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AboutDennis - KucinichFilm * Oil * Hartmann * DixieChicks
15 March 2003
1) About Dennis – from www.kucinich.us
2) Kucinich Documentary Film in the Works
3) Kucinich Forces Administration To Disclose Iraq Document to Congress - - ‘Obviously Oil' by Dennis Kucinich
- - Yes Magazine Interviews Kucinich
- - 'The Empire Needs New Clothes' by Thom Hartmann
- - Action Alert - Remove Arctic drilling from budget bill
- - ‘Democracy in Iraq doubtful' Greg Miller4) Dixie Chicks Hammer President on Iraq Issue
Editor's Notes:Nedra Pickler, in a recent AP article, noted that "..out of the 51 roll call votes cast in the Senate as of Wednesday afternoon {March 12], Kerry missed the most of any senator — 29, including two while he was recovering from prostate surgery last month. Graham missed 18, including 16 since his surgery. Lieberman didn't vote 16 times and Edwards 10.
In the House, the missed vote leader is another presidential candidate, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, who has missed 45 of the 60 roll call votes. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a newcomer to the
presidential race, has not missed any."
Kucinich's perfect voting attendance record is quite astonishing, taking into account his extraordinary efforts in opposition of President Bush's war and terrorist-producing policies, and his active Presidential campaign to reclaim democracy in the US. And when we met in Burlington for last October's Peace Summit, Congressman Kucinich asked me how did I find the time for my work with Flyby News. It was humorous for me getting such a question from him, who was due in San Francisco later that day, and then scheduled to be back in Washington, D.C. for a Sunday national news TV program that very next morning. I mentioned about prioritizing, but I still can't figure out how he gets so much accomplished.
Meanwhile, the media has begun aggressively attacking Kucinich or dismissing him. PBS Washington Week in Review this week mentioned Howard Dean as the only "major" candidate against the war. Kucinich was left out. As another tactic, Kucinich was aggressively attacked by Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen for suggesting that interest for preemptive war on Iraq was based on oil. Yet, when Dennis Kucinich offered a reply, the Washington Post denied publishing it. The Kucinich reply is linked in item 3, following a press release of another Kucinich accomplishment, forcing the Bush administration to disclose an Iraq document to Congress.
Item one begins with "About Dennis" from www.kucinich.us.
The opening sentence states:
"US Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, a Democrat of Ohio, is a dynamic, visionary leader of the Progressive Caucus of the congressional Democrats who combines a powerful activism with a spiritual sense of the essential interconnectedness of all living things." When have you ever heard such an opening remark about a politician?
Dennis is about hope, about an independent person running for US President, free from corporate special ties, and who values life and democracy with a passion and commitment. Since the mainstream media won't be helping his campaign, the people must find other ways to get his and our message across. Item 2 is about such a vehicle, a documentary film, which is in the works that could bring Kucinich into the homes and the hearts of America.
Please read about this project and consider how you can help.
Besides supporting this critical project, Flyby News also recommends your showing another video that gives an overview of CIA covert operations and US interventions since WWII.
"What I've Learned About US Foreign Policy: The War Against the Third World." The information in this video is vital for US citizens to realize the purpose of the Kucinich campaign for leadership to reclaim democracy in the US.
Flyby News is sponsoring this video and discussions at the Jones Library in downtown Amherst, MA, Thursday March 20, 2003 beginning at 6:00 P.M., and also 6 pm Tuesday, March 25th at the Common Ground in Brattleboro, VT.
If interested in ordering this video, send $10 to:
Frank Dorrel - P.O. Box 3261; Culver City, CA 90231-3261.
For more information, see:
http://www.addictedtowar.com/dorrel.htmlOn the current situation, President Bush is preparing to attack Iraq in the matter of days, and will probably forgo a vote seeking another Resolution in the United Nations (since his plan for preemptive attack to disarm and occupy Iraq would be defeated). Besides taking actions in the prayer candlelight vigils across the globe Sunday (16 March at 7:00 PM), we encourage you to write to UN's Security Council Member States and to Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Here's a sample letter:
(Kofi Annan's email address is sg@un.org)
Dear Kofi Annan,
I am very grateful for your recent appeals for the UN Security Council to act in unity over Iraq. Unfortunately, it may not be possible for the UNSC to agree. I am writing to ask that in that situation, you consider a further step, that is, to convene an emergency session of the General Assembly under the "Uniting for Peace" mechanism.
I know you are working hard to avoid War, and also to maintain the integrity of the United Nations. A majority of people and nations in the world support you in this.
