Miami Herald reports, "Former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney danced to hip-hop music and shouted 'I'm back!' after surprising many by winning the primary outright in her old congressional district. The state's first black congresswoman, McKinney served 10 years in the House before losing the seat two years ago. While in Congress, she dished out brash remarks to both Republicans and Democrats she saw as too conservative, and political watchers doubted she would escape a runoff in her comeback bid in a crowded field of six candidates. In the end, as the primary results came in Tuesday night, she danced with a throng of supporters and declared that she was vindicated for her controversial remarks about Bush in 2002. McKinney was harshly criticized when she said on a talk radio show then that Bush had advance warning of the Sept. 11 attacks but ignored them because his friends would profit from a war." That's a Big Lie - see http://democrats.com/cynthia

Cynthia McKinney's father confirmed rumors she will run for the 4th Congressional District seat she lost in a primary in 2002. "'Absolutely, she's running,' the elder McKinney said. 'We're going to make it exciting'... The outspoken former congresswoman had been courted by the Green Party to run for president, but she issued a statement Saturday turning down the third-party invitation to run... Billy McKinney said resentment over the war in Iraq will bring out a flood of 4th District voters angry over the war who will put her back in office. 'Everything Cynthia has said has proven to be true,' Billy McKinney said, referring to probes of intelligence failures that contributed to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "

"George Bush and Dick Cheney, who remain in office, have the nerve to launch two simultaneous wars, at least one that is against international law; award no bid contracts to their friends in the defense industry; erode our Constitution and our Bill of Rights; put Paul Wolfowitz in charge of military tribunals (that same travesty of justice that we have excoriated other countries for in the past); put a felon, convicted of lying to Congress, in charge of our privacy; and lie about the rescue of Jessica Lynch, as well as the landing of America's top gun-George W.--on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, which supposedly was out at sea, but that was really in San Diego harbor. And this all comes after they stole the Presidency on the uncounted chads of black and Latino voters in a scheme that was orchestrated at the top."

Greg Palast writes: "In 'The Screwing of Cynthia McKinney,' I thought I'd perform a minor but laudatory public service: correcting a cruelly false statement by the New York Times, a fib repeating or repeated by other sources from National Petroleum Radio to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The baying of wolves followed my simply noting that the former Congresswoman's political career was utterly destroyed by bald statements, such as the one in the New York Times which stated, 'Ms. McKinney suggest[ed] that President Bush might have known about the September 11 attacks but did nothing so his supporters could make money in a war.' When I called the Times reporter to ask for the source of this politically suicidal statement of McKinney's, she could not find it. When I pressed, she faked it, pathetically flailing about with false attempts to cover the sloppy reportage, citing for example the congressional record (where it did not appear). NPR's hatchet job was much slicker."

"According to those quoted on National Public Radio, McKinney's 'a loose cannon' (media expert) who 'the people of Atlanta are embarrassed and disgusted' (politician) by, and she is also 'loony' and 'dangerous' (senator from her own party). Yow! And why is McKinney dangerous/loony/disgusting? According to NPR, 'McKinney implied that the [Bush] Administration knew in advance about September 11 and deliberately held back the information.' The New York Times' Lynette Clemetson revealed her comments went even further over the edge: 'Ms. McKinney suggest[ed] that pResident Bush might have known about the September 11 attacks but did nothing so his supporters could make money in a war... As an editor of the highly respected Atlanta Journal Constitution told NPR, McKinney's 'practically accused the President of murder!' Problem is, McKinney never said it. That's right. The 'quote' from McKinney is a complete fabrication. A whopper, a fabulous fib, a fake, a flim-flam. Just freakin' made up."

Veteran organizer and McKinney volunteer Bruce Dixon writes, "It's way time for organizers and activists to stop hiding behind the lame excuse that our people just don't come out to vote. They come out when we organize ourselves to register them and to turn them out. It ain't rocket science, and we should not blame the people when we do not do our own jobs. The fact is that progressive political campaigns have to take the responsibility for registering their vote and getting it out. It's not enough to call meetings. It's not enough to vent on black talk radio. It's not enough to make the rounds of the churches. Electoral organizing is about numbers, not noise. Skip the registration drive and large numbers of the core constituencies for your progressive candidates won't even be able to vote. Omit or skimp on the canvass and you will be unable to bring out the voters who are registered. It's that simple." Don't miss Dixon's step-by-step canvassing and voter registration plan.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, "Five DeKalb County voters today filed a federal lawsuit seeking to throw out the results in the Aug. 20 Democratic primary that handed Denise Majette a victory over incumbent Cynthia McKinney in the 4th Congressional District. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, says 'malicious crossover' voting by Republicans in the primary violated the Voting Rights Act. Before the election, some Republicans called on their fellow party members to vote in the Democratic primary to help ensure the controversial McKinney's defeat. 'The issue is that black Democratic voters in the 4th District had their voting rights interfered with and violated,' said Atlanta lawyer J.M. Raffauf, who represents the plaintiffs. Raffauf said he had recently talked with McKinney and that she supports the litigation."

