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Thanks, Suza, for this well written piece. I agree wholeheartly except for one aspect. Why is Dennis aligning himself with the Democratic Party when they have proven themselves Judases over and over? I asked Dennis' wife if Dennis would run as an independent, and she replied "We don't even want to go there."

I like everything about Dennis but I have this lingering doubt because of his Democratic connection. For that reason I may not vote in the primary. I am registered as independent and would have to change to a democrat. The thought makes me sick.

Dennis speaks truth and practices love. The fact that so few appreciate that indicates how low the populace and its leaders have fallen. But at least we have one candidate, and 2008 is not the end of the game. Dennis may be around for a long time.

I also asked Elizabeth if they would be concerned about their safety if Dennis should ever seriously threaten the power structure. Again she said: "We don't even want to go there." Her response indicates to me naivete, lack of openness, fear, political craft or something else, or some combination thereof.

Thanks again for your astute observations.

The other Dennis. The Menace.

Hi Dennis,
You might be interested in reading a Letter published in Friday's(1/11) OVN's entitled "Vote for Kucinich, vote for our future" by Roslyn Scheuerman. She explains that before she heard Kucinich speak at a forum, she had lost faith in the Democratic party and registered as a Green. After learning more about Kucinich, she changed her voter registration back to Democrat and is urging all Green Party members to do the same.

She writes, "Law allows only 'Democrat' or 'Decline to State' voters to vote in the Democratic primary." I would really like to get your vote for Kucinich so maybe you can register as the latter!

You can call her at (805) 218-1199 and she will send a form to you.

well, if Kucinich is so great, how come the media keep shutting him out of the debates?

first iowa shuts him out.... then new hampshire.... now nevada.... and even before that they had him on the stage, but wouldn't give him any floor time..... what's up with that??

if the man is on the ballot, should he not get equal time? in the media?

that is the weak link in the whole equation...... as long as the corporate media can get away with this kind of shit, a man like kucinich has no hope...... so, under these circumstances, that is why i am voting for obama.....

Maybe all this political stuff is getting to me. Last night I had a dream in which Senator John Edwards and I were carrying the lifeless body of Rudy Guiliani into the open. I don't remember any details.

I would urge everyone to support Kucinich.

"well, if Kucinich is so great, how come the media keep shutting him out of the debates?"

Check out the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/05/kucinich-warns-of-legal-a_n_79975.html

Kucinich took great umbrage to the network's decision to disallow his participation, on his own behalf as well as that of the American people. "It's indefensible that ABC should be able to determine who the next president is going to be," he said. "That's not their role, as a matter of fact, the airwaves don't belong to them, it belongs to the people."

I like this observation from a Kucinich supporter:

Kucinich is funny looking and short. But he makes sense. (Do you know how much water it takes to make one gallon of ethanol? Maybe if you did, you might worry about how we're going to water our crops. Kucinich makes points like this AND provides a balancing policy ... When allowed to participate, polls show him clearly resonating with listeners... a stunning number of us aligned with Kucinich. So WHAT'S THE DEAL?!

What I want is a guy with good ideas and grit. And I want the Democratic Party and media to stop saying he isn't worth my attention! Maybe Kucinich can't win, but the issues he raises will keep the other candidates' feet to the fire.

OK, Suza -- when you're right, you're right! I WILL vote for Kucinich after all!!

I've voted or Kucinich every time he's run for the Democratic nomination. I'm seriously thinking of doing it again this year. Your piece outlines why Kucinich is the best candidate, unfortunately he's getting very little traction. That probably won't stop me from voting for him because, as I've stated on other threads, I want the two truly progressive candidates to go to the convention in Aug. in Denver with enough delegates to decide the party's platform, and with any luck the party's candidate. Edwards and Kucinich are the only logical vote for progressive Democrats who want to see the end of the Iraq war, the end if big business tyranny and a more sane trade policy in this country.

I'm a little concerned by your reference to Jonah Goldberg. Are you aware that he is a right-wing pundit in league with people like Ann Coulter. In a mind boggling twist of reality that the right-wingers are so prone to, he actually calls liberals fascists in his latest book. I know we can't choose our parents, but just to give an idea of where this clown came from, his mother is Lucianne Goldberg. The same Lucianne Goldberg that played a central roll in starting the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the subsequent impeachment of Bill Clinton. Real bottom feeders. All of his theories are corrupt.

Thank you, spk. No, I did not know this. I'm still editing the article, so thank you for calling my attention to the reference you mention in Comment #8.

thank you, skp: "...I want the two truly progressive candidates to go to the convention in Aug. in Denver with enough delegates to decide the party's platform, and with any luck the party's candidate. Edwards and Kucinich are the only logical vote for progressive Democrats who want to see the end of the Iraq war, the end if big business tyranny and a more sane trade policy in this country."

