Dennis Kucinich is a visionary leader who actualizes his passionate commitment to public service, peace, human rights, workers rights and the environment with a powerful activism on Capitol Hill. He supports the men and women who serve our country, along with our Alaska Congressman Don Young and many others, as evidenced by their recent co-sponsorship of H.R. 23, which seeks to provide benefits to merchant mariners and others who served during World War II. But he questioned the proof of weapons of mass destruction early on and was one of the first legislators to actively oppose the invasion of Iraq. He was the 2003 recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize.
Since his return to Capitol Hill he continues to advocate the creation of a Cabinet level Department of Peace, to make nonviolence an organizing principle in our society.
This vision strives to find commonalities, the points where unity can be formed. He believes the United States can best lead the way by supporting the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the Kyoto Climate Change Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention; joining the International Criminal Court; and signing the Landmine Treaty and the Small Arms Treaty.
He continues to offer a voice of integrity in the U.S. House of Representatives and has been a leading voice for universal health care, a full employment economy, fully paid tuition at public colleges and universities, repeal of the Patriot Act, the development of bio-fuels as alternative energy and restoration of America's basic manufacturing and infrastructure. He is currently leading an effort to support the role of NASA in the development of basic research for civil aeronautics.
The recent Celebration of Peace and Reconciliation in Homer underscored the true depth and duration of the devastation of war. The legacy of war is far reaching: Agent orange from Vietnam, the Gulf War Syndrome and now depleted uranium. It is not only possible but crucial to make peace a unifying force at this critical time in our world development.
Our Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea is a special place, part of the greater world, and for us, it is good to know that way down yonder on Capitol Hill there is someone who carries our hopes with a powerful, ethical voice for nuclear disarmament, preservation of the ABM treaty, banning weapons in outer space and a halt to the development of a Star Wars-type missile defense technology. Here is an excerpt from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on May 19 taken from Dennis Kucinich's Web site:
"Mr. Speaker, the administration, through senior Air Force officials, wants the U.S. to achieve military supremacy in outer space. Dominating all earth from outer space will have an out-of-this-world price tag, perhaps more than $1 trillion.
"A question: Why reach for the stars with guns in our hands? Are there weapons of mass destruction on Mars?
"Yesterday 28 members of Congress signed on to H.R. 2420, a bill to stop the weaponization of space, urging the president to sign an international treaty to ban such weapons. If we work together towards creating peace on earth, we would not bring war to the high heavens.
"While some fantasize about being 'masters of the universe,' there are 45 million Americans without health insurance. Corporations are reneging on pension obligations. Social Security is under attack. We are headed towards a $400 billion annual budget deficit, a $600 billion trade deficit, an $8 trillion national debt. The cost of the war in Iraq is over $200 billion. While we build new bases in Iraq, we close them in the United States. Earth to Washington, D.C., come home."
And in an effort to both help consumers and encourage those trying to use less oil, Dennis Kucinich sponsored the Gas Price Spike Act of 2005, co-sponsored by 33 members of Congress.
Again, from Mr. Kucinich's Web site; "The bill will address the spike in price of gasoline by placing a windfall profits tax on oil companies; giving tax credits for the purchase of ultra efficient vehicles; and provide federal grants to reduced mass transit fares."
For some of us, the current situation in our country seems hopeless. Just knowing Dennis Kucinich is an active member of the U.S. House gives us the hope we need to believe in a brighter future for us all.
Laura Brooks, Darlene Hiderbrand, Frani Scheffel and Kate Finn are Homer residents who supported Dennis Kucinich in his 2004 bid for the U.S. presidency. For more about Dennis Kucinich, see his Web site at www.kucinich.us.
We encourage you to add your comments. To prevent spam, comments with links are manually approved during the normal business day. Please be respectful of others with your comments, bear in mind anyone in the community may be reading your comments.
