Political Insider

By CynicalGeek

August 5, 2006 12:28 PM | Link to this

AFLAC (health insurance) - or employees of AFLAC - gave $15,000 to McKinney. Isn’t that “big business?” If anyone wants to create controversy about “big business” giving money to campaigns, then I suggest they only take money from private citizens from now on. Good luck being able to fund your campaign without “big business.”

Big business is not evil. If you consider it evil then go look at the contributions listed at OpenSecrets.org from AFLAC, BellSouth, Synovus, etc. If you want to vote for a candidate that has no ties to contributions from “big business” then just stop voting.

By DD

August 5, 2006 2:20 PM | Link to this

I can assure Osama Bin Laden and his family are more finacially connected to Bush and his daddy than to McKinney.

By JC

August 5, 2006 3:28 PM | Link to this

What does DD stand for “DUM-DUM”? There is no doubt where McKinney gets her money, its from our enemies over seas. Its on the records. DD show me the facts on Bush family being finacilly connected to McKinneys friend Bin Laden. I would like to see it. Mckinney is a joke to the citizens of Ga. DD stop the Hate for Bush and start thinking about whats best for the country .

By Ralph

August 5, 2006 3:46 PM | Link to this

I’ll just be glad when this election is over. I’m tired of seeing both Cynthia and Hank flash across my TV. Cynthia is nuts, and Hank is slow. I think I should move to the city of Atlanta, at least Shirley has sense and leadership.

By CynicalGeek

August 5, 2006 4:09 PM | Link to this

DD,

We can go back in history about who is connected to who and try to decide whether or not it was a good idea for the CIA to give money to UBL to fight the Russians in Afghanistan (a real connection instead of an implied one.) Doing so does nothing for our current situation. Note that I’m not bringing up the whole Muslim/McKinney connection, I’m only responding to it.

By Lou1

August 7, 2006 2:44 PM | Link to this

This is a CALL to African Americans and reasonable and rationale whites who live in the 4th Congresssional District who think, read, see through the clutter and cluster of lies of the media, the crossover tactics perpertrated by the Republicans, the old Plantation antics of the Judas Goats and the sometime supporters deflection TO the Judas Goat, to come out tomorrow and VOTE in droves FOR Cynthia McKinney.

The Republicans and the man would rather have a “bobbing head”, spineless bought and paid for African American controllable male in the US Hse, who does NOT even know how many Hse Reps there are in Washington versus a woman of integrity and character. What was his record as a commissioner….NOTHING.

It is said only those people who vote are those who vote against something. We know that means when you are an African American in America and GA and when you stand for truth and integrity, you will get those in power to be AGAINST you as this is the case now against Cynthia.

So why don’t WE remember what the MAN has done to African Americans and what they are still DOING, get MAD and get to the polls on 8/08/06 and VOTE for Cynthia. Take ten people and get them to take ten people.

YOUR VOTE is YOUR VOICE. The Republicans and racists understand that process.

By Blue in Georgia

August 7, 2006 2:51 PM | Link to this

I am a resonable white and LIBERAL voter. 2 years ago when asked whom I supported for congress and is was not Cynthia. I was told, by her gang in the Decatur Square “F#&K You Cracker.”

That’s real class.

By The Thin Guy

August 7, 2006 3:18 PM | Link to this

I wish everyone in the 4th Congressional District could see Cynthia McKinney when the moon is full.

By Mo

August 7, 2006 3:59 PM | Link to this

As an African-American who is concerned about the welfare of the 4th district and is living here, I resent the fact that there are some who will use the rejection of a shrill, uneffective woman as the litmus test as to rather or not someone is a Judas GOAT, or a turncoat to the African-American race.

Typical racial pimping. We as African-Americans possess a variety of mindsets. We are not monolithic in our thinking. I am happy to say that we have progressed from merely needing someone who screams accusations but can really speak to the issues and in an intelligent way.

