In this powerful indictment of George W. Bush's White House, environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., charges that the administration has taken corporate favoritism to unprecedented heights -- threatening our health, our national security, and our democracy.

Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration, in order to enrich its corporate paymasters, has eviscerated the laws that protect our nation's air, water, public lands, and wildlife. He describes the White House doling out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to energy barons while allowing the corporations to profit by poisoning the public and eliminating security at the more than 15,000 nuclear and chemical facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. He shows how right-wing White House ideologues have taken the "conserve" out of conservatism and trampled the free-market democracy in favor of a kind of corporate-crony capitalism that is as antithetical to democracy, efficiency, and prosperity in America as it is in Nigeria.

Crimes Against Nature is a book for both Democrats and Republicans, people like the traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen whom Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters. "Without exception," he writes, "these people see the current administration as the greatest threat not just to their livelihoods but to their values, their sense of community, and their idea of what it means to be American."

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 83 reviews)

Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate...

This book will give the reader a deeper insight into the dealings of G. W. Bush and his corporate pals' greed and manipulation of America's resources and, thus, the hijacking of our Democracy. I was really surprised and shocked. The American public should be concerned with their country's leadership and environmental concerns and take the time to read Mr. Kennedy's expose and perhaps get involved!
October 19, 2008

Costs of ignorance

The loathing our current Administration and its corporate powers have for the United States as exposed here will shock anyone believing they are "fighting for America" or have the slightest interest in anything outside power and personal gain. What we find through their repeated and flagrant disregard is proof they would rather sacrifice the nation for profit than pay any cost, however small, for honesty. They have mastered sound-bite word games by merely naming their intents to suit the media and opposition, such as the "Clean Skies Program" (allowance for industry to pollute our atmosphere), the "Healthy Forest Initiative" (written to clear cut old growth forests), or "Wise Use" resources (slash and burn polices meant to reward millions in political contributions). All under the guise of "reform" and "streamlining" the law, from a president who thinks Constitutional law mandating oversight of the Executive by Legislature is a mistake. (Even now we find tomatoes poisoned with salmonella cannot be tracked to their source because Bush et. al. gave its nod to agribusiness wanting to avoid such practice as it takes time and money. Is it tomatoes? FDA can't even tell that. FDA warned of such incidents a year ago due to Bush's restrictions and trimming of their inspection and enforcement arm in order to satisfy his agribusiness contributors. Weeks after nearly 1000 infections, our White House decided it might be a good idea to track produce for the moment.) RFK lists the names, corporations and how many millions changed hands to get these "initiatives" written by lobbyists from the very companies they're meant to regulate, based on their understanding of "sound science". By an administration manipulating scientific data from national labs or merely suppressing it, and a president who thinks religion should be taught in science class. RFK's book only treats these health and environmental crimes, not rampant Constitutional violations, not Iraq, not open border policies meant to enrich commerce. The Founder's would roll in their graves were they to see at what depths their creation has been corrupted. The disdain, hypocrisy, and betrayal even to the precepts of their own religion as shills for the moneychangers reveals our White House has no boundaries. Sleaze and vulgarities of the Clinton Administration seem now as feckless childhood memories.

RFK lists operatives hired from oil, gas and coal appointed to control EPA, Interior, the Forest Service and any organization once meant to insure our health and future of the landscape. Instead all is to be razed as quickly as possible before the next administration, which "might" not be so reckless. Opposition has been silenced, transferred, their offices ransacked and forced to acquiesce or else. Nixon-like break-ins, once riveting the nation, aren't noticed as our media, now owned by corporate giants (NBC/GE, ABC/Disney, CBS/previously Westinghouse) refuse to report anything implicating their paymasters or comrades in the White House. Without investigative reporting on corruption, harried Americans don't know about it as corporate profits soar (good) because they're no longer required to clean up their mess (bad). Instead, citizens pay for it though elevations in mercury, arsenic, BPA poisoning, higher asthma rates among children and loss of streams, landscapes and forests habitable by nothing but stumps, mining tailings and pathogens. (And after all this big business pandering, our economy is still in the tank.) Consider what differences exist between Bush / Cheney's plutocracy in which the populous is patronized and ignored, mass wealth is funneled to corporate giants, the environment is trampled with reckless abandon, and that of totalitarian "Communist" China today.

