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. "

Former Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) began work on Articles of Impeachment against Bush in 2002, but never got a chance to introduce them before the establishment drove her out of office. Now McKinney is renewing her work on impeachment. Listen to her interview by Laura Flanders on Working Assets Radio.

"Two years after the World Trade Center attacks, a documentary film exhibition and panel featuring former Rep. Cynthia McKinney is to seriously challenge the official story and response to 9/11. The post-film panel will also examine alternative but credible narratives for what happened that day and why. The urgent timeliness of this conversation is only accentuated by the US media's current censorship of longtime UK Environment Minister MP Michael Meacher's explosive 'US complicity' charges Saturday in The Guardian The 'REFRAMING 9/11' public inquiry will begin Thursday, September 11th at 6 pm at Riverside Church with the screening of 'Aftermath,' a film which poses eleven unanswered questions about 9-11. This showing is part of a coordinated 'Aftermath' screening that is taking place simultaneously in over a dozen cities across North America, including Toronto, Vancouver, San Francisco and Eugene, OR."

"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."

WashPost reports, "Tens of thousands of people have converged on the National Mall this afternoon to rally against U.S. military operations in Iraq, and a smaller group also gathered to express support for military action. The antiwar demonstration is being mirrored by a joint protest in San Francisco, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people, as well as simultaneous antiwar demonstrations in 32 countries. The rally is being coordinated by International ANSWER, which led similar events in March and April... [Speakers included] Ramsey Clark, Vietnam veteran and autthor Ron Kovic; actress Jessica Lange and former Rep. Cynthia McKinney. The rally will also include performances by Patti Smith and Chumbawumba... Signs proclaimed antiwar messages, including 'Grandmothers Against War', 'Bomb Texas, They Have Oil Too', 'Money for Jobs Not War' and 'Help Stop the Asses of Evil', and even one looking ahead to a protest next week, 'Defend Roe v Wage 30 Years.'"

"As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Republicans will talk like they have supported King's vision of a colorblind society and African-American rights all along, when their records and actions speak otherwise. That's just more of the Republican con job. Republican racism goes much deeper than Sen. Lott. There's Sen. Jefferson Sessions of Alabama, who once called a black assistant U.S. attorney 'boy' and a white civil rights attorney a 'disgrace to his race.' There's Sen. George Allen of Virginia, who displays a Confederate flag in his living room. There's Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who was a member of the all-white Belle Meade Country Club in Nashville, Tenn., before running for the Senate in 1994. There's Rep. Cass Ballenger of North Carolina who recently told a newspaper reporter he had 'segregationist' feelings and called former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney, an African-American Democrat from Georgia, a 'bitch.'" The list goes on and on, writes Jackson Thoreau.

The NY Sun reports, "The latest move in the Saudi Arabian public relations effort in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks is a half-million dollar donation by a Saudi prince to the President George Herbert Walker Bush Scholarship Fund at Phillips Academy, Andover. Unlike Mayor Giuliani, who sent back a $10 million disaster-relief check from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the Massachusetts private school intends to keep the money. In fact, the school, where both George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush spent their high school years, says it solicited the gift." When will Giuliani denounce this latest Bush scandal? We also remember the massive Republican outrage when Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) invited Prince Alaweed to give the spurned $10 million to African-American causes - so where is Republican outrage now???

NOW President Kim Gandy writes, "Another member of Congress has embarrassed himself and his party -- not by making a mistake, as he explained, but by saying what he really thinks. Not only did U.S. Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC) tell the Charlotte Observer that former colleague Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) is 'a bitch,' but in his attempt to explain the insulting comment, he implied in a local radio interview that the sentiment was justified because he considered McKinney divisive, pushy and 'less than patriotic.' One must wonder whether he would have made the same statement about a white Congressman he considered to be pushy or divisive. I think not. His statements demonstrate beliefs about race and gender that do not belong in the U.S. Congress." Right on, Kim!

Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC) issued a statement saying his "choice of words... was a mistake and was wrong." He says he's "proud of his civil rights record," but his voting record is no different from Trent Lott, Jesse Helms or Tom DeLay - and he did not declare his support for affirmative action. And nowhere does he address the most offensive part of his remarks - calling Cynthia McKinney a BITCH. Ballenger offers no apology TO McKINNEY, and he just makes matters worse by calling her "divisive" (is there anyone more divisive than Jesse Helms or Tom DeLay?) and "someone [who] can push you so hard." Yup, so now he's calling McKinney a "divisive, pushy bitch"! We demand Ballenger's resignation!

In an interview with the Charlotte Observer on 12-19-02, Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC) was asked if Trent Lott was a segregationist. "I'd have a hard time saying he wasn't," he said, verging on the truth. Then, in a tirade against Cynthia McKinney, he almost confessed to being a segregationist himself. "If I had to listen to her, I probably would have developed a little bit of a segregationist feeling," he said. "But I think everybody can look at my life and what I've done and say that's not true." So what made McKinney so powerful that she could transform an integrationist into a segregationist? "I mean, she was such a bitch." Say WHAT??? Congress is no place for racists - or sexists. We demand Rep. Ballenger's resignation - call 202-225-2576.

"The point here is that Lott's statement was NOT a stupid black joke, or a slip of the tongue because he'd had one too many. It was a clear and pointed statement. There is no way you can turn his comment around and give it a different meaning (unless maybe you're Trent Lott's mother). The reason he felt empowered to make the comment at all, I firmly believe, is that the GOP has become so overempowered by weak Democrats and pushed to such blinding 'illusions of grandeur' by its small but worshipful claque of narrow-minded, and thus totally unquestioning, supporters, that Lott believed no one would take exception. Worse, he may have felt that most of his fellow Republicans agreed." So writes Cheryl Seal.

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.

Unlike Americans after 9/11, Aussies aren't responding to the Bali tragedy by donning "patriotic" blinders and pretending their leaders have suddenly become saints. Instead, a wave of anger at those who failed to protect them has erupted. Prime Minister John Howard's alliance with Bush and Bush's obsession with attacking Iraq are being blamed for the attack. Says the UK Independent: "Such debate seems refreshingly frank and a little disorientating when compared with the reaction in the United States after the September 11 attacks. In America, criticism of...George Bush evaporated overnight. Anyone attempting to link US foreign policy in the Middle East and elsewhere with the atrocities at the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon was immediately branded a pariah by mainstream society. One congresswoman [Cynthia McKinney] who questioned the competence of the government and intelligence services was vilified as a paranoid, crypto-Marxist 'pinata of inanity.'"

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."

Wayne Madsen writes: "Historians will one day write that the 107th Congress was the last to stand up to the constitutional encroachment by the military and monarchist policies of the Bush II administration. Just as with the Roman Senate, the Congress of the United States is becoming an elite club of pathetic assenters and global elitists...The United States Congress stands on the same precipice as its Roman ancestor. If Bush pulls another electoral coup in 2004 and we see the presidential election thrown into the House of Representatives, the future for the country appears very dim. The August 20 defeat of two Georgia Representatives, one Democrat, the other Republican, is a bellwether event that bodes ill for this November's elections. Rep. Cynthia McKinney was successfully challenged by a Republican-turned-Democrat for her Fourth District seat."

"But once again, the thing about the rightwing and their corporate pals is that they come by damn little honestly. From rigged telephone polls to rigged elections, these folks leave nothing to chance - or to the real will of the people. Leaders of the Christian right like Tom Delay, Bob Barr, etc. all profess their moral saintliness as they lie, cheat, and steal to gain and keep their power. Tom Delay, for ex., raises money by defrauding doctors and teachers in a boiler room scam that has yet to be investigated by the GOP-dominated Congress. A GOP panel this week self-righteously browbeat Martha Stewart for not being more eager to turn over her financial papers - yet the same group has failed to call for an investigation of the pRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES in a case of fraud far more blatant than anything Stewart might have done (the Harken flimflam). But then, Stewart made the mistake of donating thousands to the Democratic party." So writes Cheryl Seal.

