The Counter-Debate: McKinney and Nader on Democracy Now!

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! hosted a session in which "third-party" presidential candidates Cynthia McKinney and Ralph Nader were invited to respond to some of what went on in last night's puke-a-thon.

I decry the policies of both Republicans and Democrats but I do not support those who say you shouldn't vote. Personally I'd be happy to vote for either Nader or McKinney.

Here's a sample of their comments, beginning with Ralph Nader on Iraq and Afghanistan:

the big-time terrorists, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, these are clinically verifiable mass terrorists who have killed innocent civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere in their criminal wars of aggression. These are criminal wars of aggression. These are war crimes. These are war criminals. They have killed over a million Iraqi civilians as a result of that criminal invasion. That’s where the discussion should have focused on. The big-time terrorists, the state terrorists in the White House who have violated our Constitution, our statutes and our international treaties, and have been condemned even by the American Bar Association for a continual violence of our—violation of our Constitution.

Cynthia McKinney on election "integrity":

In 2000, when people went to the polls, when the voters went to the polls, they were met with confusing ballots, manipulation of the voter lists, electronic voting machines that didn’t work, inappropriately or ineffectively or poorly trained officials who weren’t familiar with the workings of those machines, and we know what the problems with those machines have been and are. We still have those problems that have been with us since 2000.

In 2004, they added to these problems with the electronic poll books, the sleepovers that were discovered, where the machines weren’t even secured, even intensifying the failures of the machines with the vote flipping, and usually in only one direction. The battery freezes in the midst of voters actually trying to cast their votes.

And now we’ve got voter ID laws across the country, and we’ve got voter caging, which is a fancy way of purging people from the voter files.

So, now, what kind of election is it when neither of the political parties is addressing the issue, the fundamental issue, of whether or not our votes are even going to be counted?

McKinney again, on the issues that matter most to her:

the issues that I’ve been talking about as I’ve gone around this country have been the tremendous impact that the Bush tax cuts have had on income inequality in our country. The sad fact of the matter is that we are experiencing the kind of income inequality not experienced since the Great Depression.

In addition to that, I’ve been talking about the need to repeal the PATRIOT Acts, so that we can safeguard our civil liberties, protect the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I’ve also been talking about the death penalty, because, of course, in the state in which I was born, we have a young man who—for whom a death date has been set, and he’s had seven witnesses to recant their testimony in a trial. We need to talk about justice in this country. And I’m talking about the case of Troy Davis. We do need to talk about the administration of the death penalty.

It’s interesting that, categorically, I support single-payer, and I believe that Ralph Nader does, as well. We make no bones about our support for a single-payer healthcare system in this country. And just last week, 5,000 physicians wrote a letter, and they said that it was the only morally responsible, as well as fiscally responsible solution to the healthcare problems that face our country.

Nader on the economic situation:

above all, we need to make the speculators pay for their own bailout. And that can be done by a one-tenth of one percent tax on derivatives transactions, which this year will be $500 trillion worth. So, one-tenth of one percent will produce $500 billion; two-tenths of one percent will produce a trillion dollars. And that is only fair. So, what’s important here is there’s nothing spectacularly new about a derivatives tax. The stock tax transaction helped to fund the Civil War. Franklin Delano Roosevelt used it. Some European countries have it now. People in New York and elsewhere go into a store and pay six, seven percent sales tax for necessities of life. But someone today on Wall Street will buy $100 million of Exxon derivatives and pay nothing.

It's no wonder you don't see these candidates in the "serious" debates.

They make too much sense!

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Canadian Greens Claim Spot In Televised Debates

There's been an interesting development in Canada, where Blair Wilson [left in photo], an independent Member of the federal Parliament, has joined the Green Party.

And now that the Greens have an MP, they appear to meet all the requirements for participation in the televised debates that will precede the next federal election. (The criteria for inclusion in debates have been established by a consortium of broadcasters.)

