Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, has been an outspoken critic of U.S. military action in Libya since it began six months ago, even saying President Barack Obama’s policy amounted to “an impeachable offense.”
Now, as Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s regime appears to be toppling, Kucinich is ramping up his criticism with the contention that NATO commanders in Libya should be tried in court for killing civilians, Politico reports.
“NATO’s top commanders may have acted under color of international law, but they are not exempt from international law,” Kucinich said in a statement issued today.
“If members of the Gadhafi regime are to be held accountable, NATO’s top commanders must also be held accountable through the International Criminal Court for all civilian deaths resulting from bombing,” Kucinich said. “Otherwise, we will have witnessed the triumph of a new international gangsterism.”
Representative Dennis Kucinich, (D- Ohio) attacks Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker for his trashing of workers’ rights. The Governor signed a bill that eliminated most collective bargaining rights for public employees. This “Speak Up For Workers’ Rights” rally happened after a massive protest at Wisconsin’s state capitol.
Kucinich on Obama: “Where is he?”
From: UpTakeVideo | Mar 13, 2011
Rep. Dennis Kucinich spoke with The UpTake after a forum for worker’s rights in Madison, Wisconsin. Asked about President Obama’s absence in Madison, Kucinich said: “He should be here. Where is he? He made a statement that he’s standing behind the workers – he should be standing in front of them. He’s the President. Lead. Show people you’re dedicated to worker’s rights.” Filmed at the Barrymore Theater in Madison, Wisconsin on 3/12/11.Interview by Jacob Wheeler for The UpTake
As the frogwater becomes noticably warm, the AIPAC oriented congress along with a senate that is directly tied to the shadow government quietly acquiecse to eternal war and the invasion of Iran.
All this because of a war that was started based on a lie; weapons of mass destruction, the same reason that is being used for Iran. and implemented by accusations of terrorists in airliners flying into the World Trade Center buildings WTC 1 & WTC 2.
As many folks now believe the official story of the collapse of the buildings was fabricated and promoted by the NIST, it is important that there be an open and independent investigation to analyse the overly abundent evidence that there was more to it than airplanes, Al Qaeda, building fires and gravity.
Huff Post- Ryan Grim First Posted: 03-17-10 10:15 AM | Updated: 03-17-10 10:51 AM
After an intense White House lobbying effort, Dennis Kucinich announced on Wednesday morning that he has decided to vote for health care reform when it comes before the House in the next few days, reversing his previous position and giving a boost to President Obama, congressional leaders and the reform effort.
“In the past week it’s become clear that the vote on the final health bill will be very close,” Kucinich said at a Capitol Hill news conference. “I take this vote with the utmost seriousness. I’m quite aware of the historic fight, which has lasted the last century.
“I have doubts about the bill. This is not the bill I wanted to support,” Kucinich said even as he promised that he would vote “yes” on the proposal.
“If my vote is to be counted, let it count now for passage of the bill, hopefully in the direction of comprehensive health care reform,” the Ohio Democrat said.
Kucinich had been one of the few remaining holdouts who felt that the bill did not go far enough. Kucinich, a former presidential candidate, objected that the bill did not include a robust public insurance option tied to Medicare rates and did not include a provision to allow states to enact single-payer legislation if they so chose. His support gives House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a much-needed vote as she looks for 216 members to move the package through this week.
Kucinich is a really good guy .However, I have to admit his purist stand on the public option is pissing me off . We get it Kucinich, your a strong advocate for the public option . However, don’t turn into a Ralph Nader ! Your going to be the spoiler for something that will not come around for another few life times . If your the cause of health care reform failer, you might as well put on the grim reaper costume . 45,000 and more will die because of your misguided stubbornness .”
Tuesday, Markos Moulitsas, founder/owner of Dailykos.com, on the Keith Olbermann show with Lawrence McDonnell sitting in for Keith, discussed Congressman Kuncinich’s announcement that he was planning to vote against the health reform bill as it currently stands. Moulitsas suggested that Kucinich might be primaried. Earlier, on DailyKos, he called Kucinich a “little prick.” and said, “He’s someone who deserves a real primary.”
I spoke to congressman Kucinich for about half an hour, discussing why he’s voting against the bill, what it would take to change his mind, and the history that goes into the current situation.
Here’s a small part of what he said:
We need to keep the discussion going about alternatives, because every discussion about alternatives puts the pressure in the direction of trying to come up with a better bill. And even at this late date, it would be a huge mistake to just look at the bill and call it a day. No, no no. We have to fight for the best bill we can get all the way down the line and if despite our best efforts, it still can not meet the test of providing care for people instead of profits for insurance companies, then we have to reserve the right to oppose it.