I thoroughly agree. It is truly important to vote for progressive delegates to send to the Dem convention to get progressive issues into the Dem platform; also, if Dennis gets a high percentage in Ca., he is thrust into a more powerful position in party politics, and possibly a position for appointment to Cabinet-level positions in the new administration.(I would think that both Hillary and Obama would agree to the idea of a Department of Peace, and, with his experience and capabilities, Dennis deserves a powerful position in the administration) The Primary is truly the place to voice your position for representation.

Note, per the voter guide: decline-to-state voters can request a Democratic ballot at your precinct on election day to vote Dem.
Change of party deadline is 1/22 (Ventura County: call 654-2664 to request new registration form--takes 1 day by mail.
Last day to apply for vote-by-mail is 1/29

A vote for Dennis is NOT "wasted" in the Primary!!! I always change from Green to Dem. when necessary--and it is definitely necessary now. I'll wait until the last minute to change back to Green after the Primary and before the General (and hope that one vote can make a difference!) -- because that is where my conscience is truly aligned, and it is important to get higher percentages for Greens so we can get funding and representation.

To mr. jones: the mainstream media blantantly censors -- that is why Dennis is cut out of the debates, and why they haven't covered Biden, Gravel, Richardson, and the Green party candidates (Cynthia McKinney -- who recently "switched" and has consistently voted against all Iraq "war" things!)

Update: "Judge says MSNBC debate must include Kucinich" http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-kucinich15jan15,1,7907209.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

www.cagreens.org to download the voter guide, especially for the Propositions.

Thanks, Judy, for your comments and update on the MSNBC debate. I can't wait to see if Kucinich is on tonight --- and if Brian Williams and Tim Russert asks him any questions!

The Caucus: Kucinich Should Be Allowed to Debate, Judge Rules

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/kucinich-should-be-allowed-to-debate-judge-rules/?ex=1201064400&en=3da6efbd52c5729e&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Letter to the Editor:
Candidates should boycott tonight's debate if Kucinich is excluded

I have been an Obama supporter since he declared his candidacy before the State Capitol in Illinois a year ago. I was deeply dismayed when he, Sen. Clinton and Sen. Edwards agreed to participate in the last New Hampshire debate after ABC excluded Dennis Kucinich. I thought their failure to threaten a boycott of the debate unless Kucinich were included was a nauseating example of complicity in corporate censorship. ABC would clearly have capitulated if they had threatened a boycott.

Now the same thing is happenlng with tonight's NBC debate in Nevada, only this time Obama, Clinton and Edwards may be let off the hook by a court order allowing Kucinich to participate.

If NBC succeeds in having that court order overturned, I devoutly hope that the three candidates will threaten a boycott until Kucinich is included. Don't they have any moral qualms about going along with the dreadfully unfair exclusionary practices of the networks? Don't they have any backbone?

Clive Leeman

P.S. I am sending this letter out to the media. C.P.L.

"pink minute" sez dennis has cloved hooves. please respond!

If Kucinich had been there, I would not have fallen asleep during the debates...

Jason Linkins writes in The Huffington Post:

NBC Will Go To Any Length To Exclude Dennis Kucinich From Nevada Debate

Dennis Kucinich may be currently drawing only one percent in the polls, but what a percent! It's apparently sufficient enough to drive all sorts of media organizations to hopeless distraction in their attempts to exclude the candidate from debating.

NBC must have heaps of money to burn in pursuing this absurd matter, because today, they've filed an appeal and will take this matter before the Nevada Supreme Court, which is surely the best possible use of their time ever!

Why is NBC taking such extreme measures to keep Kucinich from the debate? Does the network think it would be bad for the democratic process to have at least one candidate onstage who's neither enmeshed in the nonsensical racial animus the race has become steeped in, nor likely to be to help perpetuate the asinine gender politics expressed by their employee, Chris Matthews? Probably!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/15/nbc-will-go-to-any-length_n_81596.html

Thanks, Suza for the information about "decline to state."

Dennis Kucinich Supporters Meetings
207 N. Ventura St.
January 20, 2008 12:00pm-2:00pm
Supporters of Dennis Kucinich can meet at the office at 207 N. Ventura St. (formerly Ojai Creates!) every Sunday from noon to 2p.m. Call John at (805)640-3650 for more information.

Elizabeth Kucinich, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, is touring the Central California region and will be the featured speaker at the North Oxnard United Methodist Church, 2300 W. Gonzales Road (at the corner of Gallatin), Oxnard, Tuesday, January 22, 7:00 p.m.

The public is invited and encouraged to participate in a dialogue about our role as voters to make the critical choices required in the February 5 primary election.