Wilson, who represents part of southwestern British Columbia, was elected in 2006 as a Liberal, but resigned from that party about a year ago. He says the environment is now the number one priority in his district and he believes his move to the Green Party will be welcomed by his constituents.

According to federal Green Party leader Elizabeth May [right in same photo],

"With a Green MP sitting in the House of Commons, it will now be impossible to exclude the Green Party from the televised leaders' debates in the next election ... We believe that under all the criteria that have been put forward ... we now have made thoroughly the case that I must be included ... We have established ourselves as a party that cannot be described as fringe ... We are a party whose ideas and policies are now in the mainstream."

As the Toronto Star notes, the exclusion of the Greens is not at all impossible:

The media consortium is due to meet Tuesday and May's fate in the debates could be discussed then.

May herself appears to understand that her spot is not yet confirmed. The Star quotes her as saying:

"If they decide not to allow me in the debates, what they're really doing is telling voters: `Don't take that party seriously.'"

Perhaps, given her position, Elizabeth May can't say it in plain words, but if the national media decide to bar her from the debates, after she and her party have met the criteria the media themselves have established, what they're really saying to the voters is a very Cheney-esque "GFY".

But it makes me wonder: Would Cynthia McKinney be able to get into televised debates against Obama and McCain if she could recruit somebody ... like ... perhaps ... independent Senator Bernie Sanders?

It wouldn't happen.

It couldn't happen, surely.

But it would be a sight for the ages...

And she would wipe the floor with their sorry butts!!

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It's So Easy Bein' Green: McKinney/Clemente '08 For Truth And Justice

It's So Easy Bein' Green

The Green Party's presidential ticket is set: Cynthia McKinney [top photo] has captured the nomination, and she has selected Rosa Clemente as her running mate.

According to Reuters:

The U.S. Green Party says it is a partner with the European Federation of Green Parties and the Federation of Green Parties of the Americas.

"Green parties are the first parties to recognize that our role in the world is stewardship of Earth's natural resources rather than domination and unrestrained consumption of the goods of the Earth," the party said in its proposed platform for the 2008 election.

Cynthia McKinney

CNN offers the standard media spin on McKinney's political career:

McKinney represented a suburban district of Atlanta, Georgia, as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms -- five consecutively.

First elected in 1992, she lost a primary challenge in 2002 after suggesting in a radio interview that members of the Bush administration stood to profit from the war that followed the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

They did stand to profit, of course, and they have done so. You'll notice the CNN report doesn't deny her suggestion.

The "primary challenge" she lost in 2002 came about because of her opposition to all the 9/11 lies. You should read this [PDF] document, if you haven't already done so: "The 9/11 Commission Report, One Year Later. Did the Commission Get it Right?" It's devastating. And it's in the public record because of Cynthia McKinney.

We could sure use a prominent national politician with enough courage to speak the truth -- especially if it happened to be one they've already run out of town twice!

In 2004 she ran again and won with a low-key campaign in which she largely avoided controversy. But voters ousted her again in 2006 after she was accused of a physical altercation with a U.S. Capitol Police officer who questioned her after failing to recognize her at a security checkpoint.

How many terms must one serve in Congress before the U.S. Capitol Police officers begin to recognize you?

The dude was hassling her, and all the charges against her have been dropped, and still the cloud hovers.

This cloud is the modern media's way of saying "Uppity Nigger!" And if the modern electorate had any brains, we would all vote for her, just because of the way she's been smeared.

What is it about Cynthia McKinney that frightens the mainstream media, the mainstream Democrats and the pro-Israeli lobby? What are they all afraid of? Whatever it is, we need more of it -- very badly.

The LA Times says:

In her campaign, [Cynthia McKinney] is pushing for the impeachment of President Bush and a quick end to the Iraq war. She also advocates a human rights plan that includes reform of the nation's voting system and slavery reparations for African Americans.

Sounds good to me. What if we all have to vote Green this time? Will that kill us? Or is it about time?? As another piece in the LA Times points out: "Obama, McCain agree on many once-divisive issues".

