TIME
In Washington, it is said, a gaffe is when someone speaks his mind. Secretary of the Interior Donald Hodel spoke his mind last week — and the laughs still have not died down. Hodel recommended against signing an international agreement to reduce chlorofluorocarbons, the ingredient in aerosol sprays believed responsible for the depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. Instead, he suggested the use of hats and sunglasses to guard against the lethal sunlight of an ozoneless atmosphere. Within hours, environmentalists and other Administration officials mercilessly attacked the proposal. Hodel, hatless and sans sunglasses, retreated by saying that the plan was only one of several options.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- How Donald Trump Won
- The Best Inventions of 2024
- Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer
- How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits
- Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- 22 Essential Works of Indigenous Cinema
- Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders
Contact us at letters@time.com