A Politician for Peace [View All]

[The Sushi Bandit]

Congressman Dennis Kucinich visits Maui on his continuing campaign for domestic and international peace.

http://www.mauiweekly.com/features/story2348.aspx

In the 2004 Democratic caucus, Congressman Dennis Kucinich was Maui’s choice for President of the United States. John Kerry took the vote statewide, but Kucinich still feels an attachment to Hawai‘i, and to Maui in particular. He returned to the Valley Isle last week to show support for the reelection of Senator Daniel Akaka.

“I share with Maui a sense of beauty, a connection to the natural world. And that is the essence of peace,” said Kucinich. The notion of peace has been at the forefront of Kucinich’s campaigns throughout his career. One of his most prestigious projects is a bill (HR 3760) he proposed in 2001 for a U.S. Department of Peace (DOP)—the Congressman’s idea to counteract the Department of Defense. And since we already have military academies, he proposes a Peace Academy, which, among other things, would train international peacekeepers.

As of Thursday, Aug. 9, when the Maui Weekly was offered the opportunity to speak with Kucinich, HR 3760 had 74 co-sponsors, and the list continues to grow. The bill is based on a 1798 proposal by founding father Benjamin Rush, who wrote an essay called “A Plan of a Peace-Office for the United States.”


Congressman Kucinich and the Sushi Bandit discuss Peacebuilding in Haiku, Maui