Rosa Clemente

In stark contrast to Barack Obama's fluff and drivel, McKinney's choice of running mate shows exactly what she's thinking, as Wikipedia reports:

Rosa Alicia Clemente (born 18 April 1972) is a community organizer, journalist and Hip-Hop activist. Born and raised in the South Bronx she is a graduate of the University of Albany and Cornell University. A much sought-after commentator, political activist, community organizer and independent reporter, Clemente has been delivering workshops, presentations and commentary for over ten years.

Clemente's academic work has been dedicated to researching national liberation struggles inside the United States, with a specific focus on the Young Lords Party and the Black Liberation Army. While a student at SUNY Albany, she was President of the Albany State University Black Alliance (ASUBA) and Director of Multicultural Affairs for the Student Association. At Cornell she was a founding member of La Voz Boriken, a social/political organization dedicated to supporting Puerto Rican political prisoners and the independence of Puerto Rico.

And here's Rosa Clemente herself, on being selected to run with Cynthia McKinney:

I am honored and excited to accept this invitation to run with Cynthia McKinney. Cynthia McKinney is a hero to me and many others across this country and around the world for her courage in standing up to George Bush while the Democratic Party establishment caved.

This campaign is the opportunity the Hip-Hop generation has been working for. This is our time to address the issues affecting our communities – rising unemployment, the high cost of food and housing, a lack of quality public education and access to higher education, the prison-industrial complex, and unaccountable corporate media. These issues are not being addressed by either the Republican or Democratic nominee.

I choose to do this, not for me, but for my generation, my community and my daughter. I don't see the Green Party as an alternative; I see it as an imperative. I trust that my Vice Presidential run will inspire all people, but especially young people of color, to recognize that we have more than two choices. Together, we can build the future we've been wanting.

I agree with her on that, but with one reservation: We can build anything we want ... but only if we want it badly enough.

Today's final words come from Rosa Clemente's acceptance speech:

I stand on the shoulders of a generation of young people of color that are united, that clearly understand that we are suffering from structural racism, institutional racism and capitalism.

We are fighting for survival. We fight for the faceless, the mic-less, the speechless. Black and Brown and poor faces.

We are not fighting for the right to a just vote, we are fighting for the right to a just life.

The government of America has perpetrated wars not only abroad but here at home:

• War on drugs.
• War on youth.
• War on those who fight for freedom.
  

We are faced with issues that are getting progressively worse:

• No livable wage.
• No affordable housing.
• The AIDS pandemic in the African and American and Latino community, especially with heterosexual African American women and Latinas.
• Lack of free healthcare system.
• The stranglehold of media conglomerates that do irreparable damage to marginalize communities with stereotypical, racist and sexist propaganda.
  

We can lead the nation with a microphone. Hip-Hop has always been that mic, but now the green can be the power that turns up the volume of that microphone.

When Cynthia McKinney called me and asked me to be her running mate I immediately said yes. That is my personality. To always say yes when it is a cause that relates to justice for people.

And then I got scared. Not because I was asked, but what it means.

What this means for me and my entire generation, the Hip-Hop generation. I am honored to be part of this, because it means that we have now been asked not only to step up but to act up, to act against people who would rather see us crumble than succeed.

Blacker Than Obama, More Sane Than McCain ... Look! Up In The Sky! It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's ... Running For President!!

We've been bored to tears as the Elephants have spent countless months choosing yet another White Male Warmonger, and moved to nausea as the Donkeys have spent even more months choosing between a White Female Warmonger and a Half-White, Half-Black Male Warmonger.

(The Donkeys, being the party of change and hope, cannot afford to run yet another Completely White Male Warmonger themselves, much as they'd love to.)

So what do we want? What sort of President might bring us genuine change and hope -- and hope for even more change?

Can you imagine a candidate with the "best" qualities of the main Donkey contenders [black, female] and the "best" quality of the Elephant candidate [he speaks his mind], but who stands against the shared agenda of the two major parties?

