Dennis Kucinich floor speech, October 10, 2002

[LSK]

Mr. Speaker, more than two millennia ago, the world began a shift from the philosophy of an eye for an eye. We were taught a new gospel of compassion of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. It is that teaching, that faith and compassion that has sustained the human heart and this Nation.

I believe, as did Washington and Lincoln, that America has been favored by divine providence. But what if we lose our connection to our source by an abuse of power?

We are at a dangerous moment in human history when 20 centuries of moral teachings are about to be turned upside down. Instead of adherence to the Golden Rule, we are being moved toward the rule of liquid gold: do unto others before they do unto you.

No longer are we justified by our faith; we are now justified by our fear. Iraq was not responsible for 9-11, but some fear it was. There is no proof Iraq worked with al Qaeda to cause 9-11, but some fear it did.

It is fear which leads us to war. It is fear which leads us to believe that we must kill or be killed, fear which leads us to attack those who have not attacked us, fear which leads us to ring our Nation and the very heavens with weapons of mass destruction.

The American people need the attention of their government today. People who have worked a lifetime are finding the American dream slipping away. People who have saved, who have invested wisely are suffering because of corruption on Wall Street, the failing economy, and the declining stock market.

People have lost their homes, they have lost their jobs, they have lost their chances for a good education for their children. The American dream is slipping away, and all the people hear from Washington, D.C., is war talk, so loud as to drown out the voices of the American people calling for help.

Seventy years ago, Franklin Roosevelt said, ``We have nothing to fear but fear itself,'' calling America to a domestic agenda, a New Deal for America. Faith in our country calls us to that again. Faith in our country calls us to work with the world community to create peace through inspection, not destruction. Faith in our country calls us to use our talents and abilities to address the urgent concerns of America today.

Let us not fear our ability to create a new, more peaceful world through the science of human relations. Faith, America; courage, America; peace, America.

Speeches can be found at:

http://www.thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query

[LSK]

1. more

Mr. KUCINICH . Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 1/2 minutes.

The joint resolution, H.J. Res. 114, gives the President the authority to use all necessary force at his discretion. This motion to recommit is neutral on this central point. And I know there are people on both sides of the aisle, on both sides of the proposition before us, who are interested in knowing that, that that resolution does not take a position on the underlying bill. But with power comes responsibility, and in a democracy the responsibility is to the people. This motion to recommit would assign the administration with the responsibility to inform the American people on key questions raised by a use of force in Iraq , questions that Members on both sides of this proposition have raised.

The American people want to know what will use of force in Iraq cost, and how will it be paid for. With budget cuts? With more borrowing? With tax increases? The American people want to know what financial commitment the administration is making to address humanitarian consequences of a use of force in Iraq . The American people want to know what impact will the use of force in Iraq have on the economy of the United States and on the important price of oil. The American people want to know how a use of force in Iraq will affect efforts to prevent further terrorist attacks. The American people want to know these things because they know that ultimately they will be required to pay the price. They are entitled to answers, and the motion to recommit ensures that they will get those answers before they get the bill.

Mr. Speaker, as the ranking Democrat on the Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans' Affairs and International Relations of the Committee on Government Reform, I have sat in on several meetings where the Department of Defense, Inspector General, and the General Accounting Office have informed the Congress that 250,000 biological and chemical protective suits are defective; 250,000 of these suits are defective, but the Department of Defense cannot account for them. This motion before us would help protect our troops by requiring assurance that the United States Armed Forces deployed have been provided with functioning equipment to protect against chemical and biological agents in sufficient levels and that this equipment is not defective. Mr. Speaker, this becomes particularly urgent since the Central Intelligence Agency has just informed the Congress that if the United States invades Iraq , Saddam Hussein can be expected to use whatever biological or chemical weapons he may have.

Whatever our position on the war, I am certain that we want to protect our troops who would be called upon to put their lives on the line to protect this country. This is an example of the information which the American people have a right to know.

Mr. Speaker, this has been an important debate for our Nation. People on both sides of this proposition as to whether or not the United States should pursue action against Iraq are doing the best they can to represent our country. All of us love our country; but our love of country should include our desire to get answers on behalf of our constituents, answers on behalf of those who would be called to serve overseas. So it is in that spirit that I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and both sides of this proposition to join in support of this motion to recommit with instructions.

[Taverner]

2. I loves da Kuch!

The voice of reason in the wilderness...

[saltpoint]

3. Kucinich is a true heart of the country.

On the integrity gauge, Dennis Kucinich is the tallest of our representatives in the House.