Thursday, August 14, 2008
Open Letter from Cynthia McKinney
As the United States activated Navy ships and the Air Force to begin
an airlift of non-specified goods into the former Soviet state of
Georgia, and military exercises began in the Persian Gulf near Iran,
I received communications from certain individuals among the Colorado
Greens who were organizing campaign support events there, suggesting
that I not participate in an anti-war program being organized by
other individuals in Colorado.
Perplexed, I began to do my research to understand the nature of the
fissure that I seemed to be placing myself in the middle of. The
communications to me about not participating in one of the scheduled
events became more and more shrill. The events ran through August
26th. When the lineup of speakers, including Rosa and me, was
announced for the events in question, I received multiple
communications stating in various ways that the sender from the Green
Party of Colorado, was on the verge of desperation over the matter.
Within a few hours, I was reading messages stating that the Green
Party of Colorado would be ruined if I participated in the End the
Occupations/End the War march and rally slated to take place on the
morning of August 24th on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol, or
if Rosa participated in a Freedom March and Rally for Human Rights
and Political Prisoners at Civic Center Park the following day.
An article appeared in a local Colorado newspaper stating that Rosa
and I would not appear at the events for which we had been scheduled.
Rosa responded to our Colorado Green Party contact that yes, indeed,
we were appearing at the two events. Both Rosa and I then received
messages demanding to know by a time certain what our plans were, and
asserting that the Green Party of Colorado would be totally ruined if
we associated with the group sponsoring the events. In addition, we
were told that at least one resignation and sustaining membership
would be tendered to the Party, and that Rosa and I could expect no
support on the ground in Denver from the Green Party of Colorado,
including a planned fundraiser and a place to stay.
Without receiving any additional response or information from either
Rosa or I, the correspondent sent a message informing us that all
Green Party of Colorado events previously scheduled for us had been
canceled. Further, the message stated that ballot access petitioning
by Green Party of Colorado would cease in neighboring Wyoming and
that all efforts would be made to remove Rosa's and my names from the
ballot in Colorado. The message also noted that the Colorado
delegation overwhelmingly supported Elaine Brown at the Green Party
Convention.
With the e-mail messages flying "fast and furious," I hope I have
mentioned the highlights of this episode in somewhat chronological
order. What Rosa and I would like to address now, is the ideological
and rational order that produced this outcome. At the very first
Green Party debate held in San Francisco earlier this year, I pleaded
for unity of action and purpose as we face the challenges that
confront us as a country. Rosa and I are proud to join with others
who are sick and tired of war, occupation, human rights abuses, and
the continued incarceration of our political prisoners. We are proud
to join with others who are willing to do something about it. In the
context of activities in Denver, that means cooperating with some
organizations new to us and others with which Rosa and I have had a
long-standing relationship. Let me explain some of those
relationships.
I am proud to have received a Backbone Award from the Backbone
Campaign, one of the co-participants of the anti-war, anti-occupation
events in question, according to the organizers.
Rosa and I are pleased to have received the endorsement of M-1 of
Dead Prez, who put out a video of endorsement and is rallying other
conscious Hip Hop, Generation X voters to the Green Party with Rosa
and I as its nominees. Rebel Diaz was on the stage with Rosa as she
accepted her Green Party nomination for Vice President. Both Dead
Prez and Rebel Diaz are participating in the events in question,
according to the organizers.
Fred Hampton, Jr.'s mother, a victim of COINTELPRO, came to Georgia
in the mid-1990s to help me gain reelection after a malicious
redistricting case that went all the way up to the Supreme Court.
Ward Churchill has traveled to my Congressional district to educate
my former constituents on the COINTELPRO of yesterday and the
COINTELPRO of today. Natsu Saito introduced me to other victims of
COINTELPRO. I asked Kathleen Cleaver to co-author a report that was
submitted to Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights at the time of the World Conference Against Racism, on
the unsolved murders of Black Panther Party members who were victims
of COINTELPRO. Fred Hampton, Jr., Ward Churchill, Natsu Saito, and
Kathleen Cleaver are all participating in the events in question,
according to the organizers.
As a Member of Congress, I supported the release of all political
prisoners and welcomed information from the American Indian Movement
about Leonard Peltier. I have at many times in my political career
been allied with the ACLU, and have always supported Pam and Ramona
Africa and the MOVE Organization. The American Indian Movement of
Colorado, King Downing of the ACLU, and Pam and Ramona Africa of MOVE
are all participating in the events in question, according to the
organizers.
Mumia Abu Jamal has endorsed the Power to the People Campaign and my
Green Party candidacy. According to the organizers, Mumia will
transmit a message to all of us participating in the events in
question.
Finally, I have appeared on various stages with many Palestinians; I
have proudly spoken at rallies organized by Larry Holmes. Debra
Sweet with World Can't Wait was among the very first to my knowledge
to organize around impeachment as an imperative and I support hers
and all other impeachment groups in their efforts. And finally, I
have known Ben Manski for a long time as a socially conscious
activist who is also a member of the Green Party. According to the
organizers, a Palestinian refugee is slated to speak at the events in
question, as well as Larry Holmes, Debra Sweet, and Ben Manski.
Rosa and I have not been given any rational, ideological, or
strategically-acceptable reason by the Green Party of Colorado to
dissociate ourselves from the movement that this country so
desperately needs and that these individuals and organizations
participating represent, as we all attempt to hold the Democratic
Party accountable for its complicity in all of the crimes of the Bush
Administration. Therefore Rosa and I will keep our appointments in
Denver and we hope that the members of the Green Party of Colorado
will attend our sessions and listen to what we have to say. I have
faith that by taking principled stands against war and occupation,
human rights abuse, the prison-industrial complex, and in support of
freedom for political prisoners, the Green party will emerge stronger.
Cynthia McKinney
Green Party Nominee for President of the United States
Rosa Clemente
Green Party Nominee for Vice President of the United States
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