Kucinich visits campus
Originally published in the Daily Illini
Kucinich visits campus
By Tracy Douglas | Staff writer
Published Tuesday, March 16, 2004
Students walking around the Illini Union circle drive Monday night saw signs proclaiming "Hope Begins" above Dennis Kucinich's name. Kucinich addressed a packed room at the Union.
In pamphlets that greeted those at the lecture, Kucinich marketed himself as the "strategic choice." Citizens should vote for him so that his delegates can change the Democratic party platform. Kucinich said he was in the race to make sure there is a new direction for the country.
Supporters wore stickers saying, "Kucinich means change."
"We are never just observers. We are participants by the act of observation," Kucinich said. He said elections have to be about more than arm wrestling. They have to relate to what it means to be citizens.
Kucinich said he desired to change the direction of culture towards nonviolence. He would do this by establishing a Department of Peace to promote nonviolence.
"The Department of Peace seeks to regain the hope of the UN charter," Kucinich said, adding that hope was a world of peace.
"It is really nice to hear a politician talking from a moral point of view," said Rebecca Cobby, a British exchange student.
"You could be the ones who help to achieve harmony with world," Kucinich said. "You could be the ones who gave a new hope to this country."
Kucinich said his reason for staying in the election was for the electorate to be able to send a message to the rest of the country. He said he was in race to get people to vote.
Before Kucinich arrived, the Vibration Army entertained those in attendance by rapping about the Iraq War and the proposed renewal of the draft. They also sang the campaign song "Imagine the Dream Team."
Bob McChesney, professor of Library and Information Science, said he thought the turnout meant a lot of people are concerned about the country.
Dr. David Gill, a Democrat running in the congressional primary, spoke at the event.
"I'm not really a politican. I'm an emergency room doctor."
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