| June 17, 2005 Riding Shotgun With Dennis words and photos by Pamela Thompson, insurgent49 -
click on images to enlarge -
 I was born
and raised in southern Ohio (for better or worse) and lived in
Cleveland in 1978 when Dennis Kucinich was elected youngest mayor ever
at age 30. I considered voting for him in the 2004 presidential
election, because he spoke about being against going to war in Iraq and
his definition of working towards peace closely matched up with how I
thought a world with peace might look like  Dennis Kucinich was
here in Anchorage June 3rd and 4th, talking about a lot of good
stuff. I serendipitously bumped into him Saurday morning at the
entranceway to the downtown Market (I was there to connect with a
vendor friend). Dennis talked with several market vendors and people
visiting from wherever. He shopped along with the rest of us, and
seemed genuinely happy to be here. He and Jon Lockert, of Alaskans for
Peace & Justice, invited me to join them. I thought about it for a
moment and chose to join the "Dennis K entourage", which included
the Channel 2 news camera team, Jon Lockert and Joe Ray from the
Soldotna/Kenai area (Joe grew up in Cleveland. His family has
known Dennis for many years.)
 After the market, we dove into Joe's car and headed to the office of Mark Begich at City Hall, where the two mayors met and talked about city infrastructure (having both represented their cities as the youngest mayor ever), and the importance of childcare in workplaces all over the world. Then, we went to lunch at Organic Oasis. This was Dennis' choice, having eaten there the day before as well. Being a very serious vegan, there was no other choice as far as Dennis was concerned. I observed DK had no problem saying what he wants and likes. I asked him where that name "Kucinich" came from, he said w/ pride, "I'm Croation".  Jon Lockert had
promised the folks affiliated with Interfaith Council, who were going
to be doing a silent "prayer for peace" on Sat. around 3:30, that
he would bring Dennis by to say a few words. After a few of the members
got up and spoke (including Jon, a woman from Wasilla singing the
lines "All we are saying, is give peace a chance", and Joe Ray speaking
for prisoner's rights), Dennis approached the podium and thanked the
Council for inviting him.By now, I was tired and decided not to attend the afternoon fundraiser nearby and that I would catch the Dennis Kucinich finale at the PAC later that evening.
The turn-out at the PAC was great, filled with a variety of interesting Alaska folk. Libby Rodrick, folk singer, started off singing a few of her songs, and then Dennis continued speaking to the peope. His speech was followed by some high-spirited, synergized, audience connected, question and answer time. These were some of the topics Dennis talking about: + Creating a "Department of Peace" + Keeping your heart open works in helping to connect with those who have very different values + Corporate criminals and and the George W. Bush administration that loves them most + The idea that state charters could challenge "corporate personhood" + People's fears are now ruling the nation + "The eagle that now hangs above Legislative Chambers of Congress has outstretched wings - a left wing and a right wing ... it needs both of them to fly" + The Patriot Act is bad legislation and very few legislators read it before signing it into law + Thriving slave labor and sweat shops need not be + Quality education here in the U.S. is missing, + Everyone in the world should have the same access to health care + All humans are made of the same stuff; therefore, there's no reason we cannot get along and resolve difficult conflicts, in order not to destroy the earth we all live on +Abuse and torturing people sucks and should be stopped and truly dealt with +WAR does not resolve conflict; PEACE DOES.....  I now know
Dennis Kucinich a little better. He's got very strong, personable, high
spirited "razzle-dazzle" energy, and a gentle smile that goes with it.
I like him and hope to see and hear more from him. And, the more
I think about it, I think maybe I did
vote for Dennis Kucinich in fall '04.Pamela Thompson is a freelance photographer and writer who resides in an undisclosed location in Alaska. She may be contacted at pamela@insurgent49.com. |
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Columnists -
- related items -
http://www.kucinich.us/ Dennis Kucinich homepage www.alaskaserendipity.com Pamela Thompson homepage - also by this writer - "army dude" and other photos |
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| Copyright
2005
Insurgent Media. All Rights
Reserved. in-sur-gent (in sur'jent), n. 1. a member of a group which revolts against the policies of its leadership. |
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