By Lou1

August 7, 2006 6:53 PM | Link to this

So Mo,

you think that Johnson can speak to the issues, when he cannot count, cannot keep his finances in order, takes money from the Republicans and who was during the last election was on her side…..so help me understand how you think.. he would be a good representative…just because he looks like an African American… as does Clarence Thomas…..Johnson’s latest TV commercial does NOT even understand the rankings by the cong. org, again proving he is slow, so mo if you want slow, then go vote for slow Johnson.

By Lou1

August 7, 2006 7:19 PM | Link to this

I want the constituents of the 4th Congressional Dist to see, because they have no idea of how racism CREATED the Situation in March and to see how she works with others and what her record is.

Transcript of interviews with black Capitol Hill police officers:

GNN.tv, producers of the documentary American Blackout featuring Cynthia McKinney, interviewed 4 Capitol Hill police officers about allegations of racism and the March 29th incident between Congresswoman McKinney and a Capitol Hill police officer.

“They call it the last plantation, and that’s what it is, the last plantation.”

“A lot of black officers I’ve seen, are nervous to even speak out against what they know is wrong.”

“We had an official on the House side that used to tell us ‘Be glad we’ve got a damn job. Be glad you’re working up here.’ ‘Shut your mouth.’ You couldn’t question. Don’t question what they did wrong.”

“I think the plantation issue goes to the way blacks see the Capitol when it comes to trying to be promoted or anything. We’re the last ones to be considered for anything even though some of us have the most experience.”

“On the metropolitan Police, you have a lot of black officials. When I say ‘officials’ I mean people in the ranks. On my police department (Capitol Hill Police), there are very few black top officials. Here’s a department that’s been going on for over 200 years. Almost 200 years. And we just got this high ranking black (female) official, who’s a Lieutenant, last year.”

“I mean the discipline is different for white officers, as opposed to blacks. Blacks are terminated for doing less than what a white officer might do.”

“The reason why Capitol Police probably had bad press lately because these high-ranking white officials don’t know how to make the best decisions on the department. If you have different people in there with different mindsets and other things probably could make the correct decision.”

“And it’s been a good old boy system that I think has come to a head now.”

“I’ve seen it for 30 years. They disrespect our black leaders when they come to the Hill. I think that Mandela had just been released. And Mandela was being honored in the Cannon building and we had a ceremony prepared for him. And they were assigning officers to work the ceremony and the guys were on a break. And we heard a white officer say: ‘I hope somebody assassinates him.’ And I mean, you could see the clash about to take place in that locker room, white officers against black officers. And that’s just how bad it is. It’s been unbearable. The bottom line is that’s why black officers brought the class action lawsuit. We just couldn’t tolerate it. It’s abusive. It’s offensive, it’s particularly offensive when you have officials doing it in your face also. If you’re outspoken, if you try to do what’s right, you stand for justice, you become a target of retaliation. They’ll do anything they can to shut you up, to make an example out of you. I had a n**** note put in my desk drawer. We had hangman’s noose(s) put on our lockers. We’ve had the N-word used against us.”

“We do everything that’s asked upon us and sometimes treated us like second class citizens. We’re human beings and we’re men and women. We need to be treated like men and women. Fairly.”

“The straw that broke the camel’s back for most of the police officers, at least the Black Police Officers Association was the General Counsel himself was accused of calling a cab driver in the city using the N-word. The Black Police Officers Association filed charges. They hired an attorney. I know they wrote letters to the Speaker, Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, requesting that some disciplinary action be taken against the General Counsel.”

“I’m aware also, that a letter was written by a Congresswoman, I think it was Cynthia McKinney who wrote a letter on behalf of the police officers, requesting the General Counsel’s termination. I know black Members (of Congress) are disrespected. I’ve seen instances where black Members are disrespected. They’ll do things that… to black Members that they don’t do to white Members. Officers pretend that they don’t recognize a Member. We all are required to recognize Members of Congress. We go through Member recognition programs.”

“I had a white counterpart working side by side with me, a Congressman from Louisiana came through and I said ‘That guy’s a Congressman.’ I know the white officer heard me. He went over and said ‘Sir, I need to see your ID.’ And he said, ‘I’m Congressman Fields from Louisiana.’ Now… He said, ‘Can I see your ID?’ And he gave him his ID and he said, ‘What’s the problem, officer?’ ‘Oh, sir, I’m sorry.’ You know, and went on. Then when he came back to me, he said, ‘He just didn’t look like a Congressman.’ Then I asked, ‘What does a Congressman look like?’ He couldn’t give me an answer. If you’re not white, with a tie on, and look the profile of a businessman, then you’re not supposed to be there.”

