Posted on 06/16/2003 10:02:37 PM PDT by chance33_98
Kucinich draws support from peace activists, New Age gurus
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dennis Kucinich, a champion for down-to-earth issues such as blue-collar jobs and the beleaguered steel industry, is showing his spiritual side as he courts supporters in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Peace activists, New Age gurus and people who practice alternative religions are among Kucinich's donors -- many of them attracted to the Ohio congressman's stand on less-than-mainstream issues, such as a call for a Cabinet-level Department of Peace and his support for medical marijuana.
''I have a holistic view of the world,'' Kucinich explains. ''I see the world as interconnected and interdependent and that leaves no room for war.''
Kucinich's legislation to create a Department of Peace and ban the use of weapons in space hasn't won widespread support in Congress, where a majority in the House and Senate supported President Bush's decision to wage war against Iraq. But those proposals are a cornerstone of his campaign, often mentioned in his speeches on the need to transform society and make nonviolence an organizing principle.
''We need a message of peace. It's not about backing down. It's not about rhetoric. It's about a way of life,'' said Chris Griscom, a spiritual adviser who's been a close friend and supporter of Kucinich.
for nearly 24 years.
Kucinich took his message to Santa Cruz, Calif., this week, headlining a rally called ''Imagine America'' with lifestyle guru Marianne Williamson and healthy living author John Robbins, a political donor who, like Kucinich, is a strict vegetarian. Robbins also is national co-chair of Kucinich's campaign.
Williamson, a close friend and political donor of Kucinich's, founded the Global Renaissance Alliance, which teaches peace activists and others how to lobby their local congressmen to support Kucinich's Department of Peace bill.
Other supporters include Carol Rosin, a peace activist who founded the Institute for Cooperation in Space. Rosin hosted Kucinich at a home in Malibu, Calif., last year where he talked about his vision for a world without weapons in space and especially without war.
At a peace conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, last year, Kucinich was more specific about his beliefs. He spoke about how the Eagle Nebula, a star-forming region that is 7,000 light years from Earth, reminds him of the relationship between stardust and the human spirit.
''The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: One with the universe,'' Kucinich said.
Several of his speeches, such as ''Spirit and Stardust,'' ''A Prayer for America'' and ''The Soul of the Worker,'' have been posted on dozens of Web sites created by his supporters.
Rosin sells videotapes of Kucinich's Malibu speech on her Web site for $40. The money benefits Rosin's space institute, which in turn supports Kucinich's peace-related efforts.
Kucinich said Rosin is one of many campaign backers, a reflection of the fact that the popularity of his candidacy isn't limited to mainstream politics.
''My campaign appeals to labor, to machinists, to auto workers, and it appeals to feminists. It appeals to the dreamers and to those who have a vision of a new America, and it appeals to those who believe in the real potential of this country,'' Kucinich said.
Kucinich, a Roman Catholic, also is close friends with actress Shirley MacLaine, who is the godmother of his daughter. It was MacLaine who first introduced Kucinich to Griscom, whom MacLaine wrote about in her best-selling book, ''Dancing in the Light.''
Griscom founded The Light Institute and Nizhoni School For Global Consciousness, both located in Galisteo, N.M., to teach people how to connect with their inner self, partially by helping them to remember their past lives. Kucinich donated $3,000 in speaking fees earned last year to Griscom's school, campaign finance reports showed.
''He's a visionary and a statesman, and I am a visionary, so we've always gotten along,'' Griscom said.
Kucinich, who is one of nine candidates competing for the Democratic nomination, has said he will decide in June whether or not to remain in the race.
''The response that I get keeps getting more and more powerful,'' Kucinich said during an interview this week.
''The fact that I write about and talk about themes that have a spiritual connection is, I think, an important part of that,'' he said. ''People want someone who understands and has a higher concept of where our country is going.''
''The energy of the stars becomes us. We become the energy of the stars. Stardust and spirit unite and we begin: One with the universe,'' Kucinich said."
It sounds like some nebula will congeal into a new religion or something. Perhaps the guy is prophet, or perhaps he is a charlatan, or perhaps he is a nutter, or perhaps he just craves attention. I go for the last myself.
Just how much steel will be needed for all the "Peacemobiles" to be ordered by the Department of Peace?
(More Kucinich voter types)
If I had seen that I would have cut it down later and mailed them a log from it for a wedding gift :)
Forget Sharpton, this guy is the guy we should get behind.
ROTFLOL!
My reaction, at the time, was a sour stomach.
I guess I don't know how to direct my feeelings as well as you do.
BTW, you direct your feelings goooood!;o)
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