Kucinich Introduces Resolution to End War

[Hissyspit]

Source: WKYC-NBC TV

Kucinich introduces resolution to end war
4:46 PM, Mar 9, 2011 | comments

Written by
Kim Wendel

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Representatives Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Walter Jones (R-NC) and eight others today introduced a bipartisan, privileged resolution which, if enacted, would require President Barack Obama to withdraw all U.S. Armed Forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2011.

- snip -

On the floor of the House, Kucinich said, "Today a bipartisan coalition of Members of Congress has introduced a privileged resolution calling for a vote in this congress to end the war in Afghanistan."

"More than 60 percent of the American people want us out of there. This war is already approaching a cost of a half a trillion dollars. We have Americans who are losing their jobs; their wages are being knocked down."

"We have Americans losing their homes, losing their retirement security; they can't send their kids to colleges they want. And we are spending all this money on a war that is a waste of time, money, blood, and treasure to try to prop up a corrupt regime in Afghanistan."

Read more: http://www.wkyc.com/news/national/179635/22/Kucinich-introduces-resolution-to-end-war

[grahamhgreen]

1. Now THAT'S bipartisan change we can believe in!

[Hissyspit]

4. Video of Dennis HERE:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x561237

[OnyxCollie]

2. Go Dennis!

:patriot:

K&R.

[Mybrokenchains]

3. welll...didnt see this coming.....GO KUCINICH!

[defendandprotect]

5. Nothing more important than ending these wars bankrupting our Treasury --

bankrupt the Treasury and you bankrupt this experiment with democracy -- !!

These are two wars of aggression -- brutal, immoral and illegal -

[midnight]

6. For the Deficit.... bring them home...

[MilesColtrane]

7. A nice thought, but the Authorization for the Use of Military Force was a de facto...

declaration of war by Congress.

The AUMF and the Patriot Act were both crap laws that let the genie out of the bottle. The only way to reign in the resulting abuse of power by the former President, this President, and future Presidents, is to repeal them.

[14thColony]

11. Even then it might not matter

Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1971, but Nixon ignored the repeal and kept on fighting. It was only with the 1973 joint resolution forbidding any further money be spent on the war that Nixon actually had to end operations, because Congress cut off his access to funds.

That's the true power of Congress to end wars: end the flow of money. Until that happens I doubt it much matters, but at least it's nice to see some token effort being made.

[tomp]

17. nothing wrong with repealing those laws except....

...that it is not necessary to end the war. your post lacks fundamental logic.

[Rebubula]

24. Awesome

Dude says something that you agree with (pretty much), but you decide to berate him anyway.



Your post lacks fundamental civility.

[Name removed]

68. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[sasquuatch55]

29. And almost everything to do with the wars has been privatized.....

it is the US economy! Therefore...perpetual war!!

[Plucketeer]

44. Ain't THAT the truth!

The USAF I served in is but a SHADOW of itself now. Truly despicable evolution. :evilfrown:

[JDPriestly]

52. Kucinich is forcing the rest of Congress to refuse to vote against continuing

the war. Thanks to this effort, we know which members of Congress are pro-war and which are anti-war.

I suspect that Kucinich may be the only member of Congress willing to throw in the towel and leave Iraq and Afghanistan. Then, of course we have hundreds and hundreds of bases around the world that we really do not need in this computer age.

[Norrin Radd]

8. kr

[NuclearDem]

9. I'll believe it when it passes...

But unfortunately, I just don't think this'll get the support it deserves...

[LWolf]

33. I get really tired of this meme.

It's used to depress opposition to the rightward march this country has been on since Reagan.

It "can't pass," so why bother? That's why we elect neoliberals that are more damaging than actual Republicans; because decent Democrats "can't win." That's why we don't fight harder in Congress, why Democrats roll over, cave in, and no longer bother to fight back.

Republicans don't do that; whether they can pass something or not, they never give up. That's why they win more often than we do.

We should be celebrating and supporting EVERY SINGLE EFFORT, not as a single bill that will pass or fail, but as part of the larger battle to save this nation.

I think finding some people in Washington willing to take the right steps is a win, whether there are enough to pass it or not.

[albogdady]

10. good

ok we will waiting and see

[14thColony]

12. This SHOULD be the way it works

Although I don't know what learned constitutional scholars would have to say on the subject, it certainly seems to me that if Congress has the power to declare that a state of war exists (War Powers Clause) then logically it has the reciprocal power to declare that the state of war no longer exists. I personally believe the power of the President to wage war as Commander-in-Chief is valid only during such time as The People (Congress) have authorized the President to be at war. Once such authorization ends (such as with a bill like this, were it to be succesful), one would think the Executive Branch would have to comply and end the war.

