Turner: in his own words

Editor’s note: The following description of a recent fundraising dinner for Zero Population Growth ran on the front page of the organization’s site on the World Wide Web. Aside from pointing out that, despite the comments of Mr. Kostmayer and Mr. Wirth, “family planning” around the world, particularly in Haiti, is hardly ever “voluntary,” we run the account without comment.

By the time Ted Turner brought down the house by declaring, “We’re right and they’re wrong,” there was no question that a new day was being ushered in for ZPG. Hundreds of guests, including some of the most influential people in entertainment, business and government, packed the ballroom of the Manhattan Center across the street from Madison Square Garden. They were joined by ZPG members, supporters and staff from all over the country on hand to see ZPG honor Turner and his wife Jane Fonda.

The stage was graced with four of the most talented actresses in the world, Glenn Close, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Alexander and Jane Fonda, who between them have 22 Academy Award nominations and three Oscars. The dinner committee included such luminaries as Robert Redford, Rob Reiner, David Letterman, Joanne Woodward, Paul Newman, Oprah Winfrey and Pat Schroeder.

The dinner program contained congratulations and thanks from HBO, MTV, Random House, New Line Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment, NBC, UPS, Sony, Hilton and many others. This was a night about population, the environment, personal giving and public commitment.

In his opening remarks, ZPG executive director, Peter H. Kostmayer said:

In a world that is growing by 168 people every minute of every day, there is no greater challenge facing us than that of stabilizing world population. We must provide comprehensive, age appropriate sex education in our schools. We must make voluntary family planning available to everyone who wants and needs it. We must make the education and empowerment of women our top priority. It is dedicated people like you who will make a difference. We thank you for your continued support and we thank you for being here tonight to honor Ted Turner and Jane Fonda.

As dinner was being served, UN Ambassador Bill Richardson took time out from a UN Security Council meeting on Iraq to come across town and speak.

He apologized for not having time to change out of his business suit and into a tuxedo, but he said that he felt that it was important that he be at the dinner.

“The ability to tackle social, economic and even political problems will be impossible,” he said, “if we don’t first get a handle on population growth.”

He stress [sic] the importance of ZPG’s work in international family planning and invoked the vision in the Plan of Action from the Cairo Population Conference, “based on the core principles of human rights, gender equality and an improved standard of living. That is why the work of NGO groups such as ZPG is so important not just for our own country but for the world’s future.”

After dinner, Gerald Levin, CEO of Time Warner (who master of ceremonies Chevy Chase described as, “the only person that Ted Turner calls ‘boss’”), said that Ted and Jane’s “consciousness, compassion and commitment serves as a personal example in the cause of human dignity.” He went on to announce the establishment of the “Turner Fonda Project which will he coordinated by ZPG to focus on issues involving population and the environment by helping young people become informed participants in shaping public policy.”

In presenting Jane Fonda with the ZPG Humanitarian Award, actress and former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, Jane Alexander said, “She is always a step or a day or a decade ahead of others in her thinking. She has kept us on our toes. And now she has turned her attention to the prevention of teen pregnancy and she will make a profound difference. She cares about kids. She knows how to talk to them and they respect her. She tells it like it is.

“She has already made her mark on the world because she cares so much about it and the land and the people and the legacy we leave our children. This will be her lifelong commitment. We are very, very proud that Zero Population Growth has chosen Jane Fonda for its first Humanitarian Award.”

Jane Fonda spoke about how Vanessa Redgrave served as a role model for her when she first got involved in social activism. Jane said she got involved because she believed it was important. “I’m very honored by this award. I think the work of Zero Population Growth is important beyond belief. I was especially happy that Peter Kostmayer and Ambassador Bill Richardson both mentioned not just family planning but the importance of educating and empowering young girls and women. We can’t get anywhere in this area without family planning. This is a very complicated and comprehensive issue and it needs comprehensive solutions.”

Under Secretary of State, Timothy Wirth, stressed the importance of population stabilization and told a story about Haiti. When the Haitian prime minister had only a few seconds to tell the US Secretary of State the most important thing about his country, he chose to tell the Secretary, “My country cannot sustain its population of 7 million people, yet in 18 years we will double to 14 million.”

“That,” said Secretary Wirth, “is a commentary on the continued need for the leadership of the United States of America to provide a very clear and strong voice at a time when people don’t want to talk about the issue of population stabilization. At a time when it means that politicians have to talk about religion or sex — these are difficult issues and politicians are risk-averse. It is up to all of us and the great work of ZPG, the great work of all of you to continue to push our political institutions to take the leadership we expect of them.”

As Glenn Close began to introduce Ted Turner, she was interrupted by a voice over the public address system that everyone recognized. Larry King wished Ted a happy birthday and then lead the New York City Labor Chorus in a rousing rendition of, Happy Birthday. The Walt Disney Company CEO, Michael Eisner, sent along an original framed cartoon cell of Jiminy Cricket as a present — because Ted has said that he wants to be like Jiminy Cricket, “the conscience of the world.”

In her presentation of the ZPG Leadership Award to Ted Turner, Glenn Close said, “You are such a fierce, fierce visionary. Not only did you establish CNN and turn us into a global village. You then cared desperately about what goes into that village and we thank you.”

“No area is more important than managing human numbers in a sensible way,” said Turner in his acceptance speech. “We have to live in an intelligent manner so that we walk as lightly as we can on the earth. We have to take a holistic approach. I really believe that there are huge forces arrayed against us. The forces of ignorance, lack of education and prejudice and hatred and fear. The forces of darkness in general.

“And then on our side we have the forces of light. The force of education, the force of’ understanding, the force of intelligence, the force of courage. How can we not win? We’re smarter than they are.

“In the end, I’ll put my money on the smart people against the dummies. If the smarts can’t beat the dumbs, we’re really not that smart, are we? And we have a lot more fun than they do, because we’re right and they’re wrong!”

As the guests collected their coats and move toward the exits, ZPG board president, Dr. Judith Jacobsen, stood in the center of the ballroom and remarked. “It was wonderful and heartening to see people of fame and stature use the phrase zero population growth as a household world. They accept as a matter of course that it is a good idea… something we have been working toward for three decades. I think that ZPG has stepped into another league. I love it!”

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