David Person writes: "With Majette's victory, the White House may think the cloud has been lifted. I think not. Whether McKinney's allegations are ever proved, their very expression performed an essential service. Dissent is what distinguishes a democracy from a dictatorship. And even though McKinney's views were distasteful to Bush and his supporters, they were valid expressions of dissent. She was shining a light in dark places - a necessary function in free society, even if no dirt is ever found. Her criticism also targeted former President George H.W. Bush, who sits on the board of the Carlyle Group, an investment firm that has raked in millions doing business with defense contractors. McKinney charged that the current tensions with Iraq are merely a money-maker for the former president and other players in what President Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex...McKinney's mantra - 'speak truth to power'...her voice and views help us to be just a bit more democratic."

The Council on American-Islamic Relations released the following statement of support and appreciation to Cynthia McKinney: "As you said in your concession speech on Tuesday, 'Doing what is right is not always easy. Sometimes you are faced with a choice between doing what is politically safe or doing what is right.' It was this willingness to do what is right, in spite of the consequences, that drew the admiration and support of Muslims and Arab-Americans nationwide. In Congress, you stood for the poor, the forgotten and the disenfranchised. Your example motivated thousands of ordinary people to get involved in the political process and to fight for their civil rights and human dignity. The Muslim community wishes to once again thank you for all your efforts on behalf of our nation. We will support you in any future efforts, whether in the political arena or in the private sector, to promote the cause of justice and inclusion."

Georgia law allows crossover voting in primaries, and Republicans turned out in force to vote against Cynthia McKinney in the Democratic primary, choosing former State Court judge Denise Majette over McKinney by 58%-42%. "I switched over today for one person to beat another. I just don't like her at all. I want to give this other lady a chance," said Mary Floyd, [who] wouldn't utter McKinney's name. 45% of the district voted - twice as many as normal for a primary. "It looks like the Republicans wanted to beat me more than the Democrats wanted to keep me," said McKinney, who was supported by civil rights leaders like Joseph Lowery and Martin Luther King III, but not past supporters like Andrew Young. The Atlanta Journal Constitution led the get-McKinney effort, repeatedly distorting her views about Bush's role in 9-11. There was also deep division among Democrats over McKinney's support for Palestinian rights, with heavy support for Majette from conservative Jewish groups.

Georgia is in the last 2 day blitz before their election, and Cynthia McKinney appreciates your help. Visit the Grassroots McKinney Blitz to find out what YOU can do, whether you're in Georgia, or thousands of miles away. While we know Representative Cynthia McKinney's constituents return her faithfully each election, the race on Tuesday is being sabotaged by Republicans who will be "crossing over", voting Democratic tickets in an attempt to oust McKinney so that she can't upset their apple cart anymore. Cynthia made a difference standing up for the almost 3,000 fellow Americans who died 911 by calling for investigations into 911. There's something for everyone here! Drop by now!

The heroic Cynthia McKinney, who dared to question the role the administration may have had in 9/11, is being mercilessly slammed by the freeper brigades and their pals in the mainstream media lately. They are terrified she will be reelected (we KNOW she will!) and, with a major shift likely in Congress (as in a clear Dem majority) will lead a push to impeach Bush. Despite their most vitriolic, hysterical efforts, McKinney's opponents, cowards that they are, fold when confronted by this courageous woman. After baiting McKinney for weeks, when opponent Majette showed up at a recent debate, Denise Majette struggled to spit out a satisfactory answer to the questions posed to her - those few she chose to answer at all!! No wonder Majette's own campaign site doesn't even mention the debate!

