The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

**Note from Dan Stafford**



Too often in the press to get everything done (Hey, I work for a living just like most of you out there.) I don't get to personally comment in here. There's a lot to report on, and I try to make what I chose to bring to this blog speak for me. Right now, I think I need to speak directly.

While I am pretty disappointed with the vote Dennis Kucinich has received so far, I am still backing him 100%. Some might ask why I'm adding my voice to a "losing cause." I don't believe that description fits in this case.

Dennis Kucinich has brought life to issues that many of the Democratic candidates would have loved to ignore just by raising them in public. He's done his utmost to bring attention to issues that directly affect the lives of everyday Americans, working people like you and I. That alone has changed the direction and scope of the political discussion in the Presidential race this year.

For those of you who are worried about splitting the vote in this primary, don't. You can't split the vote in the primary. All this election is about is choosing the candidate and issues you want to be voted on in November in the general election. If you're frightened that Kerry won't get enough votes to go on to take on Bush in November, forget it. John Kerry already has all the votes he needs to become the Democratic candidate for November. Barring something highly unusual, he will be the one facing George Bush.

So at this point, are you asking "Why even go vote in the remaining primaries? Why are you supporting Dennis, Dan?" Here are the reasons you SHOULD DEFINITELY vote in those primaries, and then I'll tell you why I'm still backing Dennis.

If there is anything in Dennis Kucinich's platform that you prefer to John Kerry's position, your votes now will give Dennis Kucinich the backing and voice he needs to influence John Kerry's final position on the issues after the July Democratic Convention. With enough votes, Dennis can say "Look, John, you know these voters want this and believe in it. They believed in it enough to vote for me even though you'd already won. If you don't give them the key things they want, a large number are just going to vote Ralph Nader or not vote at all, and you are going to be neck and neck with George Bush in November. Remember 2000, John?"

Then write to Dennis and tell him exactly which platform positions matter the most to you. It might take him awhile to get through all the e-mail but he will read them. You can write him at denniskucinich@kucinich.us. This is your last hope to get anything changed in the Democratic platform before 2008. I would think long and hard before I threw another vote in a pile that's already overflowed the goal line. Throw it in a pile that will help push the big stack more in a direction you can live with.

What issues? Getting out of NAFTA & WTO to help keep our manufacturing base and technology jobs, both critical national security assets. Getting out of Iraq without shirking our responsibility to those we've harmed. Universal non-profit health care as a right for every citizen. Food as a right. Water as a right. Decent working conditions as a right. A four year college degree as a right. We could easily pay for all of that with a a small fraction of our military budget, which is bigger than the rest of the world combined. If they can lose three trillion dollars surely they can afford to give up 20-30 billion out of over 450 billion per year they spend. After the decades of sacrifice we and our parents put up with to fund the huge military machine, surely we can take a small amount and invest it in the bettering of our lives and our future.

Another key fact. Dennis Kucinich has already sponsored a number of bills that are sitting in committee in the House to do exactly these things.

He also is leading the battle to preserve and restore our civil rights under the Constitution. Help him junk the Patriot act and ensure that our votes count! How much do we need a massive federal government snooping on us?

How much do we need to live afraid of the boogey man in a turban hiding under our beds everyday? If that's what we do then the bums who flew those planes won. Americans are courageous, not fearful and cowering. Courage doesn't mean living locked up ready to fight every day under Big Brother's eye. It means being the ones to help people the world over have food, shelter, education, and freedom. You don't do that by blowing everybody up. You do that by helping the good people do good things. Americans, We The People, have been great at exactly that - living free, helping freely, showing an open and kind hand and only striking when we have been struck. We need to remember that part of our souls.

Have twenty brainwashed fools with nothing more than box cutters changed us that much? I have to believe that the answer is no. We need to be the friend and hope of the world, not it's bully. Let's pick our heads back up, pick our lives back up, and take back the reigns of our lives from the corporations and politicians' greed by supporting good people wherever we find them - especially right here at home. It's time for "kind" to count more than "kool". This isn't high school. We can be this world's best hope. We have been, and we must continue to do so.

That's part of why I still support Dennis 100%. The rest of the reason is because hopefully the world DOESN'T END IN NOVEMBER. I want to continue to work for peace, for human rights, for a sustainable industrial economy that works with our environment instead of trying to rule it to the point it breaks. I am going to spend the rest of my life promoting those goals whenever I can by peaceful and lawful means. So is Dennis Kucinich.

Now is the time. We all need to get out and push, to add fuel to the Kerry rocket aimed at George Bush in November, to help aim it more true. Supporting Dennis is probably your best chance to do that. It's also our best chance of keeping this party together so we can get the votes to push out Bush.

Now it's up to you. It always has been. Get out there and vote, whether you feel I'm right or wrong. Vote your heart and soul. Find out what these two candidates are about, and vote.

Dan