| Subject: | Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's, speech "Goodbye to all that" |
|---|---|
| Date: | Sun, 22 Sep 2002 00:10:25 -0700 |
| From: | sharon cotrell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> |
| To: | LBAPN 1 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> |
Hi All,
Thanks much to Ken for sending this summing up and farewell speech of US House of Representative who just lost her seat. I have included his forward to the essay. I echo his hope that it will inform and inspire us to "act resolutely from this point on in opposition to the crazies running our government today."
A firestorm of criticism, even hate, resulted when McKinney courageously asked, the "simple question": "What did the Bush Administration know and when did it know it." Below she details what is now known.
I have excerpted her last sentence. Instantly I thought of the young anarchists at the Infoshop. Then I thought of the 35-45 of us on 2nd St. in Belmont Shores last night saying "Stop the War Before It Starts! Stay out of Iraq. " I thought of the many, many who were so glad we were there. Some said, "I was beginning to think I was the only one opposed." The butttons, bumper stickers went fast.
And we may find, that we learn most of all from those political and social dissenters whose differences with us are most grave:for among the young, as among adults, the sharpest criticism often goes hand in hand with the deepest idealism and love of country."
What a shame to loose this woman who took the unpopular stance. This kind of real leadership is so rare and so needed. Do yourself a favor and read this and pass it on.
See you at the next peace vigil Friday--7 p.m. in front of Washington Mutual on 2nd St in Belmont Shares--.a couple blocks east of the Post Office.
Sharon Cotrell 562-433-7025.
From: "Kenneth Reiner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 10:13:56 -0700
So much is coming out these days about our country and it's suppression of facts and people. This statement of Cynthia McKinney, who I've adnmired for quite a while now, is so revealing it makes one want to cry, to scream and hopefully act resolutely from this point on in opposition to the crazies running our government today along those same lines, only more so.
September 18, 2002
Goodbye to All That
by Rep. Cynthia McKinney
[This is a transcript of Rep. McKinney's remarks on September 14 at
the reception for the Congressional Black Caucus.]
This is an important week for all of us, although it is
a particularly important week for me. This week we had three very successful
Braintrusts: Afro-Latinos and their rising tide of political empowerment all
over Latin America; Hip Hop Power and the importance of Hip Hop as a
communications medium in the absence of a real communications industry other
than Radio One now, inside our community, owned by our community spreading the
good news about our community;
And finally, COINTELPRO II: The Murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. where we
learned that there really are linkages between the murders of JFK, MLK, and
RFK. And that the COINTELPRO process was "to neutralize" the black leader--in
the words of the CIA--assassinate, and then replace that leader with someone
whose skin color was black, but whose loyalty was to their plan and not us.
Yesterday, Judge Joe Brown told us unequivocally that the so-called murder
rifle was NOT the weapon that killed Dr. King.
So, I think we did some very important work in these three braintrusts,
connecting, communicating, and educating. And at least for the next two years,
I will not be at the CBC Weekend as a Member of the House of Representatives.
As everybody probably knows by now, I didn't cross the finish line first this
time. Despite the fact that I easily won the Democratic vote, 40,000
Republicans maliciously crossed over and overtook the Democratic Primary. And
because AIPAC had telegraphed in newspaper articles that they were going to
target both Earl Hilliard and me, the Democratic Party was paralyzed.
Therefore, if Alabama represents the heart of the civil rights movement and
Georgia represents its brain, the black body politic has sustained a mortal
blow.
What does this portend for the future of independent black leadership in this
country, particularly given what we learned really happened during the
COINTELPRO period, and what will happen soon now that the USA Patriot Act,
Homeland Security, and the Funding for the War on Terrorism Act have
significantly changed the legal landscape.
The Operation TIPS program of John Ashcroft, by the way, is nothing new in the
annals of the FBI, but executive authority always seemed to be there to
override such ambitions. That's not the case now. And so, I'm proud of the
votes I cast against those bills and I'm proud of the legislation I've
authored that really does seek to move our country forward.
For instance, the legislation to override the President's executive Order
denying our troops their rightfully earned overtime pay. George Bush has asked
our young men and women to make the ultimate sacrifice, but he doesn't want to
pay them for it.
And the legislation I authored to stop the use of weapons with depleted
uranium which seems to be causing health effects and abnormal births and even
deaths among the troops of our allies and maybe even our own.
I'm proud of the bill to stop the importation of coltan into the United
States, the source of so much pain and suffering in eastern Congo because it's
a key ingredient in our computers, palm pilots, Sony Playstations, and
Oneboxes that people are willing to kill to get their hands on it.
I'm proud that we extended the benefits for our veterans who are suffering
from Agent Orange because those benefits were about to expire and I authored
the legislation that was passed into law to help them. But I'm most proud of
my work to hold this Administration accountable to the American people.
And after I've asked the tough questions, here's what we now know:
That President Bush was warned that terrorists were planning to hijack
commercial aircraft and crash them into buildings in the US; That in the weeks
prior to September 11, 24-hour fighter cover was placed over the President's
ranch in Crawford, Texas; That in the weeks prior to September 11, Attorney
General Ashcroft stopped flying commercial aircraft and instead flew
Government aircraft; That the US received numerous high level warnings from a
wide range of foreign intelligence services warning of impending hijackings
and terrorist attacks; That a number of FBI agents were pleading with their
superiors to conduct intensive investigations into the suspicious activities
of various men in US flight schools; That in the days prior to September 11,
highly suspicious stock market activity in aviation and insurance stocks took
place indicating that certain well-placed people had advance knowledge of the
attacks.
And now this week we learn that the FBI had an informant living with two of
the actual 9-1-1 hijackers. All of this has become public knowledge since I
asked the simple question: What did the Bush Administration know and when did
it know it.
Now against this backdrop of so many unanswered questions, President Bush
wants us to pledge our blind support to him. First, for his war on terrorism
and now for his war in Iraq. How can we, in good conscience, prepare to send
our young men and women back to Iraq to fight yet another war, when we have
tens of thousands of our service men and women poisoned and still suffering
from the first war?
And what of those veterans who are sleeping on our streets? Within five
minutes of where we are today, you can walk there, and see them, and talk to
them: Vietnam Veterans, Gulf War veterans, veterans of our wars. George Bush
can count me out of his war-making plans.
Throughout my career, we have proudly brought blacks and whites, Asians, and
Latinos together. I'm proud that everywhere around me the human rainbow has
been represented. And I know that as we continue to speak out on behalf of the
poor and the marginalized in this country, my supporters across the spectrum,
and across America will be right there with me.
And that as we continue to speak out on behalf of those who are sick and tired
of greed being more important than human needs, my supporters will be right
there.
And finally, as I ponder the future of America where voices of dissent are
snuffed out by selfishness and intolerance, I'm reminded of the words of Bobby
Kennedy, who we learned yesterday, was considering Martin Luther King, Jr. as
his Vice Presidential running mate. Bobby Kennedy, truly a great man who
selflessly lived and died for his country, shaped an entire generation with
his thoughts, his words, and his deeds.
And it was Bobby Kennedy who reminded us that: "The task of leadership, the
first task of concerned people, is not to condemn or castigate, or deplore: it is to search out he reason for disillusionment and alienation, the rationale of protest and dissent--perhaps, ndeed, to learn from it. And we may find, that we learn most of all from those political and ocial dissenters whose differences with us are most grave: for among the young, as among dults, the sharpest criticism often goes hand in hand with the deepest idealism and love of country."
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