Floor Statement of Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich:

[IChing]

Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) gave the following speech today on the House floor during a special session to provide relief money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina:
“This amount of money is only a fraction of what is needed and everyone here knows it. Let it go forward quickly with heart-felt thanks to those who are helping to save lives with necessary food, water, shelter, medical care and security. Congress must also demand accountability with the appropriations. Because until there are basic changes in the direction of this government, this tragedy will multiply to apocalyptic proportions.

“The Administration yesterday said that no one anticipated the breach of the levees. Did the Administration not see or care about the 2001 FEMA warning about the risk of a devastating hurricane hitting the people of New Orleans? Did it not know or care that civil and army engineers were warning for years about the consequences of failure to strengthen the flood control system? Was it aware or did it care that the very same Administration which decries the plight of the people today, cut from the budget tens of millions needed for Gulf-area flood control projects?

“Countless lives have been lost throughout the South with a cost of hundreds of billions in ruined homes, businesses, and the destruction of an entire physical and social infrastructure.

“The President said an hour ago that the Gulf Coast looks like it has been obliterated by a weapon. It has. Indifference is a weapon of mass destruction.

“Our indifferent government is in a crisis of legitimacy. If it continues to ignore its basic responsibility for the health and welfare of the American people, will there ever be enough money to clean up after their indifference?

“

“As our government continues to squander human and monetary resources of this country on the war, people are beginning to ask, “Isn’t it time we began to take care of our own people here at home? Isn’t it time we rescued our own citizens? Isn’t it time we fed our own people? Isn’t it time we sheltered our own people? Isn’t it time we provided physical and economic security for our own people?” And isn’t it time we stopped the oil companies from profiting from this tragedy?

“We have plenty of work to do here at home. It is time for America to come home and take care of its own people who are drowning in the streets, suffocating in attics, dying from exposure to the elements, oppressed by poverty and illness, wracked with despair and hunger and thirst.

“The time is NOW to bring back to the United States the 78,000 National Guard troops currently deployed overseas into the Gulf Coast region.

“The time is NOW to bring back to the US the equipment which will be needed for search and rescue, for clean up and reclamation.

“The time is NOW for federal resources, including closed Army bases, to be used for temporary shelter for those who have been displaced by the hurricane.

“The time is NOW to plan massive public works, with jobs going to the people of the Gulf Coast states, to build new levees, new roads, bridges, libraries, schools, colleges and universities and to rebuild all public institutions, including hospitals. Medicare ought to be extended to everyone, so every person can get the physical and mental health care they might need as a result of the disaster.

“The time is NOW for the federal government to take seriously the research of scientists who have warned for years about the dangers of changes in the global climate, and to prepare other regions of the country for other possible weather disasters until we change our disastrous energy policies.

“The time is NOW for changes in our energy policy, to end the domination of oil and fossil fuel and to invest heavily in alternative energy, including wind and solar, geothermal and biofuels.

“As bad as this catastrophe will prove to be, it is in fact only a warning. Our government must change its direction, it must become involved in making America a better place to live, a place where all may survive and thrive. It must get off the path of war and seek the path of peace, peace with the natural environment, peace with other nations, peace with a just economic system.”


http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0902-10.htm

[Melodybe]

1. yay Dennis!

kick and nominated

[livetohike]

2. Wow. I love this man

:-)

[sniffa]

3. awesome.

i Love that guy. :bounce:

nominated.. and i hope this doesn't break the (4?) paragraph ruLe.

[Catch22Dem]

4. I stand with Dennis!

Wonderfully stated.

[Why Syzygy]

5. Powerful

but . ahem . you duped a few paragraphs.

Sound advice from DK! NOW!

[IChing]

9. hope I cleared the dupes up, but it was a statement I've been waiting for.

Powerful

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. Nagin Called for Help - before the Levee broke

Can someone please get this info to Kucinich? This report is VERY important.



Nagin: Entire City Will Soon Be Underwater

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is "very upset" that an attempt to fix the breach in the levee at the 17th Street canal has failed, and he said the challenges that the city is facing have "escalated to another level."

"The sandbagging that we had hoped would happen didn't materialize today, so the water continued to rise at that particular location," he said.

<snip>

He said the "bowl is now filling up" and the entire city will soon be underwater.

Nagin said the sandbagging was scheduled for midday, but the Blackhawk helicopters needed to help did not show up. He said the sandbags were ready and all the helicopter had to do was "show up." He said after his afternoon helicopter tour of the city, he was assured that officials had a plan and a timeline to drop the sandbags on the levee breach.

He said he was told that the helicopters may have been diverted to rescue about 1,000 people in a church, but he is still not sure who gave the order.

http://www.wdsu.com/weather/4917809/detail.html

[Enraged_Ape]

7. Once again, DK speaks truth to power

If only the Democratic "leadership" had his intestinal fortitude.

