More Kucinich Lovin'

I missed the live version, but here's the video of Kucinich's address at the DNC. I love his energy and the way he connects with the audience...

So many reasons to love Kucinich

Okay, I admit it. I'm not over the fact that Kucinich is out of the presidential race. I still have a Kucinich bumper sticker on my car. He's simply the only candidate who made me believe that truly substantial change - monumental change - was possible. I hope that someday this country will be ready for a leader like Kucinich.

The New York Times just ran a little interview with Kucinich. The first question was whether he really believed, during his presidential campaign, that he had a chance of winning. Kucinich answered in the affirmative. The second question dove right into veganism - believe it or not! - and I love Kucinich's response.

Q: But you’re a vegan. Do you think America is ready to elect a non-beef-eating president?

A: I think America is ready for a president with a blood pressure of 90 over 60 who could beat most people half his age in a sprint.

Oh, snap! Dennis, you rock.

The interview also touches on Kucinich's ongoing effort to impeach Bush.

Q: You’ve met with opposition from Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats for continuing to push for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

A: The process of democracy is a slow process, and it’s important that I do what I know to be the right thing.

Q: But why bother with impeachment when Bush is on his way out of Washington anyhow?

A: This president is capable of taking us into war, in October, on the eve of an election, to try to change the outcome of the election. We need to keep the ability to impeach at the ready in the event that this president continues to exercise a wanton approach toward the use of power, particularly the war power. The events in Georgia are a premonition.

Oh, and by the way, if you haven't already signed the impeachment petition, please go do it now! I know it may seem pointless with so little time left in The Evil One's reign, but Kucinich provides numerous compelling reasons why impeachment is imperative, even at this late date.

• Urge real Congressional action to hold President Bush accountable now


• Reinstate the authority of our Constitution


• Document crimes committed by President Bush for historical account


• Facilitate post-Administration law enforcement and prosecution


• Reset the standard for the incoming and future administrations


• Demand justice for the over 3,000 who died on 9/11and whose deaths were tragically exploited to take us into an illegal war in Iraq


• Demand justice for the estimated 30,324 U.S. military personnel who have been injured/wounded


• Demand justice for the estimated 4,138 U.S. military personnel who have been killed or died


• Demand justice for the 1 Million innocent Iraqis who have died


• Avert another illegitimate looming war – this time against Iran

Oh, and to all of you Obama-ites out there, don't get me wrong - I like him just fine, and yes, I will vote for him. Of course I will; look at the alternative... But as excited as I am at the prospect of a Democrat - any Democrat - regaining control of the White House (and even more excited at the possibility of finally having a non-Caucasian president), I have to be honest and say that Obama just doesn't excite me the way Kucinich does. He's too conservative - too business-as-usual for my taste. This country needs radical change right now, and I fear we aren't going to get it, regardless of the outcome of November's election.

What do you think?

I'm sad.

Okay, so obviously he was a long-shot, but it's still very sad to me that Kucinich is officially out of the race for president. What's even more sad, in my opinion, is that this article, which I found in the Yahoo News headlines minutes ago, is the most thorough, accurate, respectful, flattering thing I've read or heard about Kucinich in the mainstream media throughout the course of the campaign. Why didn't any of the major news outlets take the time to help people get to know Kucinich back when it could have mattered? Oh yeah, because they're controlled by corporations and special interest groups, whose job it is now, apparently, to decide on our president for us. And they're afraid we might have actually liked him.

Democrat Kucinich quits White House race

By JOE MILICIA, Associated Press Writer 54 minutes ago

CLEVELAND - Democrat Dennis Kucinich is abandoning his second, long-shot bid for the White House as he faces a tough fight to hold onto his other job — U.S. congressman.

In an interview with Cleveland's Plain Dealer, the six-term House member said he was quitting the race and would make a formal announcement on Friday.

"I will be announcing that I'm transiting out of the presidential campaign," Kucinich said. "I'm making that announcement tomorrow about a new direction."

Kucinich has received little support in his presidential bid; he got 1 percent of the vote in the New Hampshire primary and was shut out in the Iowa caucuses. He did have a devoted following.

Kucinich, 61, is facing four challengers in the Democratic congressional primary March 4, and earlier this week he made an urgent appeal on his Web site for funds for his re-election. Rival Joe Cimperman has been critical of Kucinich for focusing too much time outside of his district while campaigning for president.

