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War or Peace?
“I know where weapons of mass destruction are... Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction. Homelessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Poor health care is a weapon of mass destruction. And when the government lies to the American people, that is a weapon of mass destruction.” -Dennis
Dennis believes that the United States has gone down the wrong path, using war as an instrument of policy in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Libya and in Iran. Dennis led the effort in challenging the Bush Administration's march toward war in Iraq and its policy of invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. He organized a strongly bipartisan effort to try to stop the unconstitutional, unwanted, expensive war of choice in Libya. Of all the Democratic and Republican attempts to end the war, Dennis’ amendment got the most votes, coming within a handful of votes from passing.
Back in October of 2002, while President Bush was readying a war resolution, Dennis, alone among members of Congress, loudly proclaimed that there was no proof that Iraq had "Weapons of Mass Destruction" or the intention or capability of attacking the United States. Dennis rallied 125 Democrats to vote against the Iraq War resolution. He was a consistent voice and vote against the war. He explained to members the connection between opposition to the war and votes cast to fund the war:
"You cannot say you oppose a war and then vote to fund that war. Every vote to fund the Iraq war kept the war going, put our troops at greater risk, caused more civilian casualties, ruined more infrastructure, took money away from a pressing domestic agenda. The Iraq war was a disaster on so many fronts for the United States. And, worst of all, it was based on lies. Congress had the power to end the war early on, but it had to cut off funds to do it. Congress' inability or unwillingness to stop the war in its tracks undermined the Constitution through eroding Congress' role as a co-equal branch of government"
There is another way. It is time to reject the politics and the policies of fear, suspicion, and preemptive war which, if left unchecked, will lead to the demise of our nation. It is time to jettison our illusions and fears and to transform age-old challenges with new thinking. We must dedicate ourselves to peaceful coexistence, consensus building, disarmament, and respect for international treaties.
Violence and war are not inevitable. We must call on our higher capacities for communication, dialogue and compassion. We are in a new era where we must understand the fundamental truth of our time is human unity. The world is interconnected and interdependent. We are all one. Acting from that thinking we can pursue the science of human relations to determine ways to settle conflict without violence. We must develop the capacity for non-violent conflict resolution or risk being engulfed by an ever-widening circle of violence.
We must change the metaphor of our society from one of war to one of peace. This is what stands behind the push to create a cabinet level Department of Peace, to institutionalize the capacity of peace, just as our government spends as much as a trillion dollars yearly as a result of the institutionalization of the capacity of war.
War is not inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are inevitable.America can make of this world a gift of peace which will confirm the presence of universal spirit in our lives. We can send into the future the gift which will protect our children from fear, from harm, from destruction.
Congressman Kucinich is the 2003 recipient of the Gandhi Peace Award. Former recipients include Eleanor Roosevelt, Cesar Chavez, A.J. Muste, Dr. Linus Pauling, Dorothy Day, Sen. Wayne Morse and Marian Wright Edelman.