This is the guy we need in the White House. As far as I'm concerned, in 2008, no one else will do.
Greetings. This week at
http://www.kucinich.us:Kucinich and Abercrombie prepare legislation for Iraq withdrawal
Dennis Kucinich and Congressman Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) are working on legislation to establish a timeline for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Writing in USA Today on May 16 Kucinich and Abercrombie wrote:
"We feel this course, with its echoes of Vietnam, is unsustainable. It has already added $200 billion to our national debt and costs U.S. taxpayers more than $1 billion per month. It jeopardizes the strategic interests of the United States, particularly in Asia and the Pacific. It alienates allies in the Muslim world and elsewhere, hindering efforts to create a united global front against al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations."
"Unlike World War II, where the enemy surrendered and the troops came home, there is no such prospect in Iraq. We must define an endpoint. We will soon introduce legislation to achieve that goal by bringing the occupation of Iraq to a close. The troops have done their job. It's up to Congress and the president to forge a policy worthy of their sacrifices."
Kucinich says failure to challenge the war led to Democrats' defeat
Speaking on May 11 about some congressional Democrats' decision to take the war off the table and focus on other issues, Kucinich said:
"It is not a new strategy. It was pursued by congressional Democrats in 2002 when our leadership supported the war in Iraq. We lost. It was furthered in 2004 when our nominee supported the war. We lost. We lost a chance to regain the Congress and take back the White House, and the American people lost a chance for a new start. Why? Because we did not challenge the central vulnerability of the administration that led this country into war, into a war based on lies and misrepresentations.
"Democrats' failure to challenge the war represents a failure of the two-party system. For the Democrats to become politically viable in 2006 and 2008, we must take on this administration on the War on Iraq, not giving them more money to keep the war going. We must move to cut off funds, to bring our troops home, to get out of Iraq, to make those who lied to us to get us into war accountable, to hold them accountable in the courts."
See also Dennis's Open Letter to Howard Dean .
Kucinich and Brown team up to oppose CAFTA
Dennis and Sherrod Brown, Member of Congress from Ohio's 13th Congressional District, have teamed up in a couple of eloquent addresses to the House in the past week to speak against CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
On May 11, Kucinich joined Brown on the Floor to address specifically provisions of CAFTA which would strengthen pharmaceutical patent protection in affected countries, while denying citizens of those regions much-needed access to affordable generic drugs. Dennis said: "The Central American countries that would be affected by CAFTA have significant health problems. AIDS, for instance, is more prevalent in the CAFTA countries taken as a whole than in the United States. According to Dr. Manuel Munoz, the director of Medecins Sans Frontiere's AIDS treatment program in Honduras, 'HIV/AIDS kills one person in Honduras every 2 hours, because the vast majority of people with HIV/AIDS cannot afford lifesaving AIDS medicines.' Malaria and tuberculosis are also prevalent. As a result, the people of these countries need greater access to essential medicines. Yet, CAFTA will make access more difficult for most residents and impossible for too many of them."
Yesterday, May 18, Kucinich again took the Floor with Brown to speak more broadly against CAFTA. Dennis said, "All of these trade agreements have been about one thing and one thing only--cheap labor. Corporations create conditions where they help to pass these agreements so that they can move jobs out of this country ... but the jobs in the other countries are not benefiting people because they are working, in some cases, far below the poverty level...."
"The trade agreements are written specifically to preclude workers having the right to collective bargaining, the right to organize, the right to strike, the right to decent wages and benefits, the right to a safe workplace, the right to be compensated if
are injured on the job, the right to a secure retirement, the right to participate in the political process. All of those are swept aside under CAFTA as they were under NAFTA."
Dennis also spoke against CAFTA on May 4.
Uncovered 2002 meetings discussing a pretext for war go largely unreported in U.S.
Administration claims of a failure in intelligence-gathering leading up to attacking Iraq are cast into doubt by the revelations published in the London Times on May 1 describing meetings between U.S. and U.K. officials where U.S. plans to attack were discussed eight months before the invasion began. Read the London Times story.
The story draws upon recently-uncovered minutes from a July 2002 meeting held between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and senior advisors where one advisor makes reference to a meeting he had just come from with senior U.S. officials in Washington. From the minutes:
"C reported on his recent talks in Washington. There was a perceptible shift in attitude. Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action."
Read our article on this, and see considerable additional resources and links with followup commentary on our forum.
Kucinich announces legislation to ban space weapons
As reported in yesterday's New York Times the military and the White House are discussing a renewed push for space-based weapons. Addressing the House yesterday, Kucinich called this "astronomical arrogance" and questioned the morality of such an initiative while pointing out the incredible cost of space-based weapons. Read the floor speech.
This morning Dennis announced legislation, H.R. 2420 - which has 28 co-sponsors so far - to counter space-based weapons programs. Watch for more information on how you can help gain passage of this legislation at http://www.kucinich.us.
Kucinich delivers lengthy Social Security speech to Congress
Dennis seized an opportunity last night to address Congress at length on Social Security. He reminded members that Social Security was created as an insurance program, and should not be seen as an investment. He asked members to recall the reasons the program was enacted in 1934. Dennis said Franklin Roosevelt "recognized that the function and purpose of a democratic society is to make sure that people have economic security, the security of a job, the security of a home, and the security of a solid retirement." Dennis then went on to explain some of the critically-flawed logic that is being offered as justification for privatization.
Like the speech? Order the video.
If what you read in Dennis's floor speech about Social Security makes you want to learn more, order Kucinich's Town Hall DVD. This 55-minute video is jam-packed with facts, figures, references and analysis which utterly debunk the myths the Administration is trying to spread. Order your copy here.
Like Dennis's work? Contribute.
We need to increase the contributions coming in. Monthly donations we can count on are especially important. When Dennis has to step away from his congressional work to do fundraising it affects how much he can get done - we'd rather see him stay focused while we take care of getting the bills paid. If you are in a position to help, please do. We are accepting contributions for both the 2006 primary and general elections at this time - the limit for each election is $2,100. You may contribute online here. Those wishing to contribute by check will find a contribution form to download and print at the top of that page.
'Til next time,
Turo Dexter
Webmaster, kucinich.us
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