His decision comes a month after his youngest brother, Perry Kucinich, was found dead.

Kucinich said he will not endorse another Democrat in the primary.

Kucinich brought the same sense of idealism to his second run for president as he did in his first bid. He said he was entering the race again because the Democratic Party wasn't pushing hard enough to end the Iraq war.

Once dubbed the "boy mayor" of Cleveland, he made an unpopular decision to refuse to sell a publicly owned utility that pushed the city into default and drove him from office.

After the city's financial troubles, the mayor faced death threats, and was forced to wear a bulletproof vest when he threw out the first ball at a Cleveland Indians game. He barely survived a recall vote.

But he lost his bid for re-election as mayor of Cleveland in 1978 to Republican George Voinovich, who went on to become governor and then U.S. senator. His life and his political career were derailed. Kucinich spent more than a decade trying to get back into politics — traveling around the country and then working as a teacher, consultant and television news reporter.

In 1994, Kucinich was elected state senator and he then won a seat in Congress in 1996. His once unpopular stand against the sale of the municipal electric system was praised as courageous. In 1998, the Cleveland City Council issued him a commendation for having the foresight to refuse to sell it.

During his time in Congress, Kucinich has been one of the most outspoken liberals, opposing international trade agreements like the North America Free Trade Agreement and marching with protesters in Seattle during a meeting of the World Trade Organization.

As a presidential candidate, he has proposed a Department of Peace, backed universal health care and supported gay marriage. He also pushed for impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

At a debate last October, Kucinich delivered one of the night's lighter moments when he confirmed seeing an unidentified flying object at the Washington state home of actress Shirley MacLaine. With a smile, he said he would open a campaign office in Roswell, N.M., home to many alleged UFO sightings.

Kucinich married British citizen Elizabeth Harper, in 2005, ensuring his 2008 campaign would have one dramatic difference from his first campaign. Kucinich told New Hampshire audiences during the 2004 race that he was seeking a mate. Women then vied for a date with him during a contest arranged by a New Hampshire political Web site, but nothing romantic evolved from Kucinich's breakfast with the winner.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not taking my Kucinich bumper sticker off anytime soon. I can't see myself getting excited about any of the other options.

Breaking the Sound Barrier: Democracy Now! Re-Hosts NBC Las Vegas Debate to Include Kucinich

If you are as mad as I am about Dennis Kucinich repeatedly being excluded from the recent debates, check out this re-broadcast of last night's debate.

Here's the recap from the Democracy Now! website:

Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich was missing from the stage at last night’s Democratic debate hosted by MSNBC in Las Vegas after he lost a last-minute legal fight with the network over his participation. Last week, NBC told Kucinich that he had met the criteria for the debate. Then, less than two days later, the network changed the criteria and declared that Kucinich was no longer qualified. On Monday, a Nevada judge ordered NBC to include Kucinich, but then NBC appealed the ruling and actively fought to keep him off the stage. On Tuesday night, less than an hour before the debate, the Nevada Supreme Court sided with NBC. Democracy Now! decided to break the sound barrier and give Kucinich a chance to take part. In an exclusive broadcast, we re-broadcast excerpts of the debate and give the Ohio Congressman a chance to answer the questions he might have faced if he hadn’t been silenced.

Please let all of your friends and family know about this important re-broadcast. The only way we can make an informed choice in this election is if we can truly compare all of the qualified candidates, which is something that ABC, NBC, et al obviously don't want to happen.

Tune in tonight...

Finally some good news for Dennis Kucinich and his supporters! After being unfairly excluded from the two previous Democratic debates, he was invited, then un-invited, to participate in the MSNBC Nevada debate tonight. After MSNBC rescinded their initial invitation, Dennis filed suit in the Nevada courts and won. Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson ruled that Kucinich must have a place on the stage; otherwise, the judge said he would issue an injunction canceling the event.

Kucinich said he has advocated positions his opponents have not on issues like the Iraq war, trade and health care. "So my being there creates a debate," he said.

MSNBC had decided to exclude Kucinich after his poor performances in the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary. (Hmm, could that have anything to do with the media focusing their attention exclusively on Clinton and Obama? Or the fact that Kucinich was excluded from the last two debates, again thanks to the media and special interest groups???)