I interviewed congressman Dennis Kucinich and other progressive leaders in health care reform to get his response to recent attacks and to find out his motivation and what would move him to change his vote. While Markos “Kos” Moulitsas attacks Kucinich, other progressives see him as a hero and saint.
Kucinich to Obama: Be ‘bolder’ or ‘we could lose our country’
Raw Story- By Sahil Kapur
Thursday, January 28th, 2010 — 4:05 pm
‘Democratic Party must demonstrate it has the ability to govern’
WASHINGTON — Deeply disillusioned last week by his party’s insufficient response to the recession, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) said Thursday he views President Obama’s State of the Union as a step in the right direction but urged him to “be much bolder.”
“It would be helpful if he could take a page from Franklin Roosevelt,” Kucinich told Raw Story in an exclusive interview. “FDR saw the need for broad structural changes in the economy and also the need for government to invest and put America back to work.”
“If we can’t fix our economic injustices and improve the standard of living for regular people, we could lose our country.”
While Obama explicitly called for a new “jobs bill” in the speech, he didn’t put forth many details. What kinds of reforms would Kucinich like to see?
Daniel Tencer | Raw Story | Sunday, Dec 27th, 2009
Obama ‘giving his generals a little too much leeway’
Congressman Dennis Kucinich says President Barack Obama ought to fire the generals who publicly aired their views on the war in Afghanistan during this fall’s deliberations on a troop surge.
The Ohio Democrat known for his anti-war views said there is “no question” that the president was pressured by the military into approving a 30,000-troop surge.
“Some of [Obama’s] generals made remarks publicly, which is unheard of,” Kucinich told Russia Today. “Generals are subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief. When generals start trying to suggest publicly what the president should do, they shouldn’t be generals anymore. That’s the way it works. And frankly, President Obama, who is a good man, has given his generals a little too much leeway.”
Kucinich also said that the Constitutional mechanism for declaring and waging war, which gives authority over the issue to Congress, has been eroded by successive presidencies that have not seen fit to ask Congress for permission for military campaigns abroad.
“We’ve had a series of presidents who have basically taken the initiative to go to war and hadn’t really checked with Congress,” Kucinich said. “Richard Nixon prolonged a war in Vietnam and he did so when many efforts were made by members of congress to cut off funds.”
Kucinich has tabled a resolution in Congress that calls for a vote on a withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
The following video was broadcast on Russia Today, December 23, 2009.
Well, there just isn’t much good news out here on the fringes of the blogosphere lately, so I find myself looking at a Fox News video. This because they are supposed to be interviewing Dennis Kucinich, one of the last sane politicians on the planet. Along with Rick Sanitarium, a corporate spokesman, who should seriously seek psychiatric counseling.
Just sayin, I’ve already heard about the party crashers from my friend over on the coast. Anyways, further into the video, Dennis Kucinich gets a few words in edgewise. I tell ya what…If this country was a Democracy instead of a Corporation, this man could be president and if pigs had wings we would have plenty of compost for our victory gardens.
Hat tip to GEF (globalevildoerfighter) for the correct spelling of Santorum
This from George:
Hello y’all
Senior moments now greatly out number the bad hair days, so I can be certain of nothing. But if memory serves me right (and I am not implying that it always does) I recently ran into this couple down in Yachatz. They were sipping Bushmilk and weeping. Seems like these stylish synchophants got their feelings hurt. How would you feel?
“Not on the guest list ” and “uninvited” to an event you knew was just the place you should be? Egos bludgeoned down into scuff marks left by hi-$ footwear, they drove West. I offered sympathy. What they needed to do I suggested was stage an extravagance all their own. maybe a big time civil war party at some fancy place. They agreed. But, since we didn’t know where the game was being played, they told me they were going to reserve nice rooms in both Corvallis and Eugene so they’d be sure to see the Ducks & Beavers on TV.
If you’d like to attend this party, call the best hotels in the appropriate citys and ask for their room #. Your name will be on the list, for real, George.
Sworn statements filed in Federal Court also allege that Blackwater founder Erik Prince launched a “crusade” to eliminate Muslims and Islam.
A former Blackwater employee and an ex-U.S. Marine who has worked as a security operative for the company have made a series of explosive allegations in sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in Virginia. The two men claim that the company’s owner, Erik Prince, may have murdered or facilitated the murder of individuals who were cooperating with federal authorities investigating the company. The former employee also alleges that Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe,” and that Prince’s companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life.”
In their testimony, both men also allege that Blackwater was smuggling weapons into Iraq. One of the men alleges that Prince turned a profit by transporting “illegal” or “unlawful” weapons into the country on Prince’s private planes. They also charge that Prince and other Blackwater executives destroyed incriminating videos, emails and other documents and have intentionally deceived the U.S. State Department and other federal agencies. The identities of the two individuals were sealed out of concerns for their safety.