“And it tends to be the same officers all the time who tend to challenge the black Members. We don’t see them challenging white Members of Congress.”

“I’ve heard them say, ‘Well, when certain Members come through here,’ in particular Cynthia McKinney, ‘she ain’t just gonna just run up these steps, I’m gonna stop her.’ Then I say, ‘If you know who she is man, you can’t do that.’ ‘Well, I dunno what kind of outfit she may have on that day.’ You know, it’s almost like they be just waiting, want confrontation. We’ve been trained to recognize Members.”

“They put out a picture, a special picture, and sent it out to all the details and give it to all the officers, saying ‘Look, this is Congresswoman McKinney. She’s been stopped numerous times.’ You know, ‘This is how she looks so don’t stop her.’ And she keeps getting stopped. You know that’s just strange to me when you got new Members that haven’t even been up there for even two years, or a year, they don’t get stopped like that. You know, let’s be real about it. Something’s wrong. If you treat all the Members the same, you won’t have a problem.”

“Anytime we hear of anything, where a Member was involved in an incident, when it involves a white Member, it’s always the white Member’s been given a pass. This Member was drunk, out of line, this Member was out of order. But this Member got a pass. That’s what we hear when it involves white Members of Congress. So like Kennedy, they gave him a break and took him home. They saw a white, prominent… with the name Congressman. They said, ‘Hey, let’s give him a break.’ Why didn’t they do the same for McKinney? She’s not prominent, she’s not a prominent. She doesn’t have a big name behind her.”

“Look look at that. She’s black. The person she was involved with was white. And who do they believe? A Member of Congress or a white officer? They go with the white officer. Come on. In the past, if a white officer said that a white Member did that. They say to that white officer, ‘you’re wrong.’ The officer is always wrong when a Member says you did something. But when this black woman, when this black woman… when they accused this black woman of something, that white officer is right. I have known other Members to turn around and confront somebody putting their hands on them and telling them, ‘Hey, I’m a Member.’ And that was the end of it.”

“If this woman, this black female who was not recognized at the time as a Member of Congress, assaulted the officer, the officer should have arrested her on the spot.”

“The least he could of done is detain her, if he didn’t know who she was. I had heard a white officer say, ‘Yeah, you know, they should have locked her up.’ ‘She come through this door, I’m gonna lock her up.’ They were cheering about it like it’s a big trophy.”

“I don’t understand why it took a few days for them to make this decision. If anybody else accosted a police officer, no question about it, you’d been in the cuffs. So, he had to know who she was. But to come back a day later, or two days later and bring charges leads me to believe that this is… it’s internal. And again I say that the General Counsel has the responsibility of advising his police officers who to prosecute. That general Counsel is still in office. That’s General Counsel John Caulfield. So here you have a Congresswoman who demanded, not requested, demanded the General Councilman’s termination, now being prosecuted.”

“Anytime you speak up on racism, or you address something as racism, that you know is racism, they don’t like that. Nobody wants to address the issue of race.”

“When is America going to stand up and address that issue? Until that happens nothing’s gonna change on the Hill. I just hope that if this gets out I hope it can make people understand what goes on. Give a better understanding for our plight and the plight of other minorities on Capitol Hill.”

For more information contact AmericanBlackout@gnn.tv or visit AmericanBlackout.org

GNN.tv

Cynthia’s BlogPermalinkJune 17, 2006 An Alleged Blow for Us All Greg Palast

The good ol’ boy cracker-crats of the Republican party are having themselves a regular hootenanny over allegations that congresswoman Cynthia McKinney landed a punch on a security guard at the Capitol.

Seems that last week, the congresswoman went around the Capitol metal detector, a congressional privilege, and was grabbed by a guard. The congresswoman responded to this assault by, report has it, applying a fist to the offender.