Michael Ruppert writes: "In what is has become a down-to-the-wire race to determine the fate of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, has resurrected innuendo-like charges implying that somehow McKinney is a supporter of terrorism. These implied connections are reminiscent of the vigorous effort by the FBI and ruling elites to portray Martin Luther King as a Communist protege when, in fact, years later U.S. Congressional investigations disclosed that all of those supposed Communist connections had originated from within the FBI and had no basis in fact. McKinney did receive campaign donations from people who have been connected to terrorist support groups. So have the Republicans in a much harder case… No politician has ever been asked, or expected to run a background check on every campaign donor. That's nonsense. The AJC has shown its stripes by glossing over the case of the Safa Trust, a significant donor to the Republican Party."

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) spoke out against trillions of dollars in fraud by the Defense Department, she spoke out about Bush and intelligence agency 911 failures, she spoke out against the election fraud. Her reward is to be abandoned and doublecrossed by "Democrats" like Senator Zell Miller, who are working with Republicans to support a primary challenge against her. God forbid a Democrat should speak out! As McKinney says about her pretend-dem opponent, Denise Majette: "She's running as a Democrat, but she's a Democrat in name only. She's voted Republican and she's given campaign cash to right-wing Republicans. Moreover, hard core, right-wing Republicans - the same ones who supported Newt Gingrich and Mike Bowers - are now filling her campaign coffers with their cash. As a judge, she ruled against people who were injured . . . and in favor of big insurance companies - and now they're giving her campaign cash, too."

Zell Miller (?-GA) has been working with Republicans to destroy the Democratic Party from within - most notably through his support of Bush's $1.35 trillion tax giveaway to the rich, and through his keynote speech at the NRA convention. Miller has also viciously attacked Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) for daring to ask what Bush knew before 911. Now Miller is running a candidate against McKinney in the August 20 primary, and Miller's pollster - Alan Secrest - is running disinformation polls to attack McKinney. Call Miller at (202) 224-3643 and tell him to quit messing with McKinney!

Cynthia McKinney was vindicated by the revelation that Bush Was Warned. "It now becomes clear why the Bush Administration has been vigorously opposing congressional hearings. The Bush Administration has been engaged in a conspiracy of silence. If committed and patriotic people had not been pushing for disclosure today's revelations would have been hidden by the White House. Because I love my country, because I am a patriot, and because the American people deserve the truth, I believe it would be dangerous, loony and irresponsible not to hold full congressional hearings on any warnings the Bush Administration had before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Ever since I came to Congress in 1992, there are those who have been trying to silence my voice. I've been told to 'sit down and shut up' over and over again. Well, I won't sit down and I won't shut up until the full and unvarnished truth is placed before the American people." We Believe Cynthia!

Revelations of pilot training warnings from FBI agents in Phoenix prompted strong reactions from Senators of both parties. "This is one of several incidents that raise more questions about what the FBI knew of terrorist plans before Sept. 11, and about how the FBI handled the information," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa). Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said the revelations "only underscore the need for a thorough and constructive congressional investigation of the facts." We demand a groveling apology from Kathleen Parker, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and other willfully blind critics of Cynthia McKinney!

On March 25, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) called for an investigation of 911. After the Washington Post twisted her legitimate questions into an accusation of an "administration plot," the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy launched a vicious smear campaign. But as Michael Davidson reveals in his incisive article in From the Wilderness, that campaign has been an utter failure, because Internet activists led by Democrats.com challenged the lies. (See our "We Believe Cynthia" campaign at http://www.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=270) The hidden and dangerous truth is that as many as half of Americans believe the Bush Administration had advance knowledge of the 911 attack. Meanwhile, the so-called Congressional "investigation" is collapsing from within. Once again, we demand a Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate the truth about 911.

Kathleen Parker must have a short memory! In a recent column Parker attacked Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney for taking campaign contributions from Abdurahman Alamoudi, founder of the American Muslim Council, a group now under suspicion for terrorist ties. What Kathleen Parker did not mention was that Alamoudi was chosen by Bush to lead the nation in prayer at a 9-11 memorial service at the National Cathedral. In a bizarre opinion piece in USA Today on 9-30-01, Parker herself appears to be so moved by Alamoudi's performance that she wrote the following regarding the relationship of church and state: "From the beginning of American time, the two have been entwined and inseparable. Today, we seem to have no trouble seeing how necessary the one is to the other. By whatever name you call God yes, including Allah there's no extracting Him from our moments of greatest valor and our times of deepest despair." Hey Kathleen, How about apologizing to McKinney?

Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) spoke out against Bush at one of many peace protests in Washington, D.C. the weekend of April 20th. "America today is still a far cry from the noble Republic founded upon those words: "All men are created equal." We have not dealt well with our diversity and too many of our citizens suffer needlessly. Each day millions of Americans suffer poverty, hunger, the sting of discrimination... arbitrary arrest, racial profiling, and brutality from rogue police... inadequate health care, drug abuse, and unemployment. For the millions of poor Americans, ours is not a just society." She even mentioned the 57,700 voters the dastardly duo Jeb and Katherine scrubbed from Florida's voter rolls! McKinney is one of the few politicians who actually has the guts to speak the truth about Shrub's crimes against democracy. We support you, Cynthia!

Here's something for Kathleen Parker of the Orlando Sentinel to munch on: an op-ed in the Chicago Tribune that points out the merits of McKinney's call for a probe into the White House and 9/11. Perhaps our rabid right-wing, smear campaigning "columnist" will be swayed by the author's urging that, "Before we lynch Rep. McKinney, let's remember that the people we honor for moral courage are more likely to defy conventional wisdom than conform to it." Oh, but wait...the writer, Salim Muwakkil, has an Arabic-sounding name, doesn't he? How much should we bet, then, that Ms. Parker will condemn him as another nutty, loony, terrorist-loving conspiracy theorist?? As it happens, Muwakkil is an African-American, and an outstanding and thoughtful writer for In These Times, an excellent progressive weekly.

Orlando Sentinel "columnist" Kathleen Parker must be on John Ashcroft's payroll, because she now champions the view that any American - even a Congresswoman - who dares to even ask questions about 911 is supporting terrorism. She writes, "It's worse than we thought. Not only is Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., possibly a delusional paranoiac, but she has lots of company as well as admirers, not only among America's poor 'n oppressed - her beloved constituents - but among certain anti-American individuals and organizations abroad, also known as terrorists. The enemy, indeed, is within." Parker is now determined to destroy McKinney, using whatever GOP smear tactics she can think of. Her prize find is a contribution to McKinney from Abdurahman Alamoudi, founder of the American Muslim Council. But guess who the Council endorsed for President in 2000? That's right, ol' terrorist-hating Shrub himself ( http://www.amaweb.org/election2000/ampcc_endorses.htm ). E-mail kparker@orlandosentinel.com

Slate joined the attacks on Cynthia McKinney, featuring a cartoon of McKinney on its home page with the headline, "The Nuttiest Woman in Congress." (Where have we heard the "uppity black woman is nutty" attack before?) The author, Chris Suellentrop, accuses her of speaking "insanities." Like the other non-reporters who have attacked McKinney, Suellentrop adamantly refuses to quote her actual statements, and his own version, accusing her of "spin[ning] the fantasy that President Bush had advance knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks." Once again, McKINNEY MADE NO SUCH ACCUSATION - SHE IS SIMPLY ASKING QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ASKED - which Suelleontrop does not consider for a moment. But Suelleontrop (unlike his editors) doesn't actually join the "McKinney is nutty" brigade, preferring to call her the "Girl Who Cried Racism," because she does not tolerate racist slights or political attacks. Send your thoughts to letters@slate.com

Orlando Sentinel Columnist Kathleen Parker obviously fancies herself smarter than the rest of humanity - or at least its non-white members. From her lofty perch at Athena's side on Mount Olympus, she is hurling thunderbolts down at Rep. Cynthia McKinney, calling her "too stupid to serve in public office." Parker, of course, didn't bother to actually READ what Cynthia McKinney wrote (see our links at the top of http://www.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=270 ). No, Parker simply relied on the deliberate distortions of McKinney's words in the Washington Post and elsewhere. Once again, we repeat: McKinney did not offer a conspiracy theory about 9-11. To honor Parker's journalistic carelessness, we hereby award her the "Parker Award" for journalists too lazy to READ before they WRITE. Share your thoughts with kparker@orlandosentinel.com

The Internet division of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (a.k.a. NewsMax) unleashed a vicious smear campaign against Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), with an article headlined "Some McKinney Contributors Support Terrorist Groups." The article focused on a contribution of $1000 from Abdurahman Alamoudi, the founder and former executive director of the American Muslim Council. Well surprise! Members of Democratic Underground discovered that the American Muslim Council endorsed BUSH for President!