Unfortunately, this theory was tested in 1971 and it failed the test. Thus the only real power Congress has to end wars is to end the flow of money that pays for them. Until they're willing to do that, the wars will go on until economic collapse finally shuts off the money.

[24601]

63. I see your point. Congress has the exclusive power to declare

war; however, there isn't any linkage between declaring war and waging it - which is done by the President. As you noted, the power Congress has to stop it is to de fund it - and that simply isn't going to happen since it would be seen as undercutting the troops and political suicide.

[LawnKorn]

13. It is way past time to be out of Afghanistan

I hope this clears both the House and the Senate tout de suite.

[texshelters]

46. There was no reason to go in

except the lies.

We don't need to invade nations to prevent terrorism. In fact, it's antithetical.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Lionel Mandrake]

67. We had justification to invade Afghanistan, but not Iraq.

al-Queda, aided and abetted by the Taliban, attacked us on 9/11/2001. That's a fact, but it doesn't mean we should stay there now.

Saddam Hussein was accused of supporting al-Queda. That was just one of many lies used to justify our invasion of Iraq.

Pieces of the WTC were brought to Iraq to motivate our troops. Meanwhile, we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Afghanistan. Now that we have lost, we should leave Afghanistan.

[LawnKorn]

14. K&R

[truthisfreedom]

15. "And we are spending all this money on a war that is a waste of time, money, blood, and treasure to

ugh. he's right.

[bluethruandthru]

16. Wish I could rec this more than once! n/t

[Paper Roses]

18. Leave Afghanistan and keep out of Libya. Tend to the problems

at home. Think of what all those trillions could do here. We earned those dollars, they need to be spent at home where it is badly needed.

[howmad1]

58. What; and cheat the MIC of what they percieve is rightfully theirs.

You gotta be kidding.

[Kucinich Feingold]

19. K&R

[RoccoR5955]

20. KUCINICH/SANDERS in 2012! n/t

[timtom]

72. I would throw Grayson into that mix, somehow.

[Zorra]

73. I'd crawl naked and blindfolded across a field of broken glass to make that happen. nt

[Solly Mack]

21. K&R

[Overseas]

22. K&R! Yes Please! //nt

[Freddie Stubbs]

23. Like Luciano Pavoratti on a treadmill, this bill is going nowhere

[pocoloco]

26. Of course it isn't, the prez and congress are not in charge of

wars, the MIC is in charge of wars. They feed on wars.

Still that doesn't negate the responsibility to stand
up for your beliefs and of those you represent.

[Freddie Stubbs]

56. Obama ran on a platform of increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan

I've seen no evidence that he is not calling the shots.

[blm]

27. actually, Mr Stubbs, some senators have already been working on a withdrawal plan

in recent months.....so...I expect some form of reduced presence WILL happen this year.

[Freddie Stubbs]

54. But not a plan which would withdraw all troops by the end of the year

[Auggie]

30. Agree, although if it got mainstream media coverage

it might...

Forgetaboutit

[Zorra]

74. Proposing something that would be a genuinely constructive solution

to a problem is so much better than not attempting to solve the problem at all. I mean, don't you think?

Of course, you may think wasteful, expensive, bloody, polluting nonsensical wars are good things because they help oil and other defense related industries make lots of profit and are therefore a necessary evil. You have every right to your opinion, of course.

But many, probably most, of us don't particularly care for seeing people slaughtered, maimed, and emotionally and psychologically damaged for no reason other than to make some wealthy folks even wealthier. Or for seeing our tax money blown up as a bomb somewhere. Etc.

So we applaud these legislators for at least trying to do what the majority of us want them to do. I know, I know, the government is no longer here to serve us lowly human beings, it is here to serve corporate profit needs and therefore any meaningful legislation that would be beneficial to human beings can only pass if it also serves the corporate agenda...but, well, since we have this illusion of democracy it is really comforting to know that some elected officials are actually tryin' to do something that we elected them to do. I know it's silly; challenging the status quo is a waste of time and we should all accept our corporate masters and the fact that we peasants now need to bow down and serve our new royal highnesses.

Yeah, shame on those bad Congress critters for proposing that we end the war.

It would be so much more constructive if they put their energies toward funding golf courses in State Parks, or issuing license plates that say "Tea Party" on them...or, oh yeah...making the Winchester Model 93 our official national firearm!

Now that's some really serious, important legislation that you didn't mention for some strange reason.

[Hotler]

25. kicking n/t

[felix_numinous]

28. His sentiment is right on

however some key people need to be recalled from their powerful positions before this can get traction, IMHO.

I think we need to start recalling corrupt politicians to get them out of the equation first, or they are going obstruct every move made by the left.

