Muslims For Kucinich

Kucinich gave the following speech in Congress on December 19, 2005:

In the not-so-wee hours of the morning, the House began debating H. Res. 639, providing for consideration of the conference report to H.R. 2863, the 2006 Defense Appropriations Act. Speaking against H.R. 2863, Congressman Kucinich said:

"Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill, principally because of the inclusion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"I oppose this bill for many reasons including:

"1. Bad process -- Withholding language so we can't review the bill is anti-democratic. Adding provisions that would never pass if brought to a legitimate vote to a must pass bill is anti-democratic. Trying to use our desperation to go home to see our families to extort us into voting for a bad bill is anti-democratic. This abuse of power is a shameful display by a nation that claims to be a paragon of democratic virtue.

"2. Improper Defense spending -- The bill spends over $300 billion. Congress could spend tens of billions less and do a far better job protecting our nation.

"The bill continues the misguided strategy of buying weapons that provide us no additional protection. Buying ever more expensive fighter jets, massive naval ships, and a missile defense system provides no additional protection for our nation. No other nation has fighter jets or naval ships that can compete with our Air Force or Navy. The claimed ballistic missile threat is grossly over-exaggerated.

"Yet, the Army is vastly over-used because of our war in Iraq. To re- establish the Army, we need to cut back of weapon spending. In response, recent press reports indicate the Pentagon wants to cut troop levels and resources for the troops to ensure we can continue spending on unnecessary weapons systems.

"In effect, this funding bill forces our troops to fight wars against enemy with the wrong weapons. The F-22, naval ships, and missile defense cannot defeat insurgents fighting a different kind of war. We need a different kind of Army. One that is capable of dealing with the real threats we face. The Soviet Union is gone, and the insurgents of Iraq are not scared of a poorly functioning missile defense system.

"3. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- This bill violates the basic constitutional rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of the Gwick'in Native peoples. This Bill will not help America Achieve Energy Independence. According to a March, 2004 U.S. Geological Survey -- will lower U.S. oil imports by between one and two percent per year and even at peak production in 2025 the U.S. would still import 66% of its oil, up from 58% today.

"The Arctic Refuge Has Less Than A Year's Worth Of Oil. According to the most recent figures released by the Energy Information Administration, the United States used over 20.7 million barrels of oil each day in October of 2004. At this rate, over the course of a year the U.S. goes through over 7.5 billion barrels, accounting for more than a quarter of the world's oil demand. However, since the Arctic Refuge contains only approximately 3.2 billion barrels of economically recoverable oil, it could only sustain the United States for less than a year.

"Oil Would Not Reach Consumers For Ten Years. Even if the Arctic Refuge were opened for drilling immediately the oil would not be available for around ten years while the oil companies explored the area and built the infrastructure to transport the oil.

"4. Liability exemption for vaccine manufacturers -- Liability immunity for pandemic flu vaccines is included in the bill. This giveaway will not result in increased vaccine production, but it leaves consumers with no recourse if they are injured, and it could exacerbate the epidemic. We learned from the smallpox scenario only a few years ago that if the vaccine companies and Congress won't back the safety of the vaccines, people will not accept them and the epidemic could be worse as a result. This is nothing more than another giveaway to big Pharma at the expense of public health.

"First, it is said that liability concerns are the reason that pharmaceutical manufacturers do not want to manufacture vaccines. An October study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found otherwise. It found that other more glaring uncertainties, like the absence of a guaranteed market, are the problem. However, the pandemic flu plan appropriates billions of dollars specifically to create this guaranteed market. Chiron, a major pharmaceutical company and vaccine manufacturer, does not need more financial incentives -- they have been working on an H5N1 vaccine since 1997. Liability immunity is simply not necessary.

"Second, the language could hasten the epidemic. In order for a vaccine to be effective, it must be widely used. But liability immunity like this sends the message that it is expected that people will be injured or worse by the vaccine. If they are, they will have no recourse. Citizens and health workers may refuse the vaccine if neither the vaccine maker nor the government asking them to take it will stand behind its safety. In fact, the American Nurses Association recalled that, '. . . ultimately, fears about the side effects of the smallpox vaccine and the lack of a comprehensive compensation program discouraged RNs from participating in the program, which caused it to fall far short of its goal.' Fewer vaccine recipients means that the virus could spread faster.

"Third, there is reason to doubt the safety of these vaccines. Chiron, the company responsible for the collapse of half of last year's flu vaccine supply because it allowed contamination during the manufacturing process, is planning to use MF59 in an avian flu vaccine. MF59 is an adjuvant (a vaccine additive used to increase the effectiveness of a vaccine dose) that is highly controversial because a primary ingredient, squalene, is on the list of potential causes for the chronic debilitating illnesses experienced by the veterans of the first Persian Gulf War. The adjuvant is unlicensed by the FDA despite having been a component of vaccines in several clinical trials over the last ten years. Despite these risks, liability exemption language is being forced into the Defense Appropriations bill with no public debate and no vetting in Congress. At a minimum, this decision should be made in the open before the public, not behind closed doors.