Anyhoo... I know it's short notice, but if you read this in time, be sure to tune in tonight and catch Dennis in the debate, assuming MSNBC isn't able to block him somehow at the last minute.

It's starting at 6:00 Pacific time. I'll be cheering him on from my kitchen.

UPDATE:

Well, never mind. The Nevada Superior Court overturned the lower court's decision shortly before the start of the debates. I wonder how many of those Superior Court judges have ties to the rich corporations and special interest groups who are threatened by Kucinich's actual common sense solutions? How frustrating. Another blow to our so-called democratic system...

Kucinich Weekly Campaign Update

Kucinich 2008 Weekly Update

Several of you who played the Candidate Match Game I posted about recently found out that your beliefs were closely aligned with Dennis Kucinich's and expressed interest in learning more about him, so I thought I'd start posting these weekly campaign updates here on my blog.

Political Fun

Well, I'm not watching the debates right now because we don't have CNN... but here's a fun game to help you determine which presidential candidate is the most closely aligned with your opinions and beliefs: USA Today 'Candidate Match Game'. (After you answer the questions, don't forget you can use the little slider things on the right-hand side of the screen to give certain topics more or less weight.)

Now, I know some will see this as dumbing down the race or over simplifying things and allowing people to be lazy and not do research. I can see that point of view, but I also think that in this day and age, it is very hard to keep track of everything that's going on, especially with every different media source putting their own spin on things. Personally, I often find politics very confusing. So I thought the game was fun, and a good jumping-off point to possibly encourage people to do more research on the issues and the candidates.

For what it's worth, my results are (1) Dennis Kucinich, (2) Bill Richardson, and (3) Mike Gravel. Leave a comment and tell me what your results are!

New Constitutional Convention Initiative Town Hall Meeting (Dennis Kucinich)

I received this today from the Kucinich for President 2008 campaign and thought some of you might be interested...

This evening (Wednesday, November 14th) at 9pm EST the campaign will hold a national town hall meeting via our new streaming media capability on the web. The address is www.kucinichtv.com

This town hall meeting will provide an opportunity for the campaign to introduce the New Constitutional Convention Initiative to supporters and anyone who is concerned about the state of affairs in the United States. The New Constitutional Convention Initiative will include a a series of nationally broadcast discussions (via www.kucinichtv.com) that seek to accomplish three outcomes:

1. Outline the ongoing assaults on the Constitution
2. An educational component / civics lesson to clarify the intent of the framers and provide a foundation for understanding the ongoing assaults on the Constitution
3. Discuss in detail what can be done collectively and individually to restore crucial constitutional principles
4. Provide a venue which will lead to a coordinated and sustained national effort to renew the Constitution and restore accountability in government

The New Constitutional Convention Initiative will hold a national conference call each week for the next 10 weeks - culminating in a major event at the end of January. A complete list of dates, panel participants and moderators, and topics / themes for each week, will be made available in the next week and distributed to anyone interested in participating.

Either Congressman Kucinich or I will be on the call to introduce the initiative - depending on the outcome of an expected important Congressional vote.

Please pass the word and let's get this party (Constitutional Convention) started.

Best regards,
Mike

Michael Klein
Campaign Manager
Kucinich for President 2008

Deep Thoughts

{WARNING: Rambling and possibly less than coherent writing ahead. Proceed at your own risk.}

I've had a lot of heavy thoughts rolling around in my little brain lately, and I'm sure I'm going to do a terrible job of articulating them, because they are the kind of deep thoughts that don't necessarily lend themselves well to written expression. Still, I want to try.

I think, as a vegan, I go through phases in my life where my vegan beliefs and lifestyle choices are more of a background component of who I am (I always practice them, I just don't always think about them so much; they feel more like habit). Then, there are other times, like now, when thoughts about animal rights and veganism seem to consume a lot of my mental and emotional energy. And it's not just animal stuff; I find myself thinking a lot about all kinds of social injustices and terrible things happening to people all over the world too.

I feel weighed down by all of the suffering in the world (both animal and human), and part of me feels helpless to make a difference. But then another part of me tells the first part, "That's bullshit. Quit being such a lame ass." I think what this sophisticated conversation between my two brains actually means is that I need to take on some kind of concrete, tangible task(s). I'm hoping if I do, I will feel useful and more hopeful.