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!

Our good friend David Corn, Washington correspondent for The Nation, simply cannot contemplate the idea that Bush could have allowed 911 to happen. Why? Because he believes Karl Rove: "How could Karl Rove spin that, if a leak ever occurred?" Hey David, just open the papers! Since CBS broke the news that Bush was briefed by the CIA on August 6, Rove has spent every single day furiously spinning to conceal the truth - that BUSH KNEW. Corn is right to question Michael Vreeland's story - so do we. But what about Coleen Rowley, Kenneth Williams, Robert Wright, and the other FBI agents who tried to prevent the attack - but were blocked by top FBI officials? What about John O'Neill, who can't tell his story - because he's dead? When will we hear from those responsible - Dave Frasca, the head of the FBI's Osama Bin Laden unit, the top CIA counter-officials, and the NSA's Richard Clarke, who was in charge of COORDINATING all of the counter-terrorism efforts! E-mail letters@thenation.com

Stirling Newberry writes, "This breath taking shift, from the long standing line that it was ridiculous to believe that the government had any information, to evidence that specific, credible and timely information had reached the highest levels of FBI HQ has taken less than 10 days. As with all fast moving stories, the place to start is with the facts. The facts that show that there had been specific, credible and timely warnings in the possession of US law enforcement."

Writes Mary McElveen: "Every night as I log onto my computer to read various political lists, I scan the news section of Yahoo which I use as my home page. I have been outraged in the past at the actions and policies put forth by Mr. Bush when reading these headline blurbs. In my opinion, nothing compares to the recent revelations. First we have the White House authorizing a picture of him on Air Force One after the horrific attacks befell our nation speaking to Dick Cheney to be used by the GOP for fund raising purposes. All for the price of $150. He has always touted himself as a compassionate conservative, out of that alleged compassion, those funds should be sent to the victims that were murdered that day. On top of that, it was quoted in an LA Times article, when speaking with a German paper he said, 'I was trying to get out of harms way'. Some leader?"

John Nichols writes that in April, Cynthia McKinney's "call for a real investigation of what Bush knew -- [drew a firestorm of criticism] from pundits and partisans. 'The American people know the facts, and they dismiss such ludicrous, baseless views,' grumbled White House spokesman Scott McLellan. 'The fact that she questions the president's legitimacy shows a partisan mind-set beyond all reason.' Barely one month after McKinney was so condemned, [the headlines echo McKinney's words. On Thursday, she said]: '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.' " Hey Scott - Bush HAS NO legitimacy, only partisan rightwingers say that he does. Impeach Bush NOW!

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!

When Democrats like Cynthia McKinney ask questions about 911, we are accused of being "conspiracy nuts." But here's a full-blown conspiracy theory on the op-ed page of the NY Times from right-wing propagandist William Safire. Safire thinks the CIA is hiding the truth about an alleged meeting in April 2001 between 911 terrorist Mohamed Atta and Iraq's alleged "espionage chief in the Iraqi Embassy - Ahmed al-Ani." Safire has no doubts the meeting took place, and believes the meeting - whatever it was about - establishes a connection "between Al Qaeda's murder of 3,000 Americans and Iraq's Saddam. That would clearly be a casus belli, calling for our immediate military response." In other words, we should immediately bomb Iraq to smithereens simply because Safire believes a meeting took place. Hey Bill - if you believe the CIA is hiding the truth, why don't you join us in calling for a Blue Ribbon Commission to get to the bottom of 911 so we can find out EXACTLY what led to the attack?

Investigator/journalist and former LAPD officer Michael Ruppert is sure that the CIA, a secret cartel of major corporations and the Bush administration colluded in the events leading to 9/11. Ruppert has spent several months trying to reconstruct the significant events leading up to the suicide attacks. Here he presents 34 separate but connected and well-documented "steps" that lead to the horrendous disaster of 9/11. After reading them, you will find yourself wondering why ANYONE would question Cynthia McKinney's call for a REAL investigation of what may prove to be the most heinous inside job ever pulled off on American soil.