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution slammed her for even raising the question, but they also ran an article written by McKinney herself on why the Bush Administration not only should answer questions about its actions that led up to the September 11th attacks, it should actually welcome such an investigation as being the proper and patriotic response to a disaster of such magnitude.

When David Brock wanted to smear Anita Hill, he called her "a little bit nutty and a little bit slutty," drawing approving chuckles from the racist conservative establishment. Now another black woman - Rep. Cynthia McKinney - has the audacity to speak her mind, and the Atlanta Journal Constitution is calling her "nutty." Notice the pattern, folks? In its editorial, the AJC goes so far as to put words in McKinney's mouth - words she never said. "The U.S. government had prior warning about the attack but let it take place in order to have an excuse for retaliating, because waging war profits certain companies that would in turn pay huge sums to certain government officials who turned a deaf ear to the warning." Since when do editorial page writers put words in people's mouths? This is an outrage! Write letters@ajc.com

The media's attempt to portray Cynthia McKinney as crazy is a repeat of the media's character assassination campaigns against Anita Hill and Lani Guinier. In all three cases, outspoken black women have been attacked for daring to express ideas that challenge the white male establishment. History has shown that both Anita Hill and Lani Guinier were telling the truth. History will also show that Cynthia McKinney is telling the truth. We believed Anita Hill and Lani Guinier - and we believe Cynthia McKinney too. And we're taking action! We invite you to join our "We Believe Cynthia!" campaign. 1) Write letters to the media - especially those who smeared Cynthia McKinney - telling them "We Believe Cynthia!" Write to eilperinj@washpost.com and letters@nytimes.com. Send a copy to public@democrats.com and we'll publish the best ones. 2) Post our "We Believe Cynthia" button (at the top of this page) on your Web site, with a link to this page. Thanks!!

A number of Democrats.com readers have written to Washington Post reporter Juliet Eilperin complaining about her distortion of Rep. Cynthia McKinney's entirely legitimate demand for answers about September 11. Here are a few of these outstanding letters.

In a single day, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) was attacked by the Washington Post, the AP, and the NY Times. Did she run into a secret bunker, like Cheney and Bush? No way! Like a true Aggressive Progressive, McKinney fired right back. "News reports from Der Spiegel to the London Observer, from the Los Angeles Times to MSNBC to CNN, indicate that many different warnings were received by the Administration. In addition, it has even been reported that the United States government broke bin Laden's secure communications before September 11... What is undeniable is that corporations close to the Administration, have directly benefited from the increased defense spending arising from the aftermath of September 11. The Carlyle Group, DynCorp, and Halliburton certainly stand out as companies close to this Administration." We believe Cynthia!

Picking up where Juliet Eilperin left off, an anonymous AP reporter expanded the smear campaign against Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) for daring to ask questions about 9-11. First they quote right-wing Democrat Senator Zell Miller calling her statement "loony," also "dangerous and irresponsible." Then they quote Ari Falsifier saying she "must be running for the Hall of Fame of the Grassy Knoll Society." Then they cite several unpopular positions as evidence that she's a wacko - rather than an UNCORRUPTED, PRINCIPLED, TRUTH-SEEKING AGGRESSIVE PROGRESSIVE POLITICIAN. During the vicious smear campaign against truthteller Anita Hill (as confirmed by David Brock), progressive Democrats wore buttons saying "We Believe Anita." We need a similar campaign now - write letters@nytimes.com and tell them WE BELIEVE CYNTHIA!

Two weeks ago, Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) demanded answers to the urgent UNASKED question about 9-11: given the various pre-911 warnings that have widely been reported, WHAT DID THIS ADMINISTRATION KNOW AND WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT? (http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/03.29G.McKinney.War.htm). On 4-12-02, Washington Post reporter Juliet Eilperin (with David Von Drehle) excerpted McKinney's remarks under the headline: "Democrat Implies Sept. 11 Administration Plot." This is an outrage - reporters should REPORT what people objectively DO or SAY - not substitute their subjective INFERENCES! The article then quotes critics who denounce McKinney for having "a partisan mind-set beyond all reason," of "tapping into a web of conspiracy theories," of demonstrating "a total lack of responsibility in her statements." This is a smear campaign against an outspoken black woman - just like Anita Hill and Lani Guinier, both of whom were right! Write eilperinj@washpost.com and tell her YOU BELIEVE CYNTHIA!