These allegations, and a series of other charges, are contained in sworn affidavits, given under penalty of perjury, filed late at night on August 3 in the Eastern District of Virginia as part of a seventy-page motion by lawyers for Iraqi civilians suing Blackwater for alleged war crimes and other misconduct. Susan Burke, a private attorney working in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights, is suing Blackwater in five separate civil cases filed in the Washington, DC, area. They were recently consolidated before Judge T.S. Ellis III of the Eastern District of Virginia for pretrial motions. Burke filed the August 3 motion in response to Blackwater’s motion to dismiss the case. Blackwater asserts that Prince and the company are innocent of any wrongdoing and that they were professionally performing their duties on behalf of their employer, the U.S. State Department.
The former employee, identified in the court documents as “John Doe #2,” is a former member of Blackwater’s management team, according to a source close to the case. Doe #2 alleges in a sworn declaration that, based on information provided to him by former colleagues, “it appears that Mr. Prince and his employees murdered, or had murdered, one or more persons who have provided information, or who were planning to provide information, to the federal authorities about the ongoing criminal conduct.” John Doe #2 says he worked at Blackwater for four years; his identity is concealed in the sworn declaration because he “fear[s] violence against me in retaliation for submitting this Declaration.” He also alleges, “On several occasions after my departure from Mr. Prince’s employ, Mr. Prince’s management has personally threatened me with death and violence.”
In a separate sworn statement, the former U.S. marine who worked for Blackwater in Iraq alleges that he has “learned from my Blackwater colleagues and former colleagues that one or more persons who have provided information, or who were planning to provide information about Erik Prince and Blackwater have been killed in suspicious circumstances.” Identified as “John Doe #1,” he says he “joined Blackwater and deployed to Iraq to guard State Department and other American government personnel.” It is not clear if Doe #1 is still working with the company as he states he is “scheduled to deploy in the immediate future to Iraq.” Like Doe #2, he states that he fears “violence” against him for “submitting this Declaration.” No further details on the alleged murder(s) are provided.
“Mr. Prince feared, and continues to fear, that the federal authorities will detect and prosecute his various criminal deeds,” states Doe #2. “On more than one occasion, Mr. Prince and his top managers gave orders to destroy emails and other documents. Many incriminating videotapes, documents and emails have been shredded and destroyed.”
The Nation cannot independently verify the identities of the two individuals, their roles at Blackwater or what motivated them to provide sworn testimony in these civil cases. Both individuals state that they have previously cooperated with federal prosecutors conducting a criminal inquiry into Blackwater.
“It’s a pending investigation, so we cannot comment on any matters in front of a Grand Jury or if a Grand Jury even exists on these matters,” John Roth, the spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Columbia, told The Nation. “It would be a crime if we did that.” Asked specifically about whether there is a criminal investigation into Prince regarding the murder allegations and other charges, Roth said: “We would not be able to comment on what we are or are not doing in regards to any possible investigation involving an uncharged individual.”
Erik Prince fancies himself as a Christian crusader ridding the world of its Muslim population.
Apparently, Blackwater has been killing former employees who have shared information about this criminal enterprise.
July 26, 2007: Dennis Kucinich speaks truth to power during his Wake Up America campaign. Needless to mention the corporate media and “the powers that be” decimated him to being a voice in the wilderness.
There is still time for this country to demand real change. Healthcare is the single most important issue, and our so called representatives in government are condoning what I call “Corporate Healthcare” and “Welfare for the Elite”.
As we speak, I am listening to a quote by our president, on Air America, recommending that we all fill out a living will. I have done one my self he says, which makes me wonder…What’s the point? Healthcare is what we need and we need it for everybody, not just for the folks that can afford it.
So…zzzzZZZZ* I looked on Obamas website, whitehouse.gov, for some information and transparency on the healthcare issue for the sheeple…) :
“I want to thank the members of both the Senate and House of Representatives for continuing their work on health reform to provide more stability and security for Americans who have insurance, and quality, affordable coverage for those who don’t. I’m especially grateful that so many members, including some Blue Dogs on the Energy and Commerce Committee, are working so hard to find common ground. Those efforts are extraordinarily constructive in strengthening this legislation and bringing down its cost.”
DR. DAVID SCHEINER: The question of who—the question of who was responsible, of course, is hard to know, whether it was ABC or whether it was somebody at the White House.
AMY GOODMAN: What would you have asked?
DR. DAVID SCHEINER: I would have asked about single payer, insofar as we already have one that works, and why we just couldnt have universal Medicare and eliminate the insurance companies, which are causing incredible costs and havoc on the system.
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