[ The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution: 4/12/02 ]
McKinney
implies Bush knew of Sept. 11 plot
The
Washington Post
|
Are you satisfied the Bush administration had no advance warning of the Sept. 11 attacks? |
| Yes. |
52% |
12112 |
| I'm not sure. Congress should investigate. |
1% |
341 |
| No. I think officials knew it was coming. |
46% |
10692 |
Total Votes |
|
23145 |
|
|
|
| |
WASHINGTON --
Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) is calling for an investigation into
whether President Bush and other government officials had advance
notice of terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 but did nothing to prevent
them. She added that "persons close to this administration are
poised to make huge profits off America's new war."
In a recent interview with a Berkeley, Calif., radio station,
McKinney said: "We know there were numerous warnings of the events
to come on September 11th. ... What did this administration know and
when did it know it, about the events of September 11th? Who else
knew, and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who
were needlessly murdered? ... What do they have to hide?"
McKinney declined to be interviewed Thursday, but she issued a
statement saying: "I am not aware of any evidence showing that
President Bush or members of his administration have personally
profited from the attacks of 9-11. A complete investigation might
reveal that to be the case."
Bush spokesman Scott McLellan dismissed McKinney's comments.
"The American people know the facts, and they dismiss such
ludicrous, baseless views," he said. "The fact that she questions
the president's legitimacy shows a partisan mind-set beyond all
reason."
In the radio conversation, McKinney delivered a stinging attack
on the administration. In 2000, she charged, Bush forces "stole from
America our most precious right of all, the right to free and fair
elections." With the September attacks on the World Trade Center and
the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, McKinney said, "an administration
of questionable legitimacy has been given unprecedented
power."
She
suggested that the administration was serving the interests of a
Washington-based investment firm, the Carlyle Group, which employs a
number of high-ranking former government officials from both
parties. Former president George H.W. Bush -- the current
president's father -- is an adviser to the firm. McKinney said the
war on terrorism has enriched Carlyle Group investors by enhancing
the value of a military contractor partly owned by the firm.
Carlyle Group spokesman Chris Ullman asked: "Did she say these
things while standing on a grassy knoll in Roswell, New Mexico?"
During her five terms in office, McKinney has often given voice
to radical critiques of U.S. policy, especially in the Middle East.
She defied the State Department to investigate assertions that
international sanctions are brutalizing innocent Iraqis.
With her comments concerning Sept. 11, McKinney, 47, seems to
have tapped into a web of conspiracy theories circulating during the
past six months among people who believe that the government is
partially -- or entirely -- to blame for last year's attacks, which
killed more than 3,000 people.
"What is undeniable is that corporations close to the
administration have directly benefited from the increased defense
spending arising from the aftermath of September 11th," McKinney
charged. "America's credibility, both with the world and with her
own people, rests upon securing credible answers to these
questions."
None of McKinney's colleagues has embraced her allegations, but a
few said they are familiar with the theories.
"I've heard a number of people say it," said Rep. Melvin Watt
(D-N.C.), who quickly added, "I can't say that it would be a widely
held view" among lawmakers.
Some lawmakers have a less charitable view of McKinney's penchant
for publicity.
Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) called McKinney's comments "... very
dangerous and irresponsible."
In a prepared statement, Miller said, "I hope President Bush will
remember that this is the same Congresswoman who -- during each of
his State of the Union addresses -- arrives early to get a coveted
aisle seat, then leans way over as Bush walks down the aisle, hoping
he will give her a kiss for all to see on national TV."
Rep. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) said McKinney is simply trying to
impress her constituents.
"She's demonstrated at home an ability to win," he said, "and
she's demonstrated in Washington a total lack of responsibility in
her statements."
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), a friend of McKinney's, said the
Georgia Democrat is adept at seizing on "red-meat" issues that
resonate with her political base and have helped her fend off a
series of GOP challengers.
"She's not as random as people think," Kingston said. "People
always want to hear a political conspiracy theory."
|
by sequoia 12:04am Tue Apr 16 '02
Here's a letter to the editor I wrote in support of Cynthia McKinney, along with email addresses for some newspapers. Please write letters for this woman - she is getting slaughtered by the press (big surprise). She's the only person in congress brave enough to say that the emperor has no clothes - she deserves our support.
To the Editor:
Rep. Cynthia McKinney has acted courageously in demanding an investigation into the events of September 11th. She is the only congressperson asking these extremely important questions about who knew and who benefited from the attacks – but she is not alone. The BBC, Canadian TV, the Sydney Morning Herald – among many other international news outlets – are also questioning government foreknowledge of 9/11. In the US, the mainstream media has been silent. Why? A thorough investigation into the biggest terrorist event in US history doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request. Bush and Cheney have deliberately impeded such an investigation. What do they have to hide?
Sincerely,
New York Times: letters [at] nytimes.com
Oregonian: letters [at] news.oregonian.com
LA Times: letters [at] latimes.com
Chicago Tribune: ctc-TribLetter [at] Tribune.com
SF Chronicle: letters [at] sfchronicle.com
Wall St. Journal: letter.editor [at] wsj.com
Boston Herald: mdnletters [at] cnc.com
Atlanta Journal Const.: letters [at] ajc.com
Seattle Times: opinion [at] seattletimes.com
--
Eugene Register Guard
by weeping willow 10:34am Tue Apr 16 '02
The Eugene Register Guard email address for letters to the editor is: rgletters [at] guardnet.com
I would appreciate it very much if you would cease the politically-motivated dirt-digging and attacks on Ms McKinney's character and instead do an objective journalistic investigation into the claims that she has put forward. No matter what her motives may be, the facts are the facts.
Fact: Carlyle Group directly benefits from an eternal Orwellian war against the "Evil Ones".
Fact: The bin Ladins and the Bushes have been in bed financially raking in hundreds of millions together on big oil, construction and defense contracts for decades.
Fact: The "War on Terrorism" has been planned for several years in the back rooms of the Council on Foreign Relations as a pretext for control of the Caspian Basin oil reserves (see Brzezinski, Grand Chessboard).
Fact: The CIA supervises the Pakistani ISI intelligence who are instrumental in funding and training terrorists all over the Eurasia and the Middle East.
Fact: Clinton had numerous opportunities to nail bin Ladin and refused to do it.
Fact: Bin Ladin was, and still is a CIA-ISI pointman/asset.
Fact: The CIA put the murderous Taliban into power (a specialty of theirs) in 1996 and funded them (and bin Ladin) right up through last summer.
Fact: The CIA met with bin Ladin in July in Dubai (Le Figaro)
Fact: The US government had not only prior knowledge of the attacks of September 11th, but deliberately created all the necessary conditions for it to happen. For historical precedents see, National Security Archives for the Operation Northwoods document and Day of Deceit by Robert Stinnet.
Fact: The media is chockfull of gutless, spineless shills, operative minions, and cheerleading propagandists who are lying to the people, complicit in the attacks on both the WTC and on our Constitutional
rights and couldn't whip up an honest investigative piece to save their souls.
So get your facts straight and start telling the truth if you have any
patriotism, humanity, guts or integrity left.
I challenge any of you journalist shills out there to refute any of the points I have made.
Paul Walker
Santa Barbara, CA
Anyway, thought you should take notice.