Sunday, May 15, 2005

Introducing Dennis Kucinich

Hi, I just got into LA yesterday, and am getting ready to participate the third Upton Sinclair Freedom of Expression awards honouring Dennis Kucinich, Michio Kaku and John Ross. I came here because I wanted to meet Dennis Kucinich in person and I now have the honor of introducing Dennis to the audience at the ceremony. What an honor! It happened thanks to my dear friend Frank Dorrel who introduced me to the organizer.

Yumi & Dennis GIF

Anyone in San Pedro, CA or nearby are welcome to come to the event and meet this wonderful human being who will make you believe that we are here to make peace, not war, and that each one of us has a role to play in creating peace and sustainability on earth.

Dennis Kucinch is a miracle and the true conscience of the USA and I am so greatful to know him. I wish he were the president of the USA right now!

If you would like to watch my interview with Dennis, please go to this page.

Directions to the event are below.

SUNDAY, MAY 15th, 5:00 - 7:00 PM in San Pedro
Events are going on all day starting at 11:00 with book and media fair
(Addicted To War will have a table at this book fair)

Third annual Upton Sinclair Freedom of Expression Awards
May 15, 2005 , 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Honoring Dennis Kucinich, Dr. Michio Kaku,
John Ross of Random Lengths News
and Lauren Coodley with special guests:
Jerry Quickley, Dr. Peter Phillips, The Living Newspaper
Yumi Kikuchi

Awards Ceremony , 5:00 - 7:00 PM
$25. Orchestra
$10. General Admission
$5. Student/Sr.
No one turned away. for info: www.LivingNewspaper.org

WARNER GRAND THEATRE
478 W. 6th Street, San Pedro, CA 90730

A full Sunday of Liberty Hill activities in San Pedro Book & Media Fair
With Authors John Ross, Dr Michio Kaku & Others
11 AM to 3 PM

Department of Peace Forum with Dennis Kucinich 3:00 to 4:30 PM
Please confirm venues, more events and information at:
www.warnergrand.org

Death Toll JPG

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Directions:

Take 405 Freeway south to 110 Freeway and exit toward San Pedro, go 8 miles
Turn left on Gaffey Street and go .06 miles
Turn left on 6th Street and go .03 miles to arrive at 478 W. 6th Street in San Pedro

Coffin JPG

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This is what I want to say tomorrow:

Thank you for introducing me. I came here from Japan to once again meet with this amazing and wonderful human being here on earth. I am an author and the translator who translated Addicted To War into Japanese. I also co-authored a book published in Japanese titled 'Dennis Kucinich.' I live in a 200 year old farm house in Japan where we grow most of what we eat organically, even though I was born and raised in the big city of Tokyo.

I used to work for a US bank as a bond trader until I found out that Japanese companies were destroying the tropical rain forests all over the world in 1989. Then I quit the bank and became a full time environmental activist in 1990. Since then I have organized many environmental events, environmental NGOs and started writing books on environmental issues.

After the 911 incidents in NY and Washington DC I got involved with the peace movement. I didn't want any more innocent people to die anymore. So, together with a few friends who share the same thoughts, we started the Global Peace Campaign which then placed peace advertisements in the NY Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times and some other European newspapers in order to stop bombing in Afghanistan and Iraq.

It was just before the US invasion to Iraq in 2003 when I first heard of the Congressman Dennis Kucinch. What we hear from the Japanese media is only the voice of the US President and I wanted to find out if there were any alternative voices. Dennis Kucinich was in the US congress courageously and openly opposing the Iraq war when the majority of American people were still for war.

Everything he was saying made so much sense to me. He was right from the very beginning to declare that this war on Iraq was illegal and immoral and there was no reason to wage war on Iraq. Finally now, many of US citizens are finally agreeing with him. He was way ahead of many of us.

What an honor it is to be able to introduce Congressman Dennis Kucinich to you all. I respect and appreciate him and his work more than anyone else in the world. It was pity he didn't get a democratic nomination in the last presidential election as I think he was the only candidate who was willing to change the US foreign policy, away from war and towards true peace and sustainability.

You know our life is all connected and we live on this fragile planet. We can not afford to scatter toxic chemicals and radioactivity to the environment any more, which is exactly what war does. We must treat each other in the way we want others to treat us. Do not kill people. Do not hurt our sisters and brothers. Do not destroy cities and villages. Instead, let's live together and work at restoring the environment we have already destroyed. This planet Earth is home to all of us and let's start taking good care of it from now on.

Dennis Kucinich hears the crying voices of the many out there, in the US and around the world. He is willing to take risks for what has to be done. He has the vision and the right policies that will bring us true peace and sustainability. I too am eager to hear what he has to say now. Dennis Kucinich, thank you for being here with us today, at this critical moment. Let me introduce Dennis Kucinich.

Yumi & Dennis JPG

Click on the picture to see a movie of Yumi interviewing Dennis.