McKinney's Defeat:
Undue Meddling
by William Hughes
The Baltimore Sun (08/25/02) called the defeat of Rep. Cynthia A.
McKinney (D-GA) just “another sign of the new political style.” It
claimed the courageous congresswoman, who had dared to oppose the
interest of the powerful Israeli lobby and to stand up for human rights
for the Palestinian people, belonged to the “far extremes of American
politics.”
Nothing could be further from the truth . McKinney’s laudable opinions
on the Palestinian question are consistent with the revolutionary
values and principles of the Republic that was created by our Founding
Fathers over 226 years ago. It’s the Sun’s editorialist views, not
McKinney’s, which are beyond the pale of our traditions.
It needs no citation of authority that the Palestinian people have a
right to full freedom. This Natural Law right existed prior to any
written constitution and is incidental to their sovereignty. McKinney’s
championing of such a noble proposition is as American as apple pie. On
the other hand, Israel’s denial of it, like the evil of colonialism
itself, is a crime against humanity that cries to heaven for relief.
The Israeli lobby’s interference in a local congressional election is
the real “sign of the new political style” and that spells trouble for
participatory democracy. It was also a gross insult to the proud
African-American community. Before the election, McKinney’s father,
Rep. Billy McKinney, insisted that his daughter had been targeted for
defeat by the Israeli lobby. In fact, he was very explicit that there
was a “plot.” Mr. McKinney, a seasoned political veteran, is a
highly-respected member of Georgia state’s House of Representatives. He
feared her political enemies would “buy everybody” to bring his
daughter down. McKinney’s winning opponent out-raised her by an
unprecedented $500,000 in the primary challenge. The Washington Times,
(08/22/02), unlike the Sun’s editorial, admitted that “Jewish money
both national and local flowed into the campaign” to McKinney’s
opponent.
McKinney’s compassionate attitude towards the Palestinians is a
continuation of the teachings of one of her heroes, Dr. Martin Luther
King. It is simply unthinkable that King, if he were alive today, would
remain mute in the face of Israel’s persecution of the Palestinians,
which has included: the use of death squads; torture of detainees; home
demolitions; forced deportations; the siege of Jenin, Ramallah, and
Bethlehem, the holiest site in Christendom; and the ongoing collective
punishment of the innocent.
The Sun further smeared McKinney as a “loose cannon” and
“flamethrower” with a “sharp tongue” for suggesting President George
Bush (a/k/a “little Bush”) may have ignored warnings about September 11
and benefited financially from the war on terrorism. A sensational
new book by William Gertz, supports part of McKinney’s charges against
the White House, however. Entitled, "Breakdown: How America’s
Intelligence Failure Led to September 11," it details pervasive
intelligence problems, some under Bush’s presidency, that allowed the
U.S. to be blindsided by terrorists.
McKinney, a true daughter of the South, regularly spoke her
conscience on many controversial issues for the last 10 years. She
declined to be pushed around. She always said what she meant and in
bold terms, too. Her strong voice will be dearly missed in the halls of
congress, an institution not known for its gutsy mavericks. The
insidious way she was defeated will be remembered and undoubtedly bring
repercussions.
Even in her concession speech, McKinney was inspiring. She said, inter
alia: “And somewhere tonight, men in powerful positions are taking the
first steps toward sending our country into war. Somewhere tonight,
powerful interests are working to silence those that are a threat to
their power. Every day in Congress I kept those images in mind. Images
of real people with real problems. And real abuses of real power.
Today, even in defeat, I have been lifted. Lifted upon the shoulders of
the people of Georgia...”
Finally, one of McKinney’s key supporters is Joshua Ruebner,
executive director of "Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel." As a
result of the campaign, he gave this warning: “This is a dangerous
dynamic. Jews are the ones who started picking off African American
politicians because of their views on the Middle East, and that was
undue meddling. It is doing irreparable harm to relations with
African-Americans” (Washington Times, 08/22/02).
William Hughes is a Baltimore attorney and the author of
"Andrew Jackson
vs. New World Order" (Authors Choice Press), which is available online.
Buy the related book (s) now:
by courtesy & © 2002 William Hughes