"The liability immunity is unnecessary, quite possibly counterproductive, and is being passed undemocratically. It is nothing more than another gift to the already enormously profitable pharmaceutical industry.

"5. Funding for Avian Flu preparedness. The bulk of the funding is likely to go to stockpiling vaccines and anti-virals like Tamiflu. But, despite months of promises from Roche, there have been no agreements to allow other companies to help quickly build the stockpile to meet our needs. By failing to issue a compulsory license for Tamiflu, we are gambling with public health and the proceeds are going to Roche. If a compulsory license was issued, Roche would still get their royalties. Allowing Roche to control world supply and price is yet another blatant giveaway to one of the most profitable industries in the world.

"6. Gulf War Illness funding. Earlier this year, I won an amendment, along with Mr. Shays and Mr. Sanders, to reestablish funding for research into the chronic debilitating illnesses that veterans of the first Persian gulf war are experiencing. The Veterans Administration has finally recently admitted that these illnesses are NOT due to psychological trauma. That means the specific list of causes is shorter than ever which means we are closer than ever to finding treatment. Yet there is no new funding for this research. I hope the conferees have seen fit to stand behind the funding, along with the House and major veterans groups."

Dancing With Ghosts

By Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Congressman (D-Ohio)

Early in the morning, Monday, December 19, 2005, the United States House of Representatives will vote on the Defense Authorization bill which will contain a provision to permit the drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). I have taken three opportunities on the floor of the House early today to alert the American people of this backdoor approach to passing a very controversial bill which is desecration of the basic human rights of the Gwich'in people.

When will America get off the treadmill of sacrificing native rights to greed, territorial ambitions and fear? We will soon observe a grim anniversary which testifies to our persistent moral dilemma when it comes to those who were here first.

One hundred and fifteen years ago, on December 29, 1890, the US Seventh Cavalry, under the control of Colonel James Forsyth, directed artillery fire against Lakota men, women and children. One hundred and fifty Native Americans were killed in what became known as the Massacre at Wounded Knee in South Dakota.

U.S. Government troops were drawn to the land of the Lakotas to enforce a ban on Ghost Dance Religion, a native mysticism which taught non-violence and included chanting prayers and dancing one could achieve the ecstasy of harmony with the paradise of the natural world. The dance was forbidden out of fear that excitation of religious passions would turn to Indian violence against the US Government.

The history of the United States' relationship with our native peoples has been one shame-ridden chapter after another of expropriation, humiliation, and deception, theft of lands, theft of natural resources, destruction of sacred sites and massacres. The U.S.'s relationship with our native peoples has been an endless cycle of exploitation and contrition. Massacres and apologies.

Who in the future United States will apologize to the descendants of today's Gwich'in tribe, whose humble, natural way of life, religion, and culture are threatened with extinction by the plan to drill oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? The Gwich'in tribe has lived on their ancestral lands for 20,000 years in harmony with the natural world.

The drilling for oil in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge, called by the Gwich'in "the Sacred Place Where All Life Begins" will disrupt caribou calving grounds, leading to the long-term decline not only of the herd, but of the tribe which depends upon it for survival This will not only violate Gwich'in internationally recognized human rights and make a mockery of our founding principles of belief in the inalienable right of each person to "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness."

Members of Congress will come to the floor today and say we need to drill to protect our economy, to defend our country, to keep our way of life. I intend to point out the reciprocal nature of our moral decisions.

Christian teaching tells us to do unto others as we would have them do unto ourselves. We learn from other spiritual insights that what we do unto others we actually do to ourselves. We cannot in the consciousness of true American spirit return to a history of slavery, a history where women had no rights, or a history where native peoples are objectified and deprived of their humanity, their culture, their religion, their health, their lives.

We must make our stand now not only as to who the Gwich'in are, but, in a world where all are interdependent and interconnected, who we are, and what we will become based on our decisions today.

When we perpetrate acts of violence, such as drilling in ANWR, we are damaging ourselves as humans. It destroys the land, it destroys the herd, it destroys the Gwich'in. It destroys us all. Another part of the true America will die. We must not only search for alternative energy. We must search for an alternative way to live. We must escape this cycle of destruction. We must reconcile with nature. We must find a path to peace, with our native brothers and sisters and with ourselves.

One hundred and fifteen years ago, the Ghost Dancers were killed. Yet we still meet their ghosts. They are dancing upon the coastal plains of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.