What if our hypothetical candidate were also smart, brave, pro-truth, anti-war, pro-people? ... What if the Elephants hated her and the mainstream Donkeys did too ... What if she'd been targeted by powerful pro-Zionist groups and the national "news" media [or was that redundant?] ... What if she was the first member of Congress who dared to stand up and ask embarrassing questions about 9/11? ...

What if she wasn't hypothetical? And what if she needed your help?

Nothing comes from nothing, folks. Here's a message from Cynthia McKinney:

Hello my friends,

I am writing to thank you for your sustained support for my campaign and to urge you to give me an extra boost in the next three weeks to help me qualify for federal matching campaign funds.

I have long supported public funding in all aspects of our campaigns, but now we really have the opportunity to participate in the power of public funding. However, that participation can only happen when the Power to the People Campaign has demonstrated its broad appeal in at least 20 states with each having raised $5,000 where the first $250 of each contribution is matchable. In other words, in order to qualify for public matching funds, you've got to qualify me.

I have traveled to 24 states and I've heard from many of you. I've tried to put a foundation in place for the Power to the People Committee. But the fact is that I want to be able to give you the kind of campaign that you all deserve and that I envisioned, but that takes money to buy the yard signs and handbills, pay the airfare necessary for my travels, and to meet the payroll necessary to staff the campaign.

To meet our campaign needs in the new and exciting period ahead, we have to turn the corner on our finances -- and the first step in this direction is raising at least $5,000 in each of at least 20 states to qualify for federal matching funds. So far, we have only met this objective in seven states -- though 11 additional states are well on their way toward that goal. The deadline for raising these funds is July 12th.

My campaign is not funded by the military-industrial-financial-media complex, nor the energy, pharmaceutical or other corporate interests that bankroll the parties of war: the Democrats and Republicans. I can only count on you, the people who produce the wealth in this country, to finance my campaign.

I need your support to get out the political message of our Power to the People campaign to voters all across the country.

The message of our campaign is necessary now, more than ever: Congress is on the verge of caving in on more funding for the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan; our country bombs Somalia and Pakistan with impunity and none of the major party contenders mentions it; the American people are losing their homes at a record pace, Congress is yet to offer a solution; and our country is even more mired in debt. Our platform is the only one that genuinely addresses the needs and aspirations for real change that have been expressed by voters nationwide.

With your help, we can achieve our goal of raising the $100,000 in 20 states needed to obtain the federal matching funds. Please go to our website today (http://www.runcynthiarun.org) and make as generous a donation as you can. Then send all your friends, coworkers, and neighbors to this site, asking that they match or exceed your donation. I do believe in the power of the people.

Please help me put this first campaign milestone behind us, so we can get the Power to the People campaign on every ballot possible nationwide -- so that we can provide a genuine alternative to the No Impeachment, War Parties and their candidates. Our communities deserve so much more and the Power to the People campaign is ready to deliver. Your donation now will help us deliver with an impact. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this effort.

In struggle and solidarity,
Cynthia McKinney,
Presidential Candidate,
Power to the People Campaign

--
"And advanced forms of biological warfare that can 'target' specific genotypes may transform biological warfare from the realm of terror to a politically useful tool."
PNAC, Rebuilding America's Defenses, p. 60

The argument that the two parties should represent opposed ideals and policies, one, perhaps, of the Right and the other of the Left, is a foolish idea acceptable only to doctrinaire and academic thinkers. Instead, the two parties should be almost identical, so that the American people can "throw the rascals out" at any election without leading to any profound or extensive shifts in policy.
-- Carroll Quigley, Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in our Time

Where else are you going to find a presidential candidate who speaks openly -- and critically -- about the war crimes being committed in Pakistan and Somalia, not to mention the PNAC and their bio-warfare wet-dreams?

What's not to like about her?

Other than the occasional "bad hair day" ...

... and now that I think about it, we'd be a lot better off with a President who had bad hair days!