Before I witnessed “State of the Black Union 2005” on C-SPAN, I already had a bad taste in my mouth. The organizers of this annual gospel revival meeting had denied fifteen-year-old Kenya James, publisher of “Black Girl” magazine, press privileges because she lacked credentials from the mainstream media. She should have been a panelist. The inference to be drawn is that the white power structure had to certify the organizers and the panelists. It is not surprising that no human rights advocates, anti-war advocates, Pan-Africanists, hip-hop artists, advocates for reparations, third party advocates nor the youth were invited to speak on any panel. When I heard that certain suspects were scheduled to appear in Lithonia, GA, I went into a criminal-profiling mode. My first clue was the sponsors. Corporate America sponsored the revival meeting and it is undeniable that “he who pays the piper calls the tune.” Thus, the panelists were, perforce, puppets. The second concern was its venue, which sits in DeKalb County and in the Fourth Congressional District of Georgia. Cong. Cynthia McKinney represents the district. The revival meeting was held at the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, and its titular head is Bishop Eddie Long. McKinney plus Long is like mixing fire with kerosene. There was no likelihood of combustion, however. Long is an ally of Bush 43. [more]
- Greg Palast: The RE-LYNCHING CYNTHIA MCKINNEY [more]