Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement after voting against H.R. 2647, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010:

“Throughout my time in Congress I have been a champion for human rights.  My opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by extension, the inclusion of an authorization for an additional $130 billion to fund these wars, is in part predicated on an understanding that war violates the human rights of the affected populations.  

“Unemployment in both Iraq and Afghanistan is devastatingly high; access to humanitarian aid is limited; medical care and education are difficult to obtain or completely unavailable.  The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have clearly violated the human rights of the civilian populations in which they are being waged.  

“As a staunch supporter of human rights I have consistently supported, voted in favor of, and advocated for passage of hate crimes legislation.  I am fully committed to ensuring that the human rights of all individuals are protected.  Therefore, I believe that passage of hate crimes legislation is essential to ensuring strong human rights protections for the victims of violent crimes that are perpetrated based on the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability of the victim.  

“But there is a deep-seated irony in including a human rights provision in a funding bill that will inevitably ensure the continuation of human rights violations in parts of the world.  I believe that, as a nation and a part of the global community, we cannot fully ensure the protection of our own human rights here in the United States without being equally diligent in ensuring the human rights of our global society.  I cannot trade the human rights of some for the human rights of others.  

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