Please consider this suggestion very urgently and seriously.
Sincerely
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Also, please write to the UN Security Council for the same objective:
Following is a sample letter and addresses of UNSC members.
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Email addresses:
mexico@un.int , Angola@un.int , Chile@un.int , Pakistan@un.int , Guinea@un.int , Cameroon@un.int , rusun@un.int , chinamission_un@fmprc.gov.cn , france-presse@un.int , syria@un.int , contact@germany-un.org
Dear Ambassador,
I am very grateful for your recent resistance to a proposed 2nd resolution leading to War. Unfortunately, it may not be possible for the UNSC to agree, despite the efforts of all those for Peace. I support your position that peaceful disarmament can still be achieved. I am writing to ask that in the current situation, you consider a further step, that is, to request the convening of an emergency session of the General Assembly under the "Uniting for Peace" mechanism.
If America goes to War, it should be seen to the eyes of the whole world that its does so against the collective nations of the world. Better still, a meeting of the General Assembly may yet prevent War. I know you are working to avoid War and to maintain the integrity of the United Nations. A majority of people and nations in the world support you in this. Please consider this suggestion very urgently and seriously.
Yours sincerely
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For more on "Uniting for Peace to Resolve the Iraq Crisis," see:
http://www.flybynews.com/cgi-local/newspro/viewnews.cgi?newsid1045091648,41257, = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
For another possible way to stop this war - Nelson Mandela has spoken out against an attack on Iraq in no uncertain terms. He has said that he will go to Iraq in an attempt to stop the war if the UN asks him. It is almost midnight and a request from the UN has not materialized. So we must ask him ourselves. War seems inevitable, but Mandela's intervention could stop it. Below is a letter which you can copy and paste and send to him - or write your own.
His email address is NMF@NelsonMandela.org
Dear Madiba,
You have rightly condemned an attack on Iraq and we are very thankful indeed for what you have done, and throughout your whole life. I understand that you are willing to go to Iraq in the hope that your presence will stop it. We hear that you are waiting for the UN to ask you to do this. It's close to midnight and we, the people of the world who oppose this war, cannot wait in the hope that a request from the UN materialises. So we are asking you ourselves. Your presence in Iraq if possible, along with other Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Jimmy Carter and Mikhail Gorbachev, who have also spoken out against an attack on Iraq, would surely stop those who would shed the blood of children for oil and power. This war can be stopped and I believe that just your presence alone would be enough to stop it.
If I had the power to stop the war by going to Iraq, I would certainly go. But I don't have that power. You do. Please use that power for the sake of the Iraqi people and for all our sakes. The world needs 'Madiba magic' more than ever now. It's our last chance for peace. Please help the innocent who are sacrificed for the power greedy. The world is at a turning point, and we must use this opportunity to tip the balance in the right direction to bring about a lasting peace.
Respectfully yours,
John Downing
(From England)
Flyby News thanks all the good folks, especially those on the Kucinich4president list serve. Someday the crisis will pass over and a resurrection for democracy will take place. In working for peace and justice, thanks for reading and especially for taking actions in response to those threatening humankind-life for greed and power or annihilation.
For more on Dennis Kucinich, see:
Kucinich for US President in 2004 and for the Kucinich official campaign web site, visit:
www.kucinich.us
1) About Dennis – from www.kucinich.us‘US Representative Dennis J. Kucinich, a Democrat of Ohio, is a dynamic, visionary leader of the Progressive Caucus of the congressional Democrats who combines a powerful activism with a spiritual sense of the essential interconnectedness of all living things. His holistic worldview carries with it a passionate commitment to public service, peace, human rights, workers rights, and the environment. His advocacy of a Department of Peace seeks not only to make nonviolence an organizing principle in our society, but to make war archaic. His is 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.
He has been recognized of his advocacy of human rights in Burma, Nigeria and East Timor. Together with the late Rep. Joe Moakley (D-Mass), he has led a concerted effort to close the School of the Americas, which has been an incubator of human rights violations in Central America. On the eve of the World Trade Organization's Seattle conference, Rep. Kucinich organized 114 Democrats to help convince President Clinton to seek human rights, workers rights and environmental quality principles as preconditions in all US trade agreements. Kucinich marched with workers through the streets of Seattle protesting the WTO's policies and with students through the streets of Washington, DC, challenging the structural readjustment policies of the IMF.