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?

Orlando Sentinel columnist Kathleen Parker received so much e-mail after attacking Cynthia McKinney that her in-box is bouncing. So instead of attacking McKinney, Parker is now attacking internet users, who are all bored and crazy. "Americans have too much time on their hands; the Internet is the new asylum." Gee, Kathleen, if you're reading our e-mail, you're a fellow inmate! Parker says Bush could not have been involved in 911 because (a) he's too stupid and (b) there were no leaks. While (a) is true, no one ever said Cheney was stupid, and we all know that he really runs the government while Bush poses for pictures with children. As for (b), this administration is ferocious about leaks - just ask Karl Rove and Karen Hughes. Still, we're fascinated by what Parker leaves OUT of her Bush defense - the idea that Bush is too moral to have been part of a plot to kill over 3,000 Americans. In other words, even Parker realizes that Bush's heart is as cold as the Arctic Circle.

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!

SOA Watch writes, "Army Commander in Chief Efrain Vasquez and General Ramirez Poveda, two of the major military backers of a transitional government, received training at the notorious US Army School of the Americas (SOA). Vasquez attended the school from January 23rd to December 2nd, 1988, taking a course called "Command and General Staff Officer Training". General Ramirez took a course called "Auto Maintenance Officer Training" from May 8th to August 11th, 1972... The SOA, renamed in 2001 the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (WHISC), is a combat training school for Latin American soldiers, located at Fort Benning, Georgia. SOA graduates are consistently involved in human rights abuses and atrocities throughout Latin America." Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) has led the fight to close the SOA. Is it any wonder Karl Rove is trying to smear her as "nutty"?

In his coordinated smear campaign against Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Karl Rove slipped the same phrase into the comments of his White House spokesman (Ari Fleischer) and his Carlyle Group spokesman (Chris Ullman). Ari said McKinney "must be running for the Hall of Fame of the Grassy Knoll Society." Chris said, "Did she say these things while standing on a grassy knoll in Roswell, New Mexico?" But one year ago, the Washington Post itself reported, "The House Assassinations Committee may have been right after all: There was a shot from the grassy knoll." This was based on a peer-reviewed article in Science and Justice by "D.B. Thomas, a government scientist and JFK assassination researcher, said it was more than 96 percent certain that there was a shot from the grassy knoll to the right of the president's limousine, in addition to the three shots from a book depository window above and behind the president's limousine." The media never followed up on that important story. Why not???

When the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Web poll reported 46% said "I think officials knew it was coming," they scrubbed their own poll and called Cynthia McKinney "nutty." What do you think? (1) Absolutely not! It was an unprovoked surprise attack by Islamic terrorists who hate America. (2) Not really. There were warning signs, but no one connected the dots because we never expected an attack anything like this. (3) They should have known, but they prevented the FBI from investigating Saudi Arabian support for terrorism to protect their rich oil buddies. (4) Sort of. They didn't know the exact kind of attack, but they knew some kind of attack was coming. (5) Yeah. They knew something was coming, and they didn't try to stop it because they wanted an excuse to take control of Central Asian oil. (6) Absolutely! They secretly planned the attack to justify a takeover of Central Asian oil for their oil company donors. (Registration required).

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

On Sunday, Democrats.com called attention to a shocking Web poll on September 11 by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in which 46% of 23, 145 participants said "I think officials knew it was coming." Click the link now and the poll has been scrubbed - obviously Karl Rove also thought the poll was shocking, and ordered AJC to scrub the poll from its Web site - and replace it with Karl Rove's smear of Cynthia McKinney that appeared under Juliet Eilperin's byline in the Washington Post. Send your complaints to letters@ajc.com

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) created a firestorm with her simple request for an investigation of the events leading up to September 11. Should there be an investigation? Join our discussion here (registration required).