[Chicago Democrat]

8. Dennis!!!

Yay

[tlcandie]

10. Winning hearts and minds... that's my DK!!!

I voted for him in primaries and I will vote for real this time IF he does run!! I could kick myself for giving in and voting for Kerry.


:loveya:

[Greeby]

11. This was not today

This was said on Friday, today they had only half an hour of open floor speech before going into some VJ Day amendment and going into recess until 6:30pm est.

Moran was livid, as was every other democrat who got up to speak

[fooj]

12. Thank you, Dennis!

Peace.

[wiggs]

13. Atta boy. nt

[MasonJar]

14. Dennis gets it! Any of the nominees who ran for the Dems would

have been superior presidents and still we got Bush.

[bee]

15. there is hope for us after all...

:cry: happy tears
THANK YOU DENNIS!

[Peace Patriot]

16. My, my, my, what a great speech! What a great PROGRAM!

And, to think, only a year ago people were saying "unelectable" and "doesn't project on TV," and "doesn't look the part." As if these things mattered.

He understands this event inside and out--from our lack of prep for global warming and lack of preventive measures, to the global corporate predator gas price gouging.

"Indifference is a weapon of mass destructon." Now there's a line!

If I could get to DC on Sept. 24, that's what I'd put on my protest sign.

"Indifference is a weapon of mass destructon."

Suggeston, IChing: Re-post this and use that line as the title.

[Peace Patriot]

21. P.S. I was thinking the other day about what it would feel like to have..

...positive leadership. What would it sound like? What would its content be? But, mostly, how would FEEL?

It was like a mountain lifting off of my shoulders--just to think of a leader who doesn't lie, who isn't a jerk, who doesn't take the unnecessary deaths of other people lightly, who isn't a brainless puppet for evil men, who isn't callous and crude...all the negatives...

And to think of someone with a POSITIVE vision--someone who points the American people to our higher selves, who speaks to our courage and creativity, or someone with ANY positive goals AT ALL, such as conversion to alternative energy...well, it makes me want to weep.

Kucinich's speech makes me think of what could have been--and what Diebold and ES&S stole from us. I don't know that Kerry would have, or could have, directed the country toward peace and fairness for all. But it might have been an opening to more positive energies; it might have sprung those energies free--instead of this horror we are experiencing day after day, of murderous, lying thieves, and having to try to think beyond them and around them, for some little shred of hope.

Lord, when is this nightmare going to be over?

[Wordie]

17. Nominated. Kicked. (and I didn't even vote for this guy!)

[tomg]

18. What a great line.

"Indifference is a weapon of mass destruction." That should be every Dems response to what is happening to our country.

[moodforaday]

19. "Indifference is a weapon of mass destruction."

Just excellent.

[jsamuel]

20. woot Dennis Kucinich!

[Pacifist Patriot]

22. Amen!!!!

[goforit]

23. Here here!!! A standing ovation!!!.....Yes...the GOP indifference!!!

[newscott]

24. Now that was absolutely brilliant.

[MelissaB]

25. I now have hope that I had lost.

I've been blocked from DU all day at school and only able to read news websites. This is exactly what I needed. Thank you, Mr. Kucinich.

[Avalon Sparks]

26. He's so fucking correct it hurts....

What the fuck is wrong with this country that the majority of people can't see this?

[Trillo]

27. I'm glad he pointed out the social infrastructure that's been destroyed.

Physical infrastructure = repairable and rebuildable, all it takes is money, time, and work.

Social infrastructure = lives are priceless and neighbors irreplaceable

[Patsy Stone]

28. Indifference is a weapon of mass destruction.

Excellent! Go, Dennis. :thumbsup:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

31. That line jumped out at me, too.

It also coincides with my opinion of why Chimp didn't act.

:thumbsup:

[imperialismispasse]

57. I was going to post the same line. Good speech.

[KamaAina]

29. "Don't blame me, I voted for Kucinich"

in the Hawai'i caucuses, even if it was largely because Dean had left the race and DK was the only antiwar candidate left.

Then again, DK was the only candidate to actually campaign for our massive haul of four electoral votes; he came here twice and eventually carried Maui Co.!

edit: italics

[tedzbear]

30. I voted for Kucinich.

Proud of it!

[hippiechick]

32. DK is so amazing !

The courage that man has, to consistently call bullshit when he sees it.

:applause:
:applause:
:applause:

DK ROCKS !!!

[Eurobabe]

33. DK rocks!

I was a hairs breath away from voting DK in primaries, but since I campaigned for Clark, I couldn't do it. But DK was always my conscience vote.

[Zorra]

34. "Did the Administration not see or care about the 2001 FEMA warning.

....?

Dennis Kucinich should be the President of the United States.

No one would do it better.

[pitohui]

35. thanks dennis

those nat'l guard troops would have made a real difference in louisiana

it makes me sick they were in iraq while our ppl were dying

[gate of the sun]

36. Dennis knows how to tell it like it is

too bad there are not more like him.....a wonderful man

[Laelth]

37. It's so refreshing ...

... to hear from a true, liberal Democrat. I's been so rare for so long. I miss it.