Congressman Kucinich acts upon his belief that protection of the global environment is fundamental to preserving the life of all species. He has been honored by Public Citizen, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth and the League of Conservation Voters as a champion of clean air, clean water and an unspoiled earth. He was an early critic of nuclear power as being risky economically, and environmentally, raising questions about nuclear wasted byproducts. As a state senator he raised so many questions about a planned siting of a nuclear waste dump in Ohio that the idea was eventually scrapped. Early in his first term in Congress he thwarted an effort to repeal a provision of the Clean Air Act. As a congressional representative to the global climate treaty talks, Congressman Kucinich encouraged America to lead the way toward a sustainable, shared stewardship of the planet through carbon reduction and investment in alternative energy technologies.
He not only believes in sustainability, he practices it. Congressman Kucinich is one of the few vegans in Congress, a dietary decision he credits not only with improving his health, but in deepening his belief in the sacredness of all species. In the 106th Congress, his call for labeling and safety testing of all genetically engineered foods provoked a $50 million advertising campaign by the biotech industry.
Kucinich hosted an international parliamentary session, attended by officials of 18 countries, on the social, economic, political and health impact of genetic food technologies. More recently he was one of the principal speakers at an international conference on water rights where he called for governments to reserve public ownership of water resources.
As chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (which is the largest congressional caucus). Kucinich has promoted a national health care system, preservation of Social Security, increased Unemployment Insurance benefits, and the establishment of wholesales cost-based rates for electricity, natural gas and home heating oil. When the Supreme Court ruled that mandatory arbitration could be a condition of employment, Kucinich introduced a bill to reverse the Court's decision.
In his Cleveland, Ohio district, Kucinich has been recognized by the Greater Cleveland AFL-CIO as a tireless advocate for the social and economic interests of his community. He is currently leading a civic crusade to save Cleveland's 90 year-old steel industry and the thousands of jobs and retiree benefits it provides. While hundreds of community hospitals have been closed throughout the country, Kucinich led a powerful citizens' movement which reopened two Cleveland neighborhood hospitals. He was prepared to block a railroad merger at the Surface Transportation Board until he gained an agreement from the nation's largest railroads which improved rail safety while diverting a heavy volume of train traffic away from heavily populated residential areas. His promotion of rail safety improvements gained him the top award from the Ohio PTA in 2000. His efforts on behalf of Cleveland's poor gained the recognition of the National Association of Social Workers. He continues to be a local and national advocate for the homeless.
Kucinich first came to national prominence in 1977 when he was elected mayor of Cleveland at age 31; the youngest person ever elected to lead a major American city. In 1978, Cleveland's banks demanded that he sell the city's 70 year-old municipally-owned electric system to its private competitor (in which the banks had a financial interest) as a precondition of extending credit to city government. Kucinich refused to sell Muny Light. In an incident unprecedented in modern American politics, the Cleveland banks plunged the city into default for a mere $15 million. Kucinich lost his re-election bid in 1979. Fifteen years later, Kucinich made his first step toward a political comeback, winning election to the Ohio Senate on the strength of the expansion of the city's light system which provides low-cost power to almost half the residents of Cleveland. In 1998 the Cleveland City Council honored him, "having the courage and foresight to refuse to sell the city's municipal electric system."
Kucinich was born in Cleveland, Ohio on October 8, 1946. He is the eldest of 7 children of Frank and Virginia Kucinich. He and his family lived in twenty-one places, including a couple of cars, by the time Kucinich was 17 years old. "I live each day with a grateful heart and a desire to be of service to humanity," he says.'
From -
http://www.kucinich.us -
2) Kucinich Documentary Film in the WorksThe following was written by Malachi Roth,* filmmaker, Flyby News subscriber, and a valuable contributor for the campaign to elect Dennis Kucinich for US President in 2004.
SHORT
In the spirit of the many outspoken political documentaries from over the years (Roger & Me, Panama Deception, Harlon County, U.S.A., Land Without Bread, etc.) which have helped shape people's views and broadened their information base this intimate look at the rise of a great American leader will inspire, energize and catapult Kucinich and his message onto the national scene.
BRIEF
While most politicians use shameless smear tactics to wage their war like electoral campaigns there is one bit of shameless propaganda which is not only morally acceptable but strategically necessary: celebrity endorsements. One of the central themes of this documentary will be the interviews with those who endorse Kucinich weather they are Actors, Musicians, Political figures, Academics, Writers, Film-makers, Poets, or average Americans. These testimonies will be the backbone of the film while Dennis speeches and interviews will act as the Greek chorus. This way the candidate does not come across as trying to sell himself but instead is pitched to the audience by an endless parade of supporters from across the spectrum.
