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Walter Cronkite, Most Trusted Man in America: says Democracy is
Threatened, election "Most Important Since Civil War"
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| press release: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation |
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SANTA
BARBARA, CA -- -- Walter Cronkite, selected by the
American people in the mid 1990s as the most trusted man in
America, has called the upcoming presidential election the
“most important since the Civil War.” Cronkite, who was in
Santa Barbara on October 23rd to receive the Nuclear Age Peace
Foundation’s 2004 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award, stated
that the November presidential election provides an opportunity
to reverse the Bush administration’s dangerous doctrine of
preemptive war, a doctrine that he believes is setting the wrong
example for countries throughout the world.
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- In a live
interview with ABC news correspondent Sam Donaldson following
the presentation of the Foundation’s award, Cronkite argued
that the US is far less secure today as a result of initiating
the war against Iraq. Cronkite added that the way to peace is
through diplomacy and cooperation with international
organizations such as the United Nations. As a solution to the
Iraq War, Cronkite suggested convening high-ranking retired US
military leaders who have opposed the war and asking them to
design a plan to bring US soldiers home in six months. Cronkite
further suggested that the returning soldiers should be greeted
as heroes on the main street in every US city and that the
government provide a “GI Bill” for their education and to
get them back on their feet in business.
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- Referring
to the importance of educating the public on critical issues
such as the Iraq War, Cronkite stated, “We are on the
precipice of being so ignorant that our democracy is
threatened.”
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- The
Distinguished Peace Leadership Award was presented to the former
CBS Nightly News anchor for his “uncompromising integrity”
in reporting the news to the American people and for his
commitment to building a more peaceful world. David Krieger,
president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, stated, “The
principal function of a journalist is to bring the truth to the
people so that power will not be abused. That requires hard work
and integrity, and it is what has characterized Walter Cronkite
throughout his distinguished career. Mr. Cronkite has served
democracy well, and set a high standard for all journalists to
follow.”
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- For more
than 20 years, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has been
committed to advancing initiatives to eliminate the nuclear
weapons threat to all life, to fostering the global rule of law,
and to building an enduring legacy of peace through education
and advocacy. The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-profit,
non-partisan international organization on the Roster in
consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social
Council. Some of the previous recipients of the Foundation’s
Distinguished Peace Leadership Award include Archbishop Desmond
Tutu, The Dalai Lama, Jacques Cousteau, King Hussein of Jordan
and Jody Williams.
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