RFKs shortcomings are his clichés like "right wing bigot"; his hillbilly comparison of red to blue states in his last chapter (which should have been deleted) on why Bush won his second term (with Gore 0.5% over Bush in popular votes all states were purple); Reagan's release of the Fairness Doctrine, while ignoring Clinton nailed the coffin on this plan (he does note this in personal lectures); and other such slants making his book appear directed to a Liberal audience, when this is a text for everyone regardless of our usual excess emphasis on party dogmas.

While it might be argued that as a Liberal RFK would rather over-regulate, it's clear from his book and external references (many if not most of his references are sympathetic) that leaving regulation up to business is like leaving the fox to police his hen house. Even after 9/11 and the "War On Terror", at time of writing, chemical facilities, oil refineries, and nuclear plants noted as prime value targets to terrorists have no security measures as the Administration is leaving that up to companies that run them. So much for national security. Such corruption is as old as time, repeated on so many occasions throughout history as to be passé, but few if any have done it so well as Bush / Cheney. Perhaps these two will be remembered for something after all.
June 28, 2008

Bobby Jr.

If you are passionate about our "commons", this book is for you. Under George W. Bush, our natural resources are for sale to the highest bidder with the profits going to the privileged few. One of the great things about being an American is the legacy we all share in the form of our commons; clean air, clean water, open spaces, forests, mountains, streams, lakes etc. These belong to all of us to share and enjoy. The "ownership society" wants to strip us of our national treasure, sell it off and keep the profits. This is the most daring crime ever committed and we are hardly aware of it. Read this thought provoking book.
January 08, 2008

Blames far too much on Bush

I can only spot one glaring error:

On page 2, the author states, "I want to be very clear here: This book is not about a Democrat attacking a Republican administration."

If I had a dime every time he used the phrase "right wing," the book would be free.

Nothing's "left wing" just right wing. He seems to lay all blame for all time at the hands of George, Jr. Hey, the guy's made some terrible environmental blunders but I don't recall any radical environmental improvements during Bill Clinton's eight (8) years. In fact, I'll go record saying that the Clean Air Amendments of 1990 (signed by George, Sr.) have been the most significant air regulations in the last 17 years. Why didn't Clinton mandate and phase in all the CAFE standards during his tenure? Probably, because both parties of Congress have to address the economy first, the environment second.

Kennedy takes his environmental stance too far when he quotes a constitutent on page 85, "With a president who doesn't believe in evolution, it's hard to imagine what kind of scientific evidence would suffice..." By making the environment his religion, his arguments start sounding like fanatical ramblings.

Is Bush really responsible for Hurricane Katrina? For the polluted Hudson River? For all of America's pollution problems? Was all the environmental degradation done only on his watch? What about the failures of past president's and their lack of environmental leadership?

True, Bush has passed on his chance to wean us off foreign oil while improving the environment (primarily by addressing auto pollution and alternative technologies) but so has every president up to now.
October 13, 2007

Which pill would you like to take the blue pill or the red pill(CAN)

One of the things I find most disturbing in this, book is that Mr. Kennedy describes a strange and creepy right wing character that at one time had been following him around the country while he lectured. This freaky individuals behavior amounted to stalking and harrasing Mr. Kennedy. Not until this right wing individual was arrested and confined to his state of residence, did he stop harrasing Bobby Kennedy Jr. Considering the horrible and evil way in which Mr. Kennedy's father and uncle Jack were killed it sickens me to think of a someone stalking and harrassing him.

With class and dignity Mr. Kennedy emphasizes that his book has nothing to do with Republican versus Democrat. He states that the environment belongs to all of us. Not just one political affiliatation. In fact in his book he mentions several occasions where Republicans and Democrats work together for environmental causes.

Crimes Against Nature was a real eye opener for me. You have to read this book. After reading this book I felt betrayed by the Bush administration. This administration is responsible for over 400 major implemented or proposed environmental rollbacks. This administration has accepted over 100 million dollars from the energy industry, and has in turn rewarded them by putting polluter lobbyist in key government positions that were meant to protect our natural resources.

If I were to have named this book, I would have named it "Organized Crimes against Nature". No innocent blunders have been mistakenly made by the Bush adminsitration with regards to over 400 environmental rollbacks. They were all intentional.

August 18, 2007

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The RIVERKEEPERS: Two Activists Fight to Reclaim Our Environment as a Basic Human Right
by John Cronin, Robert Kennedy
by Al Gore

An Inconvenient Truth: The Planetary Emergency of Global Warming and What We Can Do About It
by Al Gore

Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy
by Jr., Robert F. Kennedy
by Dennis Nolan

The Sustainability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift
by Andres R. Edwards
by David W. Orr

The Assault on Reason
by Al Gore