Why the Silence About Cynthia McKinney? (245 hits)
What country illegally kidnapped and then imprisoned a former member of Congress and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate? The rogue nation in question is Israel, the beneficiary of largesse forced from the pockets of millions of Americans. Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Peace Prize winner Mairead Maguire, and nineteen others were captured by Israel while on a humanitarian mission to bring food, medicine, and building supplies to Gaza. Their vessel, the Human Spirit, was intercepted in international waters and its passengers were taken to Israel and imprisoned for four days.
American welfare
Israel is justifiably given the rogue title because an even bigger rogue, the United States, is its only benefactor, to the tune of $7 million per day. In return for being the recipient of more American foreign aid than the rest of the countries on earth combined, Israel gets to do as it pleases, including imprison people who would be treated as dignitaries anywhere else in the world. Vice President Joe Biden explained it all to us. In a televised interview, he said Israel can do anything it wants, including declare wars and kill people. The subject of discussion was Iran, but the vice president said the same applies to any action Israel may want to take at any time against any one.
While Cynthia McKinney languished in an Israeli jail, Black leaders mobilized to say and do absolutely nothing. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were busy advising Michael Jackson’s family, too busy apparently to deal with any other issues. Perhaps that explains their silence on the subject of McKinney and Maguire.
CBC too busy?
McKinney’s former colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus must have also been similarly occupied. They too went out of their way to say and do nothing about the illegal and immoral treatment of someone they should have defended very publicly. The silence from the corporate media is, sadly, not at all surprising. The complete surrender of Black American leadership is disgraceful. Cynthia McKinney was one of the first victims of the corporate takeover of the Congressional Black Caucus. Zionists and other powerful forces, determined to get rid of one of the few truly progressive members of Congress, targeted her for defeat in 2002.
The CBC could have responded in any number of ways to prevent falling prey to McKinney’s fate. They might have ensured electoral success by mobilizing their supporters, resurrecting movement politics and exposing the forces that would seek to undermine popular will. Instead they chose to capitulate, to go along to get along. They decided not to put up a fight for themselves or for their constituents, who were left without the representation they thought they were getting when they made their choices on Election Day.
‘Safe’ fight
As always, the result of capitulation is more capitulation, and it now spreads beyond the hallowed halls of Congress. The only national action requested by the president of the National Action Network was a demand for a Michael Jackson postage stamp and a national day of mourning. It is easy and safe to fight for what is palatable to the powers that be. Supporters of Cynthia McKinney, Mairead Maguire, and other defenders of human rights should never be dissuaded or discouraged from doing what is hard. If their struggle results only in silence, then it will have been in vain, and that would be the ultimate disgrace for the “Gaza 21.”
Margaret Kimberley’s column appears weekly in BlackAgendaReport.com. Contact her at Margaret.Kimberley@Black- AgendaReport.Com.