The Republican speaker Dennis Hastert, and the press, have gone wild. There was even a verbal assault on McKinney carried on Fox TV by … Tom DeLay.

That crazy congresswoman is at it again. Or should I say, black congresswoman. Yes, I should say it, because, don’t kid yourself, “black” is what it’s all about.

I’m not writing to defend Cynthia McKinney. I know the congresswoman and, believe me, she can take care of herself without this white boy’s help.

I’m writing to defend Duane Fitzgerald Andrews. Let me tell you about Duane: one brilliant young lawyer, top of his class and a computer wizard to boot who brought my computer back from the dead many a time.

Duane’s a sharp dresser, wore suits into our office of committed slobs every day. We made fun of him for it. But once Duane showed up in jeans, it being a Saturday, and we were off to a meeting in a Washington DC office tower. We walked in together and me, bald white guy, was handed a pass. Then Duane was told: “You’ll have to make your delivery at the basement entrance.”

My young attorney just smiled and showed an ID. He brushed it off as just another “Black Moment.”

One more Black Moment added to four Black Centuries.

When the security guard stopped Duane to send him to the basement, I should have showed him my ID: a knuckle hoagy. I didn’t and I’m ashamed. Now, this uppity black congresswoman has done it for me.

McKinney herself, politely dismisses it all as a politicised kerfuffle over nothing, a case of obvious misunderstandings.

But I don’t dismiss it at all.

When McKinney landed her response, she landed it for Duane - and for Rosa Parks who was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger in a bus; for the black folk stopped by the cops when trying to flee New Orleans into the safety of the white Metairie; for Willie Steen, a black man in Florida stopped from voting because he looked like a “potential felon”. And she landed one for me and for you, for all of us of all races afflicted with the racism that remains in the DNA of the body politic.

So here’s to you, Cynthia, our champ, still undefeated.

Hank Johnson says Rep. McKinney can’t work with people. We’ve already seen that she has passed legislation by reaching across the aisle and working with her Republican colleague from Georgia, Saxby Chambliss. Current legislation written and introduced by Rep. McKinney includes the MLK Records Act, HR 2554, which presently has 64 cosponsors. This bill calls for the release of all the records on the life and assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Currently these records are locked up until 2028. The Senate version has been introduced by should-be-president and former Democratic presidential nominee Senator John Kerry. Former First Lady and current Senator Hillary Rodham-Clinton is a cosponsor. Can’t work with people, Hank?

Rep. McKinney contributed a title on environmental clean-up to the Hurricane Katrina Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Reconstruction and Reunion Act, HR 4197, an omnibus package that was introduced in November by the Congressional Black Caucus. The bill currently has 92 cosponsors.

Rep. McKinney has also submitted two major written reports. Her 32-page dissenting report was the only independent report to be included in the Armed Services Committee report on the National Defense Authorization Act. Her 70-page report was one of only two supplemental reports to be included in the book A Failure of Initiative, the final report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina. Additionally, Rep. McKinney has routinely organized briefings on the Hill covering important and often controversial topics throughout her 12 years in Congress.

Given all this work, it is not surprising Cynthia McKinney receives the highest legislative score among the Democrats in the Georgia delegation from Congress.org. And her ranking by Congress.org has probably not been updated since the passage of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Act, which will surely give her legislative ranking a boost.

Take that to the bank, Hank. And stop lying to voters about Rep. McKinney’s legislative record!

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How Can I Help

By SAW674

August 7, 2006 8:17 PM | Link to this

Lou1,

Thank you for posting this article. I am a voter in the 4th District, and I will be casting my vote for Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. I pray that the people of the 4th District will wake up and see the divide and conquer strategy that is being used yet again on us as African Americans. Will we wake up before it is to late?

By Food for Thought

August 7, 2006 10:15 PM | Link to this

Does Mr. Hank Johnson really believe the Republicans are his friends and want to see him in Congress? Will the people who cross over party lines to try to knock out McKinney support him in the fall or is this all a big scheme to split the vote so that they can get Catherine Davis in, when they vote for the Republican interest this fall? It appears to me that Catherine Davis having received 36% of the vote in the last election, will have an easier time getting elected with the redrawing of the districts and the addition of Gwinnett and Rockdale, thus providing enough votes to take this seat for the Republicans in you can split the vote and discourage half of the voters from returning to the polls on Nov. 7. Could this truly be their plan?

