[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 38 (Thursday, March 8, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E352]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     FORTNEY H. ``FISH'' STARK III

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 8, 2012

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record a statement written 
by my 16-year-old son, Fortney H. ``Fish'' Stark III.

       In 2004, I visited the Democratic National Convention with 
     my dad. I don't remember much, being 8, but I do remember my 
     visit with Dennis Kucinich. He was a little quirky, in a Ron 
     Paul kind of way, but he was earnest, he was friendly, he was 
     sincere, and he believed in what he was doing. Someone took a 
     photo of us that night--I was almost as tall as him, even at 
     8--and he sent me a copy, signing it:
       ``Dear Fish: Someday I hope to come to the convention to 
     help nominate YOU! Thank you for your support. Your Friend, 
     Dennis Kucinich.''
       Congressman Kucinich wasn't a perfect politician. At times 
     he's more concerned with taking a principled stand than 
     trying to negotiate a principled compromise. But even though 
     he was quirky and at times obstinate, he stood out in 
     Congress because he truly believed in what he was doing, 
     because he was passionate and never said die, because he was 
     willing to stand up and say something that he believed needed 
     to be said when no one else would stand up with him, because 
     he believed strongly that our children needed to live in a 
     word free from war, enjoy lives free of hunger, in families 
     free from poverty.
       Congressman Kucinich looks like he's going to lose in his 
     primary campaign tonight. Congresswoman Kaptur is a great 
     lady, even if she does have a penchant for needless military 
     spending and has been flimsy on pro-choice issues. She'll do 
     great things for the district, I know it.
       But I want to honor Congressman Kucinich by sharing what he 
     taught me--that it's OK, even when you're alone, to stand up 
     for something if you feel it is right. I don't think--few 
     do--that we should run the country exactly as Congressman 
     Kucinich believes we should, but there always needs to be 
     someone to say the things that he is saying--to have the bold 
     ideas, even if they're not always feasible, to have the 
     idealism and hope, even if it's sometimes fleeting.
       ``Courage is when you know you're licked before you begin, 
     but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter 
     what''--Atticus Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird
       Congressman Kucinich made this quote come alive for me. He 
     stood up for peace, for health care, for the environment, for 
     reform, even when he knew he wasn't going to win--because he 
     believed in it. And while he never should have (and never 
     did) run the table, he always brought something to our 
     national discussion that contributed. It was a light, an 
     optimism, a compassion, and a humanism.
       He was willing to take a political bullet to spread that 
     message. Tonight, that's what happened. Here's to a 
     courageous man who stood up for what he believed in, who 
     stood up for helping others, and who would rather lose an 
     election than lose his principles. A man who taught an 8-
     year-old that believing in yourself held a far greater reward 
     than selling yourself.
       Rock on, Dennis.

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