I’m always wary of big names coming to protests. Kennedys are a mixed bag. John, Jr., used his magazine George to publicize what truly happened to his father when he was murdered, and then his plane *cough* mysteriously crashes while Ted Kennedy makes haste to remove any evidence that would show wrongdoing. It’s been awhile since I read Joe Kane’s book, Savages, but if I recall correctly, Robert Kennedy was not that helpful towards the indigenous of the rainforest when they were fighting Big Oil. After Big Oil had begun to illegally drill for oil on their land, they began seeing pools of oil on top of the soil. Their water became contaminated and they began having respiratory and other diseases. They fought hard against Big Oil, but in the end, they lost their beautiful paradise. And their precious culture.
I mean, it’s great if big names want to support the effort, but cynical me wonders if it is not just about getting one’s name and face in the media. It’s a double edged sword where a big name might bring attention to the effort, but not be that helpful or truly understand and embrace the entire meaning behind the fight. This is more than about oil — it’s the big fight against the Dark and Light.