McKinney to Obama: 'Say Something' About Gaza Humanitarian Crisis

[Joanne98]

Former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has called upon President-Elect Barack Obama to "please, say something about the humanitarian crisis that is being experienced by the Palestinian people, by the people of Gaza." McKinney spoke to CNN news from the Lebanese city of Tyre, where she had debarked from the relief vessel Dignity after it was rammed on the high seas by an Israeli patrol boat, early Tuesday morning. Passengers also report the Israelis fired machine guns into the water near their ship.


McKinney was among the passengers on an attempted voyage from the island of Cyprus to Gaza, where Israeli bombs and missiles have killed hundreds of Palestinians, including many civilians, since Saturday. The Dignity carried three tons of medical supplies and a number of doctors prepared to treat the more than 1,000 Gazans wounded in the Israeli attacks. The 66-foot craft had made two previous humanitarian relief trips to Gaza since the summer. Israel has blocked food, medicines and other essentials from entering Gaza in a campaign of collective punishment against the 1.5 million Palestinians that live there under a Hamas Party administration.

President-Elect Obama has been silent on the Israeli attacks, while President George Bush has supported Israel's actions.

"I would like to ask my former colleagues in the United States Congress to stop sending weapons of mass destruction around the world," said McKinney, who was the Green Party's presidential candidate in November. "As we are about to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, let us remember what he said. He said that the United States is the greatest purveyor of violence on the planet. And guess what: we experienced a little bit of that violence, because the weapons that are being used by Israel are weapons that were supplied by the United States government."

A CNN reporter who accompanied the passengers and crew of the Dignity confirmed that the boat "was sailing with full lights" when "one of the Israeli patrol boats, with no lights on, rammed the Dignity, hard."

Israel blames the collision on the relief vessel.

Continued>>>
http://www.opednews.com/articles/McKinney-to-Obama--Say-So-by-Glen-Ford-081231-191.html

[maryf]

1. Good for McKinney!!

We all have to keep these feet to the fire!! She is a voice for the people! thanks for the article!

[Fozzledick]

2. Hamas and their appologists are responsible for it

What else is there to say?

[KittyWampus]

3. How about the war-mongers on ALL sides are responsible?

[Fozzledick]

5. Of course, the victims are at least as responsible as the aggressors

if not more so!

[polichick]

4. Well, there's the little matter of Israel controlling all movement in Gaza.

[maryf]

6. Lets say you're a landlord

And you own a lot of houses, and continually set rules for some of the tenants, sometimes not plowing the parking lot or not letting the tenants get deliveries of food. One of the houses has a kid who throws stones at your car...so you raze the building...Hyperbolic analogy? maybe...I recently heard for every Israeli killed there are two hundred Palestinians...

[LynnTheDem]

17. Just

:wow:













There are none so blind as rightwingnut apologists.

[emilyg]

10. She is a voice for herself.

[maryf]

14. ???

Not sure what you are saying, do you think she's self'serving?

[IndianaGreen]

15. Shameful that Dennis Kucinich is the only Democrat to speak up against Israeli genocide

It was our irrational support for whatever Israel does that led to 9/11.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. You rock Cynthia

Thank you for speaking out.

[Dawgs]

8. That woman is a nut.

And an embarrassment to my state.

[emilyg]

9. Yes she is.

Her headquarters were right next to post office I went to. She was standing outside one day and asked me if I was going to vote for her. I said "no" and she told me to "f**k myself.

[martymar64]

18. So you object to her bringing medical supplies and doctors to those that need it?

The justifications for the conflict aside, denying medicine and food to noncombatants in any form is a war crime and against international law.
The noncombatants are hostages of both Hamas and the Israelis, as well as the Egyptians. They have no way to evacuate this tiny densely populated area. And to deny these noncombatants the ability to escape the warfare or to receive food or medicine is tantamount to murder.
Cynthia has risked her own life to deliver direly needed supplies to help relieve the nightmare that the noncombatants are experiencing as I write this. For this she has my utmost respect, regardless of her stand on any other issue.

[monmouth]

11. I'll third that...n/t

[MasonJar]

12. Well, at least she is actively trying to get much needed medicine and willing physicians

to people in peril. What are you doing?

[MasonJar]

13. And another crucial point is that the more we, the US, supplies Israel

arms and supports them no matter their actions, the more radical Islamists we create and the more power we give to their leaders. We play into Osama's hands every day, and W has almost single-handedly created a successful Islamic revolution by his officious wars. Israel has been denying these citizens of the world basics such as medicine throughout the ceasefire, just like the world did to Iraq after the Gulf War.

[LynnTheDem]

16. "Israel blames the collision on the relief vessel."

Of course they do.


Always blame the victim. It's a rightwingnut rule.