By Mo

August 8, 2006 10:37 AM | Link to this

C’mon,

First of all, if you look at the polls, we as African-Americans are split 50-50 regarding Cynthia McKinney and Hank Johnson. But the 4th Congressional district isn’t just a black district, people.

Now, as for Hank Johnson, he may talk slow, but that doesn’t mean he is a slow thinker. Take Cynthia, she talks fast… too fast for her mind to think about what she is saying.

But, I am casting my vote for Hank Johnson. Cynthia, to me, reminds me of a politician in black-face. In other words, she’s like some political minstrel show that shows the world that all we as black people can do is come up with radical conspiracy theories and talk loud but get nothing done. She’s a career politician. She is definitely not a statesman (or stateswoman.)

Oh, and also if you look for people who declared bankruptcy as someone who doesn’t think clearly, Donald trump declared bankruptcy. And recently, too. Not over 20 years ago like Hank Johnson.

And lastly, Hank Johnson is not looking for Republicans to provide his votes in this primary nor in November. Yes, there will be Republicans crossing to cast their vote against McKinney. But those same voters will cast their vote for Catherine Davis, and lose, just like they did when Denise Majette beat McKinney. But, you all are missing something that you have missed back during the days of Majette: There are a great deal of Democratic- voting African Americans who are also sick and tired of McKinney disgracing our district! And that’s the real reason why I am voting for Hank Johnson and not McKinney… because as long as she represents us in Congress, we will continue to be the laughingstock of the Congress, the press, and for everyone else except those poor souls who are still looking for the “revolution” not realizing that the “revolution” is now taking place!

By LARRY KILOWSKI

August 8, 2006 2:13 PM | Link to this

I LIKE MCKINNEYS COMMERCIAL. VERY POWERFUL AND INFORMATIVE. IT GAVE ALOT OF INFO. IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. IT HELPED ME DECIDE WHICH CANIDATE TO VOTE FOR.

By Lou1

August 8, 2006 4:12 PM | Link to this

Oh mo did you vote today, for slooow HJ?

You’re right the 4th Congressional Dist is NOT all African Americans, because the “MAN” gerrymanded the DISTRICT, to ensure a loss for Cynthia McKinney, some one they hate and fear. Why does the 4th District now include the racist town of Lilburn? Now why do you think so? It is very simple because when one cannot control you, they seek to eradicate you.

If Cynthia were like ST John Lewis, who just gets his check and does NOT ruffle feathers, then the Dist boundaries would NOT have been changed.

Disgracing your District, why because of what the media hype said about the police incident, or what the media said about what they say she said about 9/11. It is amazing that what she said about 9/11 and the Iraq War was not only true, but she has been vindicated. Even if she hit the police officer who has been trained to target all African American Officials in Congress, she was still ok.

You DO NOT know what disgrace is.

Disgrace is when people like you chose a new version of “Uncle Tom, from the new version of the “concrete plantation” to represent you.

Disgrace is when African Americans in GA, vote at one of the lowest voting rates than in any other state when blood was shed here.

Disgrace is when African Americans allow the media and the man to tell them anything about their own and when it is negative, their own do NOT stand up for their own.

Disgrace is when African-Americans think that when they live two paychecks away from starvation and bankruptcy and may have a piece of paper from a university that they look down on those they think do NOT fit their mold.

Disgrace is when a man is so closed minded and blind that he cannot see that HE is NOT free and should NOT be represented by a dim witted, slow talking and puppet driven person….

Disgrace is when the constituents decide based on misinformation that their representative is too controversial and will not rally around her.

Mo, Ghandi, Malcom X, ML King and Jesus were controversial and yet they changed the world would you have NOT voted for them.

Mo that is what disgrace IS.

You are right the 4th District with Hank Johnson as the Congressman will be the laughing stock of the Congress and the rest of America. He looks and acts like a deer in the headlights.