At Democrats.com, we don't consider Web polls to be scientific in any way, so we don't often cite the results of such polls. But this Web poll by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is shocking, even if it is not scientific. With all of the controversy surrounding Rep. Cynthia McKinney's statements, the AJC asked: "Are you satisfied the Bush administration had no advance warning of the Sept. 11 attacks?" Shockingly, 46% said "No. I think officials knew it was coming." This is a large Web poll, with 23,145 participants. Is this poll completely skewed, or does this in any way reflect the sentiments of the American people? We challenge the pollsters to ask probing questions about Americans' attitudes about September 11 and the "official story" told by the Bush administration and the media.

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!

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) has always been an outspoken fighter for truth and justice. Now she is bravely going where no other politicians dare to go - denouncing the Stolen Election of 2000 and asking hard questions about 9-11. "Now is the time for our elected officials to be held accountable. Now is the time for the media to be held accountable. Why aren't the hard questions being asked? We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, delivered one such warning. Those engaged in unusual stock trades immediately before September 11 knew enough to make millions of dollars from United and American airlines, certain insurance and brokerage firms' stocks. What did this Administration know, and when did it know it about the events of September 11? Who else knew and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered?" Read this powerful statement!

Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) has courageously spoken up on the thorny topic of Henry Kissinger, who is finally being cornered and asked to account for some of his past activities regarding the murder, kidnapping and conspiracies committed by the Chilean gov't. in the 1970s. There is evidence that Kissinger was a major player in these atrocities, as well as a key figure in similar and worse atrocities elsewhere, including Indonesia (Timor in particular). If the U.S. is going to demand that other human rights offenders such as Milosevic be brought to justice, then it had better aid in the thorough investigation of Kissinger. By the way, we think it likely that Kissinger's name is at the top of Cheney's secret task force list. Read Christopher Hitchens exhaustive investigative report on Kissinger: http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1111/1809_302/69839383/print.jhtml and http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1111/1810_302/71250720/print.jhtml

Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile said, "There was a systematic disenfranchisement of people of color and poor people. I think in all the years I've spent organizing, I've never seen anything like it." Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) said something went awry with the felons list, even if it could not be proved. "You won't find any memos. This kind of documentation is hard to come by. It doesn't lend itself to any kind of scrutiny." Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) said "There was a deliberate, systematic effort to weed out all possible African-American voters and to use this thing about people being felons, sending out mailings. The whole thing was a deliberate effort to suppress the black vote... There's no question. There's a long history of the Republican Party doing this. They knew there was going to be massive input from black voters in Florida during this election, so they wanted to find a way to suppress this pent-up feeling on the part of the black electorate in Florida to turn out."

No doubt afraid of massive lawsuits for disenfranchising at least 1,100 voters - and helping Bush steal the Presidency - ChoicePoint is pointing the finger at Florida officials. ChoicePoint "wanted to compare its felons lists with several other databases, including property tax records, to correct any inaccuracies. But the state of Florida did not let the company do so." ChoicePoint also "recommended to the state that county elections supervisors undergo training to help them work with the felons database. Florida turned down the offer." Clay Roberts, director of Florida's Division of Elections, says these actions would not have prevented voter disenfranchisement. Tell that to a jury, Clay!

Twice in the past week, Shrub has visited military bases - and snubbed local members of the Congressional Black Caucus by refusing to invite them. First he snubbed Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) when he visited Fort Stewart. Then he snubbed Robert Scott (D-VA) when he visited Norfolk Naval Air Station. Bush's excuses were lies, as usual. So was his pledge to Caucus members during his "charm offensive": "This will be the beginning of, hopefully, a lot of meetings," Bush told the group at the time. "I hope you come back. And I'll certainly be inviting."

The moneyed elite that governs this country - and for whom everyone from the Supreme Court on down really works - has come to Washington this weekend. But amidst the fireworks and the celebration of the inauguration of America’s first illegitimate president, progressive activists from all over the U.S. also gathered in Washington today. In meeting rooms in Senate and House office buildings, we plotted openly on how to ensure that the Republican partying doesn’t last more than two years. And, frankly, I’m not sure who is having more fun. I think we are.