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Enemy Of The People.....NOW (PBS) Developers/Environmentalist battle in Austin, TX.

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Dover Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Jun-14-07 03:54 PM
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Enemy Of The People.....NOW (PBS) Developers/Environmentalist battle in Austin, TX.
And on the Website an interview with Robert Redford about his connection to Barton Springs(in Austin).

NOW Newsletter: Friday, June 15, 2007 (Check local listings)

This Week on NOW: The Unforeseen

When environmentalists, developers, and activists clash, who wins?

In the 1970s and 80s, Land Developer Gary Bradley worked to transform Austin, Texas' pristine hill country into lucrative residential subdivisions, making both headlines and lots of money. When local residents learned of new plans to develop 4,000 acres over nearby Barton Creek, they rose up to stop Bradley and his partners in their tracks. Whereas the developers had strong connections in the Texas legislature – and a powerful ally in eventual Governor George W. Bush – the residents had an even stronger connection to their unspoiled home.

This week, NOW's David Brancaccio talks with filmmaker Laura Dunn about her documentary, "The Unforeseen," which captures the drama, passion, and heartfelt convictions on all sides of the conflict without making easy targets of any of them.

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Interview: Robert Redford

In a web-exclusive audio interview, David Brancaccio talks with legendary actor, director and environmentalist Robert Redford about his personal connection to Barton Springs and the new documentary "The Unforeseen."

This feature will launch Friday, June 15.

More About The Show: http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/324/index.html
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This reminds me of the famous Ibsen play titled, Enemy Of The People.

Play outline:

Dr. Stockmann is the popular citizen of a small coastal town in Norway. The town has recently invested a large amount of public and private money towards the development of baths, a project led by Dr. Stockmann and his brother, the Mayor. The town is expecting a surge in tourism and prosperity from the new baths, said to be of great medicinal value and as such, the baths are the pride of the town. However, as the baths are starting to succeed, Dr. Stockmann discovers that waste products from the town's tannery are contaminating the baths causing serious illness among the tourists. He expects this important discovery to be his greatest achievement, and promptly sends a detailed report to the Mayor, which includes a proposed solution, which would come at a considerable cost to the town.

But to his surprise, Stockmann finds it difficult to get through to the authorities. They seem unable to appreciate the seriousness of the issue and unwilling to publicly acknowledge and address the problem because it could mean financial ruin for the town. As the conflict ensues, the Mayor warns his brother that he should "acquiesce in subordinating himself to the community". Stockmann refuses to accept this, and rents a hall in order to hold a town meeting and convince the people to close the baths.

The townspeople - eagerly awaiting the prosperity that the baths are believed will bring - refuse to accept Stockmann's claims, as his friends and allies, who had explicitly given support for his campaign, turn against him en masse. He is taunted and denounced as a lunatic, an "Enemy of the People." In a scathing rebuke of both the Victorian notion of community and the principles of democracy, Dr. Stockmann proclaims that in matters of right and wrong, the individual is superior to the multitude, who are easily led by self-advancing demagogues. Stockmann sums up Ibsen's denunciation of the masses, with the memorable quote "...the strongest man in the world is the man who stands most alone."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Enemy_of_the_People
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