from congressman Dennis Kucinich

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 Marking the Sad Milestone
2,000 U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq as of October 25, 2005

October 27, 2005

On Tuesday CNN announced that the 2,000th U.S. soldier had been killed in Iraq, sparking vigils Wednesday all across the country. Congressman Kucinich said on the floor of the House Wednesday,

"Madam Speaker, we mark another sad and tragic milestone in the war in Iraq. Two thousand American soldiers have been killed in the war in Iraq.

"We must end this war. How many more of America's finest have to die for this war before we realize that the quagmire in Iraq cannot be solved by military force, and that our occupation is counterproductive?

"Iraq has been a colossal failure of American policy. From the beginning this administration has waged a campaign of misinformation and has continued to deliberately mislead the public and this Congress about the realities on the ground. The truth is that Iraq will never be free and the insurgency will not end until we end our occupation and allow the decisions about the future of Iraq to be made in Baghdad, not Washington.

"As Americans we lament the loss of every American life and every American injury and every Iraqi civilian casualty. We mourn the first casualties as much as the 2,000th casualty.

"Now more than ever, we need to support the troops. Support the troops by bringing them home."

The Homeward Bound resolution, H.J. Res. 55, is now backed by 63 House representatives, including five Republicans. The House joint resolution, originally sponsored by two Democrats (Neil Abercrombie and Dennis Kucinich) and two Republicans (Walter Jones and Ron Paul), gained another Republican cosponsor on October 19, Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York's 6th Congressional district. The other Republican consponsors are John Duncan of Tennessee and Wayne Gilchrist of Maryland.

You can support our troops by asking your representative to support H.J. Res. 55, urging withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq (Homeward Bound). On its introduction June 16, the resolution was referred to the House International Relations and Armed Services committees.



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Indifference is a Weapon of Mass Destruction
Kucinich Spells Out Priorities for Recovery

Updated September 4, 2005

 In a speech from the House Floor on Friday calling for more aid to people from devasted communities in the south, Dennis Kucinich said our "indifferent government is in a crisis of legitimacy" and charged that it ignores its basic responsibilities for the health and economic welfare of the American people. Kucinich warned that without fundamental changes in American government, last week's tragedy could multiply to "apocalyptic proportions."

The Nation Editor Katrina vanden Heuvel, in her blog, called Kucinich's speech "a powerful indictment of the Administration's disgraceful priorities."

Kucinich decried Administration disregard for the 2001 FEMA warning about the risk of a devastating hurricane hitting the people of New Orleans and the warnings for years by civil and Army engineers about the consequences of failure to strengthen the flood control system, and cuts from the budget of tens of millions of dollars which had been earmarked for Gulf area flood control projects.

Along with accountability for these appropriations, Kucinich called for the following actions:

Return of the 78,000 National Guard troops currently deployed overseas to help in the Gulf Coast region.
Return of equipment to the U.S. needed for search and rescue, clean up and reclamation.
Utilization of Federal resources, including closed Army bases, for temporary shelter of those displaced by the hurricane.
Planning now for the massive public works projects which will be needed to rebuild, with jobs going to the people of the Gulf Coast States.
Extension of Medicare to everyone to provide the physical and mental health care needed in the wake of the disaster.
Meaningful attention by the Federal Government to the research of scientists who have warned for years about the dangers of changes in the global climate, and prudent preparation in other regions of the country for the possibility of additional weather disasters.
Measures to prevent the profiting by oil companies from this tragedy.
A change in energy policies, to end the domination of oil and fossil fuel, and heavy investments in alternative energy, including wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels.
Kucinich said, "As bad as this catastrophe will prove to be, it is in fact only a warning. Our government must change its direction. It must become involved in making America a better place to live, a place where all may survive and thrive. It must get off the path of war and seek the path of peace, peace with the natural environment, peace with other nations, peace through a just economic system."

READ DENNIS'S ENTIRE SPEECH

IN OUR DISCUSSION FORUM:
  • Helping the survivors of Katrina
  • Hurricane Katrina - News
  • Effects of Katrina on oil & gas prices

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The Soul of the Worker and the American Restoration
September 5, 2005

Dennis Kucinich represents, in Washington, the people who make this country run - its workers. His outspoken advocacy for workers' rights and fair trade policy are forging new understandings about trade and work relationships. The only truly sustainable labor and trade practices are those that support the needs of all: the needs of workers for fair treatment, living wages and to bargain collectively; the needs of business for a level playing field; and the needs of the environment for proper stewardship and care.

Kucinich's successes in keeping manufacturers, government facilities and hospitals from closing in northeastern Ohio and elsewhere have saved thousands of jobs. His solidarity with workers fighting unfair wage cuts by highly-profitable employers have helped thousands of families maintain a decent standard of living. His unfaltering opposition to so-called 'free trade' agreements which deprive citizens and workers of their freedoms while they pave the road for multinational corporations to exploit people and the environment have helped millions understand what these trade pacts really do.

In 2002, Dennis gave a speech to the Iowa AFL-CIO State Convention that inspired workers across America to call for him to run for President. On Labor Day 2005, let us revisit those words which are as profound today as they were three years ago.

READ THE SOUL OF THE WORKER AND THE AMERICAN RESTORATION

DISCUSS WORKERS' RIGHTS IN OUR FORUM



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