The production will also seek rights to music (preferably well known), which deals with war and injustice and the soundtrack will do a great deal to set an overall tone of heartfelt dissent. Rather than take the fly on the wall approach this documentary will be agenda driven and much like the old New Deal documentaries it won't use feigned objectivity as an excuse to shy away from presenting a vision for a better world. The film will come across as an emotional plea to people's awakening sense of moral outrage.
The interviews, speeches, candid footage of the candidate, historical and contemporary stock footage, scenes of contemporary America will all be woven together into a stirring introduction to both Kucinich as well as the massive awakening which is going on around the world as a reaction to the overreaching of a doomed un-elected president and his corporate cronies.
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* A biographical sketch on Malachi Roth -
Malachi Roth graduated from Temple University s Tyler School of Art with a B.F.A. in graphic design. He has recently completed, an hour-long biographic documentary called José Limón: A Life Beyond Words, which will be aired on PBS sometime this year. The film has received wards for: Best Film Made for Television/Montreal Festival of Films on Art; Best Documentary on the Arts/Wine Country Film Festival & Best Documentary/Ajijic Film Festival (Mexico). The documentary was a recipient of New York and Pennsylvania State Council on the Humanities and Latino Public Broadcasting grants. The film has been screened at Lincoln Center, The Pompidou Center and at the Kennedy Center on March 12th 2003.
Malachi has also directed two short films: Plain English and Sour Instinct, which won the award for best experimental film at the Philadelphia International Film Festival. He has also recently been awarded a filmmaking grant by the New York State Council on the Arts and was also a panelist for their Project Support Grant. Malachi is also the author of three original feature-length screenplays, and is currently finishing a short experimental documentary on the audition process called Actors.<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
YOU CAN HELP MAKE THIS FILM HAPPEN
The following suggestions are ways you can help -
- financial donations
- pre-purchase VHS or DVD copies
- contacts for interviewees and music
- connections for a producer, and other film making professionals
- and any other ideas you can think of helping!
Please note that now there's a twenty-minute documentary film ready! -- "The Peace Candidate."
Contact Malachi Roth
Email:
malachiroth@mindspring.com or
Voice-mail at (212)822-8545
3) Kucinich Forces Administration To Disclose Iraq Document to Congress - - ‘Obviously Oil' by Dennis Kucinich
- - Yes Magazine Interviews Kucinich
- - 'The Empire Needs New Clothes' by Thom Hartmann
- - Action Alert - Remove Arctic drilling from budget bill
- - ‘Democracy in Iraq doubtful' Greg MillerFor Immediate Release
from Kucinich Congressional Office
Contact: Doug Gordon - (202) 225-5871
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
Kucinich Forces Administration To Disclose Iraq Document to Congress Administration Forced To Turn Over Documentation
On Iraq Due to Kucinich Resolution of Inquiry
The Administration was forced to turn over documentation to Congress about Iraq due to a Resolution of Inquiry filed by Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH). The Administration finally released to Congress the 12,000 page Iraqi declaration made to the United Nations on December 7, 2002.
Kucinich, Ranking Member of the Government Reform Subcommittee National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, used a rare House procedure known as a Resolution of Inquiry, filed in the House on February 12, 2003, to pry the information out of the Administration.
"This is a small step forward in obtaining information that the Administration has deliberately withheld from the public and the Congress," stated Kucinich. "This Administration has marched the nation, and the world, to the verge of war without revealing any evidence to this Congress or the American people to back up its war rhetoric. I will continue to oppose this unjustified war, and continue my efforts to ensure that this Administration reveals evidence, to the public, it may have before its sends the young men and women of the Armed Force into battle. I believe Congress, and the American people, deserve nothing less."
In a concession by the Administration, the report will now be available for Members of Congress to view.
Kucinich plans to use the rules of the House to continue to push this Administration to lift its cloak of secrecy and allow the Congress, and the American people, see any evidence it may have to justify its preemptive attack against Iraq.
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh10_kucinich/030311doc.html= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
For a related article, see:
"Obviously Oil" by Dennis Kucinich= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
And another article, from
Yes Magazine:
interview with Rep. Dennis Kucinich= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Also, check this powerful article:
'The Empire Needs New Clothes' by Thom HartmannIt's easy to vilify George W. Bush as a cynical warmonger, anxious to attack Iraq to repay the oil companies that funded his election campaigns. But to do so is to make a dangerous and fundamental error, and such a myopic view of the Bush administration's policies puts America's future at risk.
