SOMEWHERE IN TEXAS A VILLAGE IS MISSING ITS IDIOT
Duchess Note ... This is the man who holds our nation's highest office. We can debate facts, which is great, but sometimes it just comes down to one man, one voice. So let the village idiot speak for himself:

"King Abdullah of Jordan, the King of Morocco, I mean, there's a series of places-Qatar, Oman-I mean, places that are developing-Bahrain-they're all developing the habits of free societies."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2004

"But the true strength of America is found in the hearts and souls of people like Travis, people who are willing to love their neighbor, just like they would like to love themselves."-Springfield, Mo., Feb. 9, 2004

"My views are one that speaks to freedom."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2004

"In my judgment, when the United States says there will be serious consequences, and if there isn't serious consequences, it creates adverse consequences."

"There is no such thing necessarily in a dictatorial regime of iron-clad absolutely solid evidence. The evidence I had was the best possible evidence that he had a weapon."

"The recession started upon my arrival. It could have been-some say February, some say March, some speculate maybe earlier it started-but nevertheless, it happened as we showed up here. The attacks on our country affected our economy. Corporate scandals affected the confidence of people and therefore affected the economy. My decision on Iraq, this kind of march to war, affected the economy."-Meet the Press, Feb. 8, 2004

"I was a prisoner too, but for bad reasons."-To Argentine President Nestor Kirchner, on being told that all but one of the Argentine delegates to a summit meeting were imprisoned during the military dictatorship, Monterrey, Mexico, Jan. 13, 2004

"[T]he illiteracy level of our children are appalling."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 23, 2004

"Just remember it's the birds that's supposed to suffer, not the hunter."-Advising quail hunter and New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici, Roswell, N.M., Jan. 22, 2004

"One of the most meaningful things that's happened to me since I've been the governor-the president-governor-president. Oops. Ex-governor. I went to Bethesda Naval Hospital to give a fellow a Purple Heart, and at the same moment I watched him-get a Purple Heart for action in Iraq-and at that same-right after I gave him the Purple Heart, he was sworn in as a citizen of the United States-a Mexican citizen, now a United States citizen."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 2004

"I want to thank the astronauts who are with us, the courageous special entrepreneurs who set such a wonderful example for the young of our country."-Washington, D.C., Jan. 14, 2004

"And if you're interested in the quality of education and you're paying attention to what you hear at Laclede, why don't you volunteer? Why don't you mentor a child how to read?"-St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 5, 2004

"So thank you for reminding me about the importance of being a good mom and a great volunteer as well."-St. Louis, Jan. 5, 2004

INFLUENCING THE PARTY PLATFORM - State & National
An important message from Scott Hinchee, Kucinich Campaign Convention Field Coordinator

Please join us in our efforts to influence the Democratic Party platform. This Friday and Saturday, Kucinich staff and supporters will represent your concerns at the one and only meeting of the Democratic Platform Committee in Miami, Florida. Our platform work is already attracting attention and support. An Associated Press article posted Friday has been picked up by newspapers across the country and the editor of The Nation magazine is calling on her readers and all Democrats to join the Kucinich campaign in pushing the Democrats by signing our petitions and writing letters to the Platform Committee.

Act now to help influence the direction of the Democratic Party. We already have hundreds of supporters drafting letters urging the inclusion of the values that we are passionate about in the Democratic platform. In the next 24 hours, we'd like to double those numbers. Please direct your letters by email or fax to Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. She is co-chair of the Platform Committee and represents the district in Cleveland next to Dennis. Her contact information is as follows:

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Fax: 216-751-8241
Email: stjcampaign@aol.com

As you know from our petition drive, the issues we want the Democratic Party to take a stand on are: setting an end date for the occupation of Iraq, creating a Department of Peace, switching to a universal single-payer health care system, canceling NAFTA and withdrawing from the WTO, recognizing LGBT equal marriage rights, and protecting civil liberties (repeal of PATRIOT Act). Please include any issues that you feel passionately about in your letters, but we ask you to specifically mention 'U.N. in, U.S. out' because we believe that a concerted lobbying effort on this issue could be of great consequence.

Recognizing state Democratic parties

At the state level, many of our grassroots state campaigns have been successful in influencing their platform. Two weeks ago, I wrote a letter of thanks recognizing a number of state campaigns that passed progressive, pro-peace planks and resolutions into their platform. After it was sent out, supporters in Alaska, Hawaii, Texas, Iowa, Idaho, and Minnesota brought to my attention similar measures that were passed or nearly passed (Idaho) by their state conventions. As it turns out, our campaign has accomplished even more than I initially reported. Let's take another moment to recognize the well-informed and open-minded Democrats from these states who officially endorsed the following progressive values. And please contact me (scott.hinchee@kucinich.us) if there was a platform plank or resolution victory in your state that has not been recognized!