Posted on 4-4-2003
Kucinich
Takes to the House Floor to Call For An End to The War
Statement, Wednesday 2 April 2003
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), who leads opposition
to the War in Iraq within the House, today, issued the following
statement on the floor of the US House of Representatives:
"Stop the war now. As Baghdad will be encircled, this is
the time to get the UN back in to inspect Baghdad and the rest
of Iraq for biological and chemical weapons. Our troops should
not have to be the ones who will find out, in combat, whether
Iraq has such weapons. Why put our troops at greater risk? We
could get the United Nations inspectors back in.
"Stop the war now. Before we send our troops into house-to-house
combat in Baghdad, a city of five million people. Before we
ask our troops to take up the burden of shooting innocent civilians
in the fog of war.
"Stop the war now. This war has been advanced on lie upon
lie. Iraq was not responsible for 9/11. Iraq was not responsible
for any role al-Qaeda may have had in 9/11. Iraq was not responsible
for the anthrax attacks on this country. Iraq did not tried
to acquire nuclear weapons technology from Niger. This war is
built on falsehood.
"Stop the war now. We are not defending America in Iraq.
Iraq did not attack this nation. Iraq has no ability to attack
this nation. Each innocent civilian casualty represents a threat
to America for years to come and will end up making our nation
less safe. The seventy-five billion dollar supplemental needs
to be challenged because each dime we spend on this war makes
America less safe. Only international cooperation will help
us meet the challenge of terrorism. After 9/11 all Americans
remember we had the support and the sympathy of the world. Every
nation was ready to be of assistance to the United States in
meeting the challenge of terrorism. And yet, with this war,
we have squandered the sympathy of the world. We have brought
upon this nation the anger of the world. We need the cooperation
of the world, to find the terrorists before they come to our
shores.
"Stop this war now. Seventy-five billion dollars more for
war. Three-quarters of a trillion dollars for tax cuts, but
no money for veterans ' benefits. Money for war. No money for
health care in America, but money for war. No money for social
security, but money for war. We have money to blow up bridges
over the Tigris and the Euphrates, but no money to build bridges
in our own cities. We have money to ruin the health of the Iraqi
children, but no money to repair the health of our own children
and our educational programs.
"Stop this war now. It is wrong. It is illegal. It is unjust
and it will come to no good for this country.
"Stop this war now. Show our wisdom and our humanity, to
be able to stop it, to bring back the United Nations into the
process. Rescue this moment. Rescue this nation from a war that
is wrong, that is unjust, that is immoral.
"Stop this war now.
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