Cynthia McKinney: Profiles in Crazy Posted by: Jon Henke
on Wednesday, April 05, 2006
The ongoing Cynthia McKinney story is far from the most important news of the day — frankly, it's overwrought from both sides — but some of the responses are just too much to bear...
McKinney...isn't a wackjob or a nutter [...] As far as I know, McKinney isn't a bomb thrower and doesn't have a record of flamboyant behavior. ... ...I don't find McKinney to be prone to antics.
Somebody hasn't been paying attention to detail.
Since we've followed McKinney for some time, let me take this opportunity to fill readers in on the Congresswoman from Georgia.
"I remember MK-Ultra as an African American." — MKUltra had nothing to do with African-Americans—Jon
"Those 9/11 activists know how critical it is to construct a timeline..." — McKinney is an ally of 9/11 Conspiracist Mike Ruppert, a major proponent of 9/11 Conspiracy theories, including the idea that Bush administration officials knew and didn't tell so they could profit from it. —Jon
"As I saw the African Americans, mostly African American families ripped apart, I could only think about slavery, families ripped apart, herded into what looked like concentration camps." — emergency hurricane relief...Holocaust...really, who can tell the difference?—Jon
"On the entire Committee on Homeland Security Web site "natural disaster’’ is not mentioned." — Here is the Committee on Homeland Security website. A simple search of the site returns nine (9) results for "natural disaster", and nineteen (19) results for "natural disasters". By contrast, the official Democratic Office Committee on Homeland Security website contains one (1) result for "natural disaster" and one (1) result for "natural disasters".
"Now, I did not write that; the U.S. Government wrote that. They were going to round up 21 million Negroes because they were afraid of freeing black people." — Representative McKinney may want to have a little chat with Senator Feinstein. In 1995, Feinstein criticized "the growing trend of extremism", including those who were "preaching hate and violence against this Government", such as the notion that ... FEMA advocates `the rounding up and transfer to `assembly centers or relocation camps' of at least 21 million American Negroes.' That is false."
As the NY Post points out, here connections to various Arab and Palestinian groups are well known and lucrative for McKinney. Per the Post, McKinney "has long associated with militant Islamic groups whose members have openly supported terrorism. She has also taken donations from individuals suspected of terrorist ties."
Some examples are:
* In 2000-'01, she got $3,000 from Abdurrahman Alamoudi, founder of the Washington-based American Muslim Council.
In October 2003, Alamoudi was arrested and charged with engaging in illegal financial transactions with the Libyan government. Court documents allege he's given financial backing to Hamas and al Qaeda. He is also cooperating with the FBI regarding his role in a conspiracy, allegedly headed by Libya's Col. Moammar Khadafy, to murder Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah.
* In 2000, she got $1,000 from Sami Al-Arian and $1,000 more from his wife. Al-Arian is the former University of South Florida professor who was indicted last year on charges that he served as North American leader of the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
* McKinney has also accepted substantial donations from individuals linked to the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, the Benevolence International Foundation and the Global Relief Foundation — three Muslim "charitable" organizations now labeled Specially Designated Global Terrorist entities by the U.S. Treasury Department.
You'd think its bad enough that she takes money from these people, but she not only takes the bucks, she defends them in Congress:
In a 2001 speech, McKinney called Rabih Haddad "a prominent community leader and religious cleric."
Haddad was deported to Lebanon from the United States in 2003. He's a co-founder of the aforementioned Global Relief Foundation, which the Treasury Department has said provided financial support to al Qaeda.
Treasury has also noted that Haddad worked for Makhtab al-Khidamat (MAK) in Pakistan in the early 1990s. MAK was a precursor organization to al Qaeda that was co-founded by Osama bin Laden.
McKinney's defense of Haddad comes as no surprise, given her 2001 vote against the Iran-Libyan Sanctions Act — which passed by a 409-6 margin and was designed to punish Iran and Libya for supporting terrorism — and her past pandering to Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.
In a much-publicized 2001 incident, then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani turned down a $10 million gift to the city from bin Talal after the prince implied that U.S. policy in the Middle East was to blame for the 9/11 attacks. Shortly thereafter, McKinney wrote a letter to bin Talal apologizing for Giuliani's actions and saying that she was "disappointed" that Giuliani had declined bin Talal's "generous offer."
One wonders why McKinney's public sector defenses of terrorism-connected contributors have not generated as much heat as, for example, the comments Rep. Ney made on behalf of contributor Jack Abramoff.
Miscellany:
On her "Issues Page", Cynthia McKinney exudes Serious Statesmanship. There are 9 issues she deems worthy of discussion, including Education, Environment, Health Care and...