Then we work on ending the wars, and work on infrastructure.

Dennis Kucinich's policies are all right on, but he is countered at every move--because of the existing power structure.

[LWolf]

31. GOOD. nt

[RedCloud]

32. bring 'em home. Pack em all up in a big ass boat.

[obxhead]

51. and any equipment that can't be brought rapidly just blow in place. nt

[NorthCarolina]

34. K&R

[Roland99]

35. bin Laden's already won...all he wanted was to devastate us, economically.

We did that to ourselves.

Or, rather, Wall St and this and the previous admins in the White House.


The economic cost of the 9/11 attacks was something like $300-400 billion along w/the actual lives lost. The U.S. has spent 4-5 TIMES that much since and cost more than double the lives in fighting these fucking wars.

[Fuddnik]

37. Our real enemy is Osama bin Wallstreet.

[susanr516]

61. +1000 nt

[smoking357]

36. Yea!

Isn't ten years enough time for the CIA to collect opium money?

[DirkGently]

38. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. . . . and YES.

[bluedigger]

39. Oh, THAT war.

From the headline I thought he wanted to eliminate war as a human activity. Not that it wouldn't be a good idea.:shrug:

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

40. Rec.... #100!

Thank you, Dennis.

[L. Coyote]

41. #101

[SaveAmerica]

42. Please Please DU, for the servicemembers & families, call your reps and ask them to get on board

with this.

I'll have to read the article to see if there's any mention of loss of lives and lives forever changed as more reasons to end this war, but if the budget is what it takes to fix this, I'll take it.

[tpsbmam]

43. Gotta love him. K&R nt

[Plucketeer]

45. Bring ALL of our military back to our own soil.

Let the Afghans take care of their plight(s). Of course - not that anyone in power would listen to me - I'm just a mere voting citizen! :grr:

[Duval]

47. Oh, man, if only!! n/t

[nalnn]

48. He had better watch his back

Someone might slip him an olive pit if he's not careful.

[BlueIris]

49. Thank you, Sir.

((((( Rep Kucinich )))))

[myrna minx]

50. K&R n/t

[Kingofalldems]

53. Kick again for the subject changer.

[The Sushi Bandit]

55. Keep going Dennis!

your the man!

[Initech]

57. We need to end all wars. Now.

[avaistheone1]

59. Thank you Dennis!

k&r

:kick:

[DesertFlower]

60. K&R. nt

[El Supremo]

62. If only I could dream, just for a little bit.

[Playinghardball]

64. Dennis Kucinich for President

[Nikia]

65. Thank you

Ending this war would be a big step in the right direction. The American people cannot afford that war or the one in Iraq either. Those who say "Support our troops" can support them by allowing them to avoid multiple deployments and risking their lives.

[classysassy]

66. Come on Mr President and Congress

we are all aware why we are fighting over there and it's not to keep from fighting them here,it is and always has been about the bottom line.We are low on blood but it seem we are high on oil.

[DissedByBush]

69. I have to hand it to Kucinich, he never quits

He'll fail again of course, he always does.

But he has a purity of heart and a dedication to his beliefs that can't be bought by special interests or changed by the party bosses.

An honest man admires him regardless of what his own political beliefs are.

[LuckyLib]

70. This is what Wellstone would have done.

[DeadEyeDyck]

71. I am sitting here sipping my second Gin Martini

2 olives, slightly dirty. I am feeling seriously thoughtful.

My question to myself is: What woudl truly be the result if America were to simply pack up and exit Afghanistan and Iraq. Just pack up and leave.

It is too easy to arm-chair quarterback this. We all know they would do "this and that". But what can we know? I am an Army brat and have been around warriors all my life until recently. But I am not qualified to answer the question I just asked. I am also finishing my PhD in International Communications.

If we withdrew from the world, would those places become better or worse or remain the same? Would we be seen as more moral and therefore elevated in world status? Would we be seen as week and open to attack? Or perhaps we would be perceived as walking out on our commitments and regarded as wimps.

How do you predict the mood of another culture? Or possibly how we are regarded after we leave just doesn’t matter. Did it matter while we were invading? And if terrorist activity increases as a result of our withdrawal, the freed up resources and treasure would surely make up for the increased threats. Right?

Obama is choosing to keep us in war and I have to ask myself why? We can all throw around reasons but who really knows. I sure don’t

[faz]

76. "Obama is choosing to keep us in war and I have to ask myself why?"

The IMC would never give up that huge defense budget. Obama is bought.

MIC=Military-Industrial Complex


"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together. "

--President Eisenhower, 1961, the Military-Industrial Complex Speech

[faz]

75. I like principled man

Go Kucinich!