As for what the tasks should be... well, that's a good question. As you may have noticed, I'm rather swamped with life as-is, and would probably be insane to take a bunch more stuff on. So I need to be smart, but still find a way to create more peace within myself. Matt and I have a couple of acres here; I'd love to provide a home for some rescued farm animals... chickens, turkeys, who knows... but I worry about keeping them safe from the dogs. We would need to make an investment of time and money to do some fencing or something I guess. I honestly have moments where I think I should uproot my entire life and go live in some far-off place where I can work with a sanctuary like Best Friends or Peaceful Prairie. I won't do it, but wouldn't it be great if I could? Or maybe direct animal contact isn't what I need to do - maybe I need to find ways to do more outreach and education? Ack, who knows. Suggestions are welcome.

I think part of my problem is I'm feeling very isolated and alone in the way I perceive the world and choose to life my life. None of my family is vegan, including my husband, which is tough sometimes, as much as I love him. I don't have any vegan friends (at least in real life, although I love all my bloggy pals) and I feel like it would be really empowering to be able to plug into some kind of network of like minded people and get involved in some kind of activism. But I live in the boondocks...

And moving beyond veganism and animal rights (the topics I am the most drawn to on a deep, instinctual level), I've been thinking a lot about politics and how much I hate feeling like I have to choose the lesser of two (or ten) evils. I'm sure I'm going to piss some people off here, but honestly the front runner Democratic candidates don't seem all that much better than the Republicans (okay, a little better, but really not much). They are all in the pockets of big corporations, and aren't liberal enough for me. I find myself feeling apathetic and avoiding watching or listening to any national news, because I'm so sick of hearing the same old crap over and over. I feel like most politicians' priorities are severely out of whack, and unfortunately that's probably true of most of the general population.

Consider this information, which I found on the No Impact Man blog some time ago...

Two 2006 studies reported the following statistics:

• 58% believe climate change as a result of global warming has already begun
• 58% also believe that increases in Earth’s temperature over the last century are due more to human activities than natural changes
• 85% say global warming is probably happening
• 88% think global warming threatens future generations

Sounds pretty good, right? Everybody's getting on board, realizing we have a serious problem here that needs to be dealt with... but wait - a 2007 poll by CBS news asked "What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?" and got the following responses:

• 28% say War in Iraq
• 16% say Economy/Jobs
• 8% say Health care
• 6% say Terrorism (general)
• 5% say Immigration
• 4% say Foreign policy
• 3% say Poverty/homelessness
• 3% say Defense/military
• 3% say Misc. social issue
• 3% say Misc. government issues
• 16% say Other
• 5% say Unsure

Whaaaaaaaaaat???? Where is 'Environment'? or 'Global Warming'??? In my mind, the environment and the problems we're inflicting on it are absolutely the most critical issue facing this entire planet's population right now. I just feel like I'm on a totally different page from 99% of politicians and 'Average Americans'. (God, that sounds smug and superior. I don't mean to sound that way, I really don't.)

Well, as far as politics go, I've decided rather than drop out completely, I'm going to do what I can to support the one candidate I actually respect and admire. Dennis Kucinich seems to me to be honest, straightforward, and about as liberal as they get on the national level. Plus, he's vegan, which certainly can't hurt! So, GO DENNIS!!!

And to throw another one at you, I've been reading Enrique's Journey during the last couple of days, and have found myself deeply affected by it. I don't know how anyone could read this book and not be changed by it, but in my case I have been drawing some parallels between certain characters and situations in the book and certain things I know or suspect about Carlos' birthfamily, so it all hits pretty close to home.

So, to add to the list of sadnesses weighing on my mind lately, I've now been thinking a ton about the plight of would-be illegal immigrants, both those who make it to the US and those who don't. The lives they lead, the people they leave behind, the horrors they endure on their quest for a better life, the brutal deaths that many ultimately face... well, it puts any little problems in my life in perspective, that's for sure.

Okay, okay, you are probably thinking I'm crazy by now, if you've actually stuck with me throughout this whole rambling post. I guess I just needed to get some things off my chest. If this is your first visit to my blog, come back again sometime, I usually post about pretty beads and jewelry and silly little pictures of my adorable son.