Cynthia McKinney is a strong advocate, mentor and supporter of the Hip-Hop community. Her unique popularity among the members of the Hip-Hop generation and young people across the United States of America has made her a trusted voice on behalf of producers, retailers and consumers of Hip-Hop entertainment.
And here it she appears to be accusing the government of assassinating JFK, Malcom X, MLK and RFK.
”George Bush smirks at us and our Vice President sneers. The smirk is for what they still have up their sleeves and the sneer is because they know we'll let them get away with it…. After all, we let them get away with it in 1963 (that's when John Kennedy's life was taken), and again in 1965 (when Malcolm X was murdered), then twice again in 1968 (when snipers' bullets stole Martin and Bobby from us).”
Don’t get me wrong, Cynthia McKinney sometimes has a strange relationship with reality. But I used to work as a reporter in the US Capitol (this is just a few years ago), and I have personally witnessed some unconscionable racist behavior on behalf of white Capitol cops, including being told a n****r joke by the cop at the door I used to enter every morning.
This woman needs to be put on a slow boat back to her african country. Everyone since 9/11 is taking stricter measures to protect everything. She should be grateful these measures are taken or another 9/11 will happen again. As a woman, I think she may need her estrogen adjusted or just a mental checkup. Wake up and smell the reality. Our country is just not safe. Not safe like it was when we were smaller.
I think the "they" in the last comment isn’t the government, its racists. Because, you know, Cheney and Bush are simpatico wih the people who wanted MLK dead and such.
Part of me believes that reverse racism is a huge part of the overall problem with racism, and Mckinney’s actions and comments are doing nothing but help racism. This is a simple cry wolf issue. I will not be someone to deny racism and racial profiling occurs, but to use the idea of racism as an excuse for her egotistical mistake(s) takes credibility from people who actually do experience it. This woman is on a pedistal and capable of making great changes, and instead she cries FIRE in a crowded room. This woman is a great reason why many white people see African American’s arguments and evidence of racism hard to agree with-because a lot of the time the term "racial profiling" is thrown around as loosely as, excuse the expression, a prostitute’s sexuality. Am I going to argue that members of the Capitol police all love and respect black people? Of course not. As was mentioned, black jokes have been overheard. But to think for one moment that COngresswoman Mckinney has never used the term "cracker’ among her friends, or holds the upmost respect and admiration for white people is ridiculous. This isn’t a case of racial profiling, this is a case of Mckinney’s ego being too big for it’s own good, and having to hide it with the shadows of false racism. She is a joke, an egomaniac, and above all, a reverse racist. If she doesn’t respect white people enough to assume maybe she WAS at fault, why in God’s name should any white people respect her? Thus she aids the cycle of racism.
This woman needs to be put on a slow boat back to her african country.
Ms McKinney does not have an "african country", any more than I have a "european country". Like you and I, she is an American. She should be voted out of Congress and ridiculed, but that is all.
On McKinney’s website she quotes directly from Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution which forbids the "from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same"
Arrest doesn’t just mean detainment by police, but as one would expect during the turmoil of the Revolutionary Era, detainment of representatives by political opponents. Additionally, this language doesn’t privilege members from committing torts, specifically simple assault. Upon first glance it seems McKinney could use this argument to be acquitted but such is not the case; furthermore, if for some reason she wins on this point — nothing prevents these charges from being filed when Congress closes the current session.
On McKinney’s website she quotes directly from Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution which forbids the "from arrest during their attendance at the session of their respective houses, and in going to and returning from the same"
She wasn’t arrested. She was simply asked to stop and identify herself.
I understand. I’m say that she is citing the Constitution as a defense from these charges and to justify her arrogance. Capitol Police have filed charges and she will be prosecuted, requiring a warrant for an arrest.
Cynthia should be required to sit through several weeks of diversity training just like the rest of us. It is no wonder young blacks and whites as well do not take any responsibility for their misbehavior and criminal actions. McKinney is the worst kind of racist and she promotes racism as evidenced during her news conference surrounded by other racists like Danny Glover and Harry Bellafonte. She has to go.........
[Phones started ringing early on the morning of February 16th. Representative Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, newly returned to Capitol Hill for her sixth term as a member of Congress was, within minutes, going into a House hearing on the Defense Appropriations bill and she was going in loaded for bear… or goose, depending on one’s viewpoint. She asked me how quickly I could email select documents establishing that as many as five wargames were simultaneously underway on the morning of Sept. 11th, 2001.
Hurriedly I made contact with her staff and forwarded a number of PDF files so that when her time came and on national television, McKinney could finally, in a public forum, hold those responsible for 9/11 accountable with the proof in her hands and demand an answer. These were the same files I had acquired during my research for Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil. McKinney was to be well-armed with assistance from other tenacious 9/11 researchers and there would be no escape.
Unless it came time for lunch.