Please contact Roslyn Scheuerman, Kucinich for President, 2008 Central CA Coordinator & Team Leader, at (805) 218-1199 for further information.

Many people say that there is one thing they like about Dennis Kucinich more than Dennis Kucinich --- his wife, Elizabeth! You won't want to miss her appearance in Oxnard tomorrow night. If you haven't yet heard her speak, Elizabeth Kucinich is an articulate presenter who goes to the very heart of the matter on a variety of subjects that affect our lives and the upcoming elections.

Let's give Dennis's wife, Elizabeth, a big Ventura County welcome, and please bring as many of your friends and family as possible.

Kucinich connects global warring and global warming:

A report by a Canadian research institute states that the armed forces of the world are the single biggest polluters on the planet. Science for Peace Institute at the University of Toronto found that 10-30 percent of all global environmental degradation can be attributed to military activities. The world's military forces also use up enormous amounts of environmental and human resources while they use huge amounts of energy.

The Pentagon is the largest single consumer of petroleum in the the world. Some figures show that the U.S. military uses enough oil in one year to run all of the U.S. transit systems for the next 14-22 years. In less than one hour a U.S. F-16 fighter jet uses twice as much fuel as the average U.S. auto driver. One-quarter of the world's jet fuel is consumed by the world's military. And worldwide the military consumption of copper, nickel, aluminum and platinum exceeds that of the Free World.

The world's military establishments also use and control vast amounts of land. In the U.S. alone the sum of all land set aside for military use is equivalent in size to the state of Virginia. In 1992, the military in the former Soviet republic of Kazakstan controlled an area equivalent to twice the size of Virginia. The Canadian Research Institute report states, "the military destroys large tracts of the land it is supposed to protect.... Recovery from the effects of some military activities may take thousands of years." In Indiana the U.S. Army closed its severely polluted Jefferson Proving Ground because cleanup was considered too dangerous and costly (it included contamination from Depleted Uranium testing).

Military activities have also significantly increased air pollution and ozone depletion. For instance, West Germany's Air Force produced 58% of the air pollution generated by all air traffic in the country. Low-level flights by the military interfere with wildlife migration patterns, and human health. In North America, Native communities are most affected by these flights. A German estimate has stated that 6 to 10% of global air pollution is related to military activities. Furthermore, the world’s militaries are responsible for two-thirds of the ozone depleting CFC-113 released into the air.

The University of Toronto report documents the worldwide devastation caused by toxic and hazardous wastes produced by the military. "Globally, the U.S. and Soviet armed forces produce the greatest amounts of hazardous waste," the report said in 1998. The Pentagon, for example, generated 5 times the toxic waste than the 5 largest U.S. chemical companies combined. In the former USSR, there was so much toxic waste put into Lake Karachay that authorities had to cover up the lake with a layer of concrete. In some of these areas in Eastern Europe has groundwater that is contaminated 30 to 50 times allowable levels, particularly around former Soviet military bases. Ten percent of former East Germany has been polluted or ruined, largley by the Soviet military.

According to a Worldwatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org) report, radioactive fallout from nuclear testing may have caused as many as 150,000 premature deaths and 86,000 birth defects worldwide. The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War predict that open air testing of nukes will cause 2.4 million cancer deaths. And in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1989, Joshua Handler and William Arkin report, eleven nuclear reactors and at least fifty nuclear warheads sit on ocean floor.

The report also says, "The environmental costs of militarism are compounded by the lost opportunities resulting from the annual diversion of almost $1 trillion in global resources for military purposes." Only eight percent of the world’s military expenditures would be enough to pay for safe sewage treatment programs, and water supplies, the reversal of tropical deforestation and desertification, and population control measures world wide. "If we neglect the military system when discussing the future of our planet," says David Parnas, president of Science for Peace, "we will be ignoring some of the greatest sources of environmental damage and overlooking some of the least disruptive corrective measures available to us."
(Reworked from: Reto Pieth , Nation, 6/8/92, Vol.254 issue 22)

"If we look at the five nuclear powers, we find that the nuclear legacy has not only consumed scarce resources but also massively polluted the land and sea, undermined health, doubled the rate of damaged genes in the human gene pool, and seriously reduced resource productivity over vast stretches of land and sea. Should nuclear weapons be used, life as we know it would cease. Because of its dependence on the civilian economy, the military both lies about the lethal nature of its inventions and tries to create commercial uses for them. Militarism has become a self-destructive, all-encompassing addiction for some of our fellow humans, and the rest of us are passive cooperators with that addiction. Rousing ourselves from that cooperative lethargy is our first priority for disentangling ourselves from the seduction! Money and social approval must be withdrawn from these enterprises, and our focus must change to conserving the planet Earth and securing its viability"

--Rosalie Bertell, director of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health in Toronto www.globaleduc.org