:dem:

-Laelth

[llmart]

38. He's who we really need to lead this country.....

not these asshole macho men with all their blustering egos who never get anything done because they're in some pissing contest with someone else.

Of course, most of the citizens in this country vote for style and not substance. They get what they deserve. The rest of us don't deserve it. We were smart enough to see through the bs.

Go, Dennis! We're all behind you here at DU.

P.S. I remember you from Cleveland State University days:)

[IChing]

39. Wow, not one negative responce......

Think about it !!!!!!!!

thanks for the nod friends

[hippywife]

40. A righteous kick for DK!

He is always so totally awesome!

[Toots]

41. This guy should be Al Gore's Vice President

Can you Imagine? :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[eridani]

50. Or Al Gore could be his VP

Well, Al's been there and done that, and besides, he's said that he is a "recovering politician."

[kestrel91316]

69. Gore/Kucinich in 2008? Works for me.............

[PeacePal]

42. "Indifference is a weapon of mass destruction." - WOW!! n/t

[confludemocrat]

43. Bush Admin: a cabal of ideologues causing negligent homicide on mass scale

once again. 100,000 in Iraq now tens of thousands here at home.

[IndianaGreen]

44. Dennis is the candidate that got my vote in 2004

He minced no words about Iraq, and he has not minced words about Katrina.

I hope he runs for Prez in 2008!

[CrazyForKucinich]

45. Why the hell did the Democrats not nominate this man?

Stupid.

My favoruite line:

As bad as this catastrophe will prove to be, it is in fact only a warning. Our government must change its direction, it must become involved in making America a better place to live, a place where all may survive and thrive.

[Zomby Woof]

60. I could tell you

But I won't hijack this thread with the reason. It has nothing to do with him or his campaign.

(I voted for Dennis in the primaries, and would do so again)

[ThreeCatNight]

72. I have to agree with you....

Sad, isn't it?

[KitSileya]

46. He should have added to his list of warnings of levee failure

He listed the warnings the Admin had had of the levees failing back to 2001, but he didn't mention that they warned about it the weekend before Katrina hit - I read about the danger facing the levees in Norwegian newspapers on Sunday the 28th. So they had even more recent warnings. We must not let them weasel their way out in any way, shape, or form.

But other than that, good speech!

[minkyboodle]

47. my candidate in 2004

he rises again to make me proud!!!

[rucky]

48. The time is NOW for Dennis to replace DeWine!

please please please...

[Barkley]

49. Manificient!

"It must get off the path of war and seek the path of peace, peace with the natural environment, peace with other nations, peace with a just economic system.”

[pookieblue]

51. all I have to say is Wow.

[MN ChimpH8R]

52. Rock On, Dennis!

Why are there no other major Dems apart from Howard Dean firing away like Kucinich?

[dkofos]

53. My HERO!!!

[info being]

54. The President America doesn't really deserve

I voted for him.

[yppahemnkm]

55. Will he run in 2008?

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

56. A rare breed...

...honest politician of REAL presidential timber who does not and would never feed at the corporate trough or cater to special interest.

[Stand and Fight]

58. With that he has won me over!

Dennis Kucinich -- real leadership and HUMANITY. He's a credit to a corrupt and squabbling Congress.

[stevedeshazer]

59. I'm proud to have voted for this guy.

Recommended.

[Obamanaut]

61. This is the first time I've yelled at the monitor or TV without

profanity in a week. Gosh it felt good!

[Witchy_Dem]

62. So shines a good deed in a weary world.

So shines a good deed in a weary world.
William Shakespeare

[Sugarbleus]

63. He's the only man I know of that KNOWS what the solutions are..

GO DENNIS

[eridani]

64. We need to be writing to all our congresscritters NOW

Demand that they begin to enact some of this.

www.kucinich.us

[Sugarbleus]

65. I'm game for that. I write a lot of letters to Reps... they don't

always respond in kind....but I do it anyway. :D

[ignatius 2]

66. What a man!!! He is so gutsy,so compassionate and so right on

with everything he is saying.Indifference is a weapon of mass destruction. Fucking A!!!

Dennis is a man of the people and for the people.

[no_to_war_economy]

67. ditto on what everyone else says plus

he gets to go home and nail his gorgeous 28 yr old wifey!

[Lydia Leftcoast]

68. Yeah, that's the man I voted for in the 2004 caucuses!

:thumbsup:

[LWolf]

70. No surprise.

Not to anyone who has followed Dennis in action.

I would say the time is right, RIGHT NOW, for the public works program that was part of his primary platform.

America needs Dennis, and others like him. We need representatives who stand up for people, who speak out for people, and who are willing to act decisively for the common good.

[MellowOne]

71. Powerful

If only the government would take it to heart.

[jazzjunkysue]

73. If you live long enough

Someone will finally use his/her power to say the right thing. Now, let's see if he can convince them all to do the right thing.:toast: