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CONTACT: Congressman Dennis Kucinich Nathan White (202)225-5871 |
Kucinich: Afghan Mineral Discovery Demands a Thoughtful Way Forward
WASHINGTON - June 14 - Following reports that nearly $1 trillion in natural resources have been found in Afghanistan, Congressman Dennis Kucinich released the following statement:
"We have just learned that there are nearly $1 trillion of untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan. This is a massive find that must be managed by the Afghan people.
"Even before the discovery of these minerals, we knew that we were propping up a corrupt government in Afghanistan. According to officials, it is likely that Afghanistan's former Minister of Mines took a $30 million bribe to give China the rights to develop a copper mine.
"This discovery demands a more thoughtful and comprehensive way forward in Afghanistan. In the coming weeks, Congress is expected to be asked to allocate another $33 billion for the war. Congress must take a stand and say no to additional funding. Congress must end this disastrous war and acknowledge that weapons and force will not ensure that these valuable resources do not fall into the hands of international mining companies at the expense of the Afghan people, among the most impoverished people in the world.
"Afghanistan has been presented with an opportunity to boost its economy and usher in a new era of transparency and stability. It is incumbent upon the American government to provide Afghanistan with the necessary resources and support to develop a central government that reflects the interests and will of the Afghan people. We ought to nurture democracy and peace; our presence there now only sows discontent and violence," said Kucinich.
Kucinich has led the opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kucinich was the first to charge that the U.S. invaded Iraq in order to secure valuable oil contracts for American based multinationals. It was widely reported in 2008 in the New York Times and elsewhere that American advisors and the State Department played a key role in writing international oil contracts in Iraq.
5 Comments so far
Show AllUS out of Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen.
BP out of the Gulf of Mexico.
Outlaw all offshore drilling.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
The US just now finds out about a trillion dollar mineral
deposit in Afghanistan. HA HA HAHA HO HO HO
The Russians never found it, the Afghan industrialists
never saw it.....just the good all American boys, you know
these wise cowboys that don't even know how to stop an oil
gusher.
My comments again HA HA HA HA HA HO HO HO HEE HEE HEE
At the top of the letterhead it has Kucinach phone#
I have found that fax disturbs these politicians better
here is his fax# 202-225-5745...
Kucinich is one of our few politicians not bought by corporations. Yes get out of Iraq and Afghanistan and the 725 military bases around the world. Then use the savings to eliminate the national debt.
Why do you think GW Bush wanted those Nuclear tipped bunker buster bombs. No muss, no fuss just a big hole in the ground. And why worry about getting radioactive from the extraction process, thats what Afghan citizens are for! Isn't laissez-faire corporate capitalism wonderful?
See, this is why I've never joined the "only Kucinich can save us" bandwagon that was the founding theme of the PDA. The mineral wealth was not just discovered. It wasn't even just revealed. Surely Kucinich knows this -- he's been in Congress a long time, and he gets the press releases. If he truly didn't know this until yesterday, that says a lot about how he does his job -- or why he doesn't. Couldn't he at least have waited a minute to have someone on his staff check whether or not this is actually a "discovery" before approving this ridiculous announcement?
On the several previous occasions on which the Afghan geological treasure troves have been discussed, it wasn't front page news (because it shouldn't be), and it wasn't revealed by the top general and his military staff -- it was researched and announced by qualified people. This current round is the most transparent public relations ploy since that Kuwaiti princess dressed as a peasant crying over the incubators. Since when do generals hold press conferences on economic matters? Aren't we paying them for their strategic expertise? Aren't these kinds of announcements supposed to emerge from the departments of State or Commerce? And if they're coming from the Pentagon, aren't we supposed to ask why, instead of just republishing the press releases like so many good-German Judith Millers? At the very least we should expect Kucinich to know that, even if he doesn't know (or bother to find out) that this information is as old as the Soviet invasion and trotted out every time the strategic situation looks particularly bleak.
This is just more of the mountain of evidence that we need to decide whether to be loyal to the truth or to be Democrats, because we can't be both.