
MSD: "Oh, I think it must be."
M Carr: "...and be a responsible sensible person. It must just be crucified!"
MSD: "Well, it is...but if they want... some of them are trying to hang in there..."
M Carr: "Right."
MSD: "...in hopes that it gets changed, but it has been, after fifty years of fairly steady improvement, as
you say, from the point of view of the Department of Interior, with the expansion of the National Park
System, in fact the development of the national parks has come in the last fifty years, and so on. It's a
terrible thing. I suppose that's the way life is. It goes forward and then it checks for awhile."
M Carr: "It's never been this bad."
MSD: "No."
M Carr: "It's always been a bipartisan attitude toward the environment."
MSD: "Yes."
M Carr: "And why you may change the individuals with a new administration, the policies have been..."
MSD: "Yes."
M Carr: "This is a complete reversal. This Reaganism is a complete reversal."
MSD: "Yes."
M Carr: "It's wicked. Really wicked. "
MSD: "And it hasn't happened, since Theodore Roosevelt"
M Carr: "That's right. Wicked."
MSD: "Yes, it really is wicked. I really do hope that we can get rid of the man. Political advertisement,
this is." (chuckle)
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