INT – Senator's Office, Capital Hill The typically pristine office is in a quiet state of disorder. disorder. Papers, binders and even books lie on every surface. An aide, JOHNSON, is the boy next door. He is lies on his back, rapidly flipping the binder his his holding overhead. Another aide, RICHARDS, is a prettier and better dressed girl than you'd expect for the position. She's bend over a pile of papers, papers, her back to Johnson. JOHNSON: What about if we-RICHARDS No. JOHNSON You didn't even let-RICHARDS Doesn't matter. JOHNSON Why not? RICHARDS Because you're a moron. JOHNSON We're all morons when it comes to this. RICHARDS Then you must be first among equals. eq uals. (beat) What were you going to say? JOHNSON You that desperate?
Richards spins around in her chair, standing up. RICHARDS Yep. JOHNSON Okay, Okay, so what if we go with some kind of uncertainty principle? Say that just because it works sometimes doesn't mean that it always is. Like, just because it could work, you know, know, on frogs doesn't meant that it could work—where are you going? Richards rises out of her chair with an old-school yellow notepad in hand and walks out the office, heels beginning to click-clack on tiled floor. INT – A CONFERENCE ROOM A group of Senators, jackets hung on the back of their chairs and slouching every which way with bad posture. Their eyes have rings rings around them. A hundred empty, empty, paper coffee cups are strewn about the room. An older man, SEN BANPROP, BANPROP, is droning on about regulatory theory and practice. Richards enters the room and makes her way over to a man around 50 leaning back in his seat. He is SEN CAMP, CAMP, and he looks fresher than the rest, his age a good decade below everyone else in the room. He sits up when he sees Richards and sticks out his hand for her notepad in an entitled way. Camp flips through the pages of ink scrawled notes and raises a brow, looking up to Richards. CAMP The sacrosanct majesty of nature? Richards shrugs, Camp keeps flipping through the pages. CAMP (con't) The part about human enterprise is good. Lose the graph after. Richards nods, takes the notepad and scurries out of the room in stark contrast with her earlier gait. After she leaves a light on the wall blinks slowly a few times. times. A SEN. THURMB sees it. THURMB
Fucking finally. finally. Let's go, come on. BANPROP And remember, we have to stay unified out there. The opposition Is ready to keep everything in line, we need to as well. THURMB Stick up your ass, Berry. Berry. Come on, someone wake the old man.
An Aide shakes awake SEN TULLY TULLY, an ancient, wizened man. TULLY All in favor? CAMP Just don't let him die before we get him out there. INT – SENATE JUDICARY COMITTEEE The spectators gallery is is packed. Reporters kneel sending off off picture flashes at the the senators senators like like salvos salvos in in a war. war. A SEN KYLE KYLE has the spotlig spotlight. ht. He is slick slick in his 30s and has perfect black politician hair. KYLE And this is why we must not be afraid to get rid of this needless regulation. Government didn't create this amazing technology, the private sector did. If the Federal Government can't even make simple things like the tax code work, how do you expect them to perfect on nature itself? itself? Private industry will save the environment in addition to the job creators no longer having to suffer under burdens. Muted applause moves through the gallery, a call to order comes from the g avel banging of CHAIRPERSON. CHAIRPERSON The Gentleman from Vermont, Vermont, Senator Camp, has one minute. CAMP It is one thing to disagree with regulation that isn't working. Nobody here likes the IRS. Me included.
Camp flashes an ambitious smile for the audience from his high-backe d chair. CAMP (con't) But it's quite another thing to rollback something Americans have grown to depend on. Something the helps all of us. The idea that just because the technology exists to resurrect life does not mean that we can take a system that works for granted. The Environmental Protection Protection Act has been a cornerstone of our legislation. It helps us protect the sacrosanct majesty of-Camp looks at the notes he has and fumbles with them. CAMP (con't) Majesty of-Camp takes a deep breath and throws the notes aside. CAMP (con't) It's a stupid idea. It's not the first time time we've heard it either. either. Every time someone comes along with something that captures media attention that is just simple enough for all of us to understand someone on that side of the aisle can't wait to use it as a reason to get rid of regulation that doesn't hurt anyone but the biggest of businesses. You know it, I know it, and I'm damned tired of pretending otherwise. Camp takes a deep breath. CAMP I was once asked by a colleague what the residents of Easter Island were thinking when they cut down the last tree they had. I didn't have an answer then, then, but I do now. now. “Stop, someone stop this.” this.” The idea that we can change regulations on the environment because we can bring frogs and grass back to life is just stupid. Johnson smiles brightly. brightly. He turns it to a cocky, cocky, knowing grin as he turns to Richards. CAMP I'm almost out of time so I'll conclude with this. Nature
is something we should protect, not endanger. Don't let any company exploits it for a profit tell you any different.
INT – TELEVISON SET A TALKING TALKING HEAD reads in a proper boring baritone . TALKING HEAD ...a stunning reversal coming from Republican party leadership. No word as yet as to how the repeal failed by two votes. Again, this just coming coming in now. now. We have more questions than answers....
INT – CAMP'S OFFICE
Camp lays back in his chair looking half-dead and entirely defeated except for the shit-eating shit-eating grin on his face. Banprop sits across from him. BANPROP That's going to play well in you district. CAMP That all? BANPROP Well it should do okay nationally, too. You may have become beco me a household name. Camp just smiles BANPROP (con't) So if that happens, tell me, was this an organic response or pre-planned ambition? CAMP If the everglades can't tell the difference between a frog it made and some soup cooked up in a lab, how do you expect me to know?
