One of the most inspiring women in my life, the Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson, sent me a link the other day to a website that featured Americans Who Tell the Truth and as I was scrolling through the incredible portraits of many Americans I know and many I don’t, the portrait of Dennis Kucinich caught my eye. I’ll never forget when the former congressman ran in a presidential primary and my husband and I, who had voted for him, watched the tickers go up on the election results and saw his zero, zero, zero, zero, go up to two! “OUR VOTES COUNTED!” We cheered. He lost.
Seeing his portrait reminded me of another inspiring woman in my life, Peggy Law, who among many amazing contributions to our community and world, was the founder of the National Radio Project. Peggy once shared a Dennis Kucinich story with me. Whenever one of her grandchildren reached their teens she would arrange a trip to Washington, D.C., with them. Beyond touring the Capitol she would always make an appointment to visit a member of Congress where the grandchild would get to talk and ask questions. She laughed a little as she shared that except for one member of Congress, there was always a moment when the representative they were visiting would respond to a question with less than the full truth. Kucinich was the exception. He, grandmother and granddaughter spent 30 minutes talking about all sorts of topics and when the granddaughter asked one last question, about a controversial issue on which she knew her grandmother and the congressman would disagree, he said “I know your grandmother and what she believes, but I disagree with her and here’s what I think … .” He laid out his position clearly, no hedging.
As they were ready to leave, the granddaughter handed Kucinich a gift, a children’s picture book that she and her mother had created together years earlier called “Why Can’t I Be the Leader?” The book was based on a conversation she had had with her mother after seeing a news story about a war that had started. “Mommy, why are they doing this?” she had asked her mom. “Well, our leaders decided this was something they had to do, even if many of us don’t agree.” After a pause the youngster asked “Well, then, Mommy, why can’t I be the leader?” And the idea for a children’s book was born, which my shop sold for many years until it was out of print, with me sharing that story almost every time I handed it to someone.
One of my favorite things about Kucinich was his quest to create a Department of Peace. His bio on the truth website says: When he ran for president, Kucinch said that, if elected, he was “going to let the rest of the world know that the days of America trying to be a nation above nations is over. We have to quit trying to dominate other countries, and we have to step out of our isolation and into the brotherhood and sisterhood of all people. … We have to be ready to take the lead, but we need to have harmony with other nations.”
Sadly, current Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has another idea. He wants to rename the Department of Defense the Department of War. He just disbanded the Pentagon’s Women, Peace and Security program for being too “woke.” Sad. When I served in the USAF it was clear that a major goal was to prevent wars by deterring aggression, maintaining stability and empowering America’s “soft power” to lead the way. That was then … .
Back to that D.C. visit. After handing Kucinich the book, the two left his office, heading down the long hallway, taking in the hustle and bustle, names on the doors, and the art and history on the walls. After a few minutes they heard someone yelling “excuse me!” They spotted Kucinich running down the hall, tears in his eyes. “I read your book! It is so beautiful.” He handed the book back to the granddaughter who, taking it, was confused. He then handed her a pen and said “Please, you forgot to sign it.” She did and then got a hug. Kucinich retired from Congress in 2013. I miss him.
I’m glad to know about americanswhotellthetruth.org, where you can be inspired by 260 portraits, biographies and great quotes from amazing people. They give me hope at a time when gaslighting feels more common than truth telling. Speaking the truth isn’t always easy, convenient or safe. For some of our leaders, lying seems to be the norm. When the most powerful lie, WE need to be the leaders, remove and replace them, at the ballot box, while we still can.
Craig Wiesner is the co-owner of Reach And Teach, a book, toy and cultural gift shop on San Carlos Avenue in San Carlos. Follow Craig: craigwiesner.bsky.social.
(1) comment
Thanks, Mr. Wiesner, for your column today and your conclusion, “When the most powerful lie, WE need to be the leaders, remove and replace them, at the ballot box, while we still can.” In case you missed it, we did just that - by removing and replacing the continuation of treasonous Biden-Harris and their America Last policies at the ballot box. BTW, it seems to me that our (yes, our) great President Trump has taken the lead in attempting harmony with other nations. By association, you should be more than inspired by Trump as you were with Kucinich. Have a Trump-tastic day!
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