Having lost her seniority after a successful 2002 Israeli-funded and Republican Party-managed campaign to unseat her, McKinney’s chance to question Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers was pushed aside until the hearings were about to be closed. It appears the bears knew what was coming and had neatly dodged a bullet.
Not quite.
Although the American people were deprived of an on-the-record answer about who was running the wargames which paralyzed official response on 9/11, Cynthia McKinney let it be known (on the record) that we knew and would not forget. As she found a way to get her question on the record, she gave us all a priceless Kodak moment: one that ranks right up there with the reaction I evoked in public from then CIA Director John Deutch in 1996.
The point here is not that 9/11 is suddenly back on the table, somehow available for resolution and justice. It’s a long way from a question from a junior member of the minority party to an impeachment, conviction and imprisonment. The election is still over. The compromised Keane Commission has still closed its doors. No further investigations or legal proceedings are pending. The media has still moved on and the court system and congress are still willfully impotent.
But courage endures. And as long as there is someone like Cynthia McKinney on Capitol Hill there will be moments - wonderful moments like the one captured on the attached video - which prove that we have not gone away or forgotten and that we still have the will to speak.
For those of us who spent years investigating 9/11, the research and evidence we have compiled will always be within arm’s reach, awaiting these golden moments. As new threats and challenges overtake us and demand our focus in "the now" we stand ready to jump on any miracle that presents us with an opportunity to remind the world that murderers still walk free, still in power. Like blades of grass growing steadfastly up through the sidewalk we will never surrender our ability to speak truth to power
(yeah, Cynthia Mckinney is "wacky". give me a f*cking break, do some f*cking research please.)
Representative Cynthia McKinney Grills Rumsfeld On Dyncorp Sex Rings, Missing Pentagon Trillions & 9/11 Wargames
C-Span | March 24 2005
Rumseld and Myers forced to shuffle uncomfortably and fumble for words as McKinney gets in their face about three issues seldom mentioned in official circles.
From a reader: Here is a Video of Representative Cynthia McKinney’s Exchange on the House Hearing on FY06 Dept. of DefenseBudget, March 11th, 2005.
Watch how McKinney asks questions about Dyncorp slave rings, the 3 trillion missing from the pentagon and the 911 wargames.
Notice the faces Rumsfeld, Myers, Jones, Hunter and others make!!
tell me again, who else had the courage to ask about 9/11 wargames, dyncorp sex rings(you people probably didnt even know, or care about that) and the missing trillions? thats right, nobody.
I don’t care about the woman’s politics because I do not live in her district. But The last time I checked we lived in a democracy, so if she is as bad as everyone posting things she is, I am sure she will be voted out.
As for this incident, it’s the gift that keeps giving for republicans. I mean, with every thing that’s going on this is all we have been focusing on for the past few days. [the phrase mountain out of a mole hill comes to mind]
For the record, I have been the victim of profiling on many occasions, it doesn’t really bother me becuase I know that I am not doing anything wrong. But it still doesn’t make it right. Some black people have a lower tolerance level and she might happen to be one of themm.Is she an egotistical prima donna? Probably, but I need everyone to ask themselves this; if she were white, would she have been stopped, or would the guard have recognized her and given her a pass?
Just a question, I am sure every white person posting will say, of course she would have.But if you ask 100 black people who know what it’s like to live black every day, they will tell you; hell no they wouldn’t have stopped her. And there in lies the problem, not whether she would have been stopped or not, but that the differences in opinion is so stark among the races.
(yeah, Cynthia Mckinney is "wacky". give me a f*cking break, do some f*cking research please.)
Well, I did research on the articles you cut and paste, and did some digging into the background of the author and websites listed.
First and foremost, it concerns me when people quote others’ works that are clearly extreme partisan in order to assert a position. That having been said, my research on Michael Kane, the author of the article you copied here, "On-the-Record: Representative Cynthia McKinney Rocks Rumsfeld on War Games", revealed that he is a freelance journalist, who contributes articles to various left wing extremist organizations, such as Global Free Press. He is also a 9/11 "truth activist" and affiliated with Shadow Government TV. In addition, he fronts "Clarity", a hip-hop band.
In researching the websites where he has contributed articles, I found myself wading through a miasma of sites that had earmarkings akin to sensationalistic UFO or paranormal enthusiast websites (or the National Enquirer). I found them infused with extremely partisan, paranoid hyperbole instead of well-rounded, non-partisan journalism. Personally, I cannot subscribe to, or take seriously, any mindset that is so rife with extremist views, regardless of which side of the fence it’s on.
So, I did the research, and am left thinking of the "birds of a feather" adage. Cynthia McKinney undoubtedly has issues on numerous fronts that some may describe as "whacky". However, any support network that is so obviously bias and distorted in order to further an extremist partisan agenda can be dubbed "whacky" as well.