The reality is that the current administration has a clear and specific vision for the future of America and the world, and they believe it's a positive vision. In order to put forward an alternative vision, it's essential to first understand the vision of America held by the New Right.
The core of the neoconservative vision was first articulated on June 3, 1997, in the Statement of Principles put forth by the Project For The New American Century. Signed by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Bill Bennett, Jeb Bush, Gary Bauer, Elliott Abrams, Paul Wolfowitz, Vin Weber, Steve Forbes and others from the Reagan/Bush administration, it clearly stated that "the history of this century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership."
Frankly acknowledging that America is a small portion of the world's population but uses a large percentage of the world's oil and other natural resources, Poppy Bush is famous for having said, "The American lifestyle is not negotiable."
McMansions for two-person families, a transportation infrastructure based on 6,000-pound SUVs carrying single individuals, cheap Chinese goods at Wal-Mart and cheap Mexican food in the supermarket - all of this is not anything America intends to give up. We're king of the hill, and we intend to stay that way, even if it means going to war to keep it.
At the core of this is oil. When the administration's people say American involvement in Iraq is "not about oil," they're often responding to charges that they're only going after profits for American oil companies. They speak truth, in that context, when they say the war isn't about revenues from oil - the profits will only be a desirable side-effect. What the war is really about is the survival of the American lifestyle, which, in their world-view, is both non-negotiable and based almost entirely on access to cheap oil.
For the complete article, see:
'The Empire Needs New Clothes' by Thom Hartmann= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
EMERGENCY ALERT:
Tell your senators to remove Arctic drilling revenues from the budget bill.Next week the U.S. Senate will cast a critical vote on a budget bill that the Bush administration and its pro-drilling allies have commandeered as a stealth vehicle for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
Take action now at
http://www.nrdcaction.org/index.asp?step=2&item=1536If you prefer to call your senators, the Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
When calling, please urge your senators to vote to remove any language in the FY04 budget resolution that would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.
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Related article: Democracy in Iraq doubtful
State Dept. report says Social, economic obstacles work against transformation
by Greg Miller,
Los Angeles Times
Friday, March 14, 2003
Washington -- A classified State Department report expresses deep skepticism that installing a new regime in Iraq will foster the spread of democracy in the Middle East, a claim President Bush has made in trying to build support for a war, according to intelligence officials familiar with the document.
For the complete article, see:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/14/MN22108.DTL
4) Dixie Chicks Hammer President on Iraq Issue"Vive Le France and Germany and Russia! And the Dixie Chicks!!"
AOL News: Dixie Chicks Hammer President on Iraq Issue
DIXIE CHICKS 'ASHAMED' ON IRAQ ISSUE
.c The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (March 14) - The Dixie Chicks are drawing harsh words from country music fans for remarks singer Natalie Maines made about President Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
Angry phone calls flooded Nashville radio station WKDF-FM on Thursday, some calling for a boycott of the Texas trio's music.
The group released a statement Thursday saying they have been overseas for several weeks and "the anti-American sentiment that has unfolded here is astounding. While we support our troops, there is nothing more frightening than the notion of going to war with Iraq and the prospect of all the innocent lives that will be lost."
In a separate statement Thursday, Maines said, "I feel the president is ignoring the opinion of many in the U.S. and alienating the rest of the world. My comments were made in frustration, and one of the privileges of being an American is you are free to voice your own point of view."
The Dixie Chicks will kick off a U.S. tour in support of their multi-platinum album "Home" on May 1 in Greenville, South Carolina. The group's hits include "Wide Open Spaces," "Ready to Run" and "Landslide."
03/14/03 11:45 EST
Copyright 2003 The Associated Press.
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The following note came from Loring Wirbel via globenet list serve:
Seeing as how two-thirds of the country-music stations in the US have banned the Dixie Chicks because Natalie Mains criticized the president in a London concert last night, I think it behooves all of us in the progressive community to run right out and buy a Dixie Chicks album and rub it in the face of some dumbass pro-war redneck. I swear, I'm getting to the point where I no longer want to argue finer points with those supporting the war, I just want to call them names and act belligerent.
Vive Le France and Germany and Russia! And the Dixie Chicks!!"
Loring Wirbel
CPIS/PPJPC
lwirbel@aol.com
A "Fair Use Policy" that describes Flyby News' use of copyrighted material is posted at flybynews.com.
FLYBY NEWS=====Fit to Transmit in the Post Cassini Flyby Era====> = = = = = = www.flybynews.com = = = = =