McKinney apologizes to Saudi for snub in N.Y. ****Thread III****

Article is no longer available to view AJC !!! ^ | Sunday, October 14, 2001 | Cox Washington Bureau

[Georgia_JimD]

McKinney apologizes to Saudi for snub in N.Y.
Melanie Eversley - Cox Washington Bureau
Sunday, October 14, 2001

Washington --- A Georgia congresswoman has stepped into the fray over New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's refusal of a $10 million gift for the families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, a Democrat, wrote a letter of apology to spurned donor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia. McKinney wrote that she regretted Giuliani had turned down the offer over the prince's suggestion that U.S. policy in the Middle East was partly to blame for the attacks.

McKinney's letter, dated Friday and addressed to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, said Giuliani should recognize bin Talal's right to offer observations on developments in the Middle East.

"Whether he agreed with you or not," McKinney said, "I think he should have recognized your right to speak and make observations about a part of the world which you know so well."

McKinney added that "many of us here in the United States have long been concerned about reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that reveal a pattern of excessive, and often indiscriminate, use of lethal force by Israeli security forces in situations where Palestinian demonstrators were unarmed and posed no threat of death or serious injury to the security forces or to others."

A representative for one national Jewish advocacy organization said Saturday that McKinney may have been misguided in writing the letter.

"I think that she just misses the point entirely that Giuliani was seeking to address," said Jess Hordes, Washington director of the Anti-Defamation League.

"I think the donation became an issue because he [bin Talal\] tied the money to a suggestion that somehow we might be to blame for the terrorist action that took the lives of 5,000 Americans," Hordes continued. "That is an irresponsible and wrongheaded statement."

An Arab-American leader who knows bin Talal, however, says he is a very generous man who cares about New York City, having attended school and made major investments there.

"What happened in New York, I think, is almost a metaphor for what's wrong with our relationship with Arabs," James Zogby, head of the Arab American Institute, said Saturday. "This is a very good person who is probably more personally invested in the city of New York than almost any American investor."

In her letter, McKinney went on to say that many disparities exist between the quality of life in mainstream America and that experienced by the poor and people of color. She offered to guide bin Talal to charities that could use the $10 million.

"Although your offer was not accepted by Mayor Giuliani, I would like to ask you to consider assisting Americans who are in dire need right now," she wrote.

---

[Georgia_JimD]

Link to original post. It's funny how it was pulled from the Atlanta Journal Constitution yesterday. Here's a bonus Link

[rightwingextremist1776]

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, a Democrat

That's all you need to know.

Demonrat=MORON

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I'm very glad that McKinney is showing people what the DNC is really like. If we didn't have Hillary, McKinney would have made a great poster girl for her party.

[blackdog]

Americans in dire need of $10 million from foreign county? Yup, that's the DNC alright!

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

I saw the article in the paper. Are you saying they pulled the article from the AJC's website? (which I very rarely use--if Forsyth County is not good enough to rate it's own'n "Neighbors" section, I won't give them any hits ).

There is one word for her-whore. Last I heard, they will sell anything for money. Her father had something to do with the article being pulled. He doesn't stand for anyone dissing Cynthia. Black or white, if you go after his baby, he'll come after you.

[Preachers Kid]

Treason?

[YOMO]

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, a Democrat

What part of the "Donation" for the Victims is she trying to glom on to for Jessie?????

[Malesherbes]

The larger Culture of Victimization seems to have spawned a subset Culture of Apology, refined by that great Apologizer-in-Chief Bill Clinton. In that spirit, it would seem appropriate if Georgia apologized for putting Cynthia McKinney in Congress, and the Cox family might apologize for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

[scooby321]

Why Cynthia McKinney hasn't said anything about the SUDAN and it slave pratices?????

[ProudFossil]

She also voted AGAINST HR2975, the bill to enable John Ashcroft and his personnel to effectively fight the terrorism which is striking our country. Maybe she should be sentenced to do community service at Ground Zero, such as having to pull the mangled bodies from the wreckage the Saudi prince seemed to indirectly endorse with his comments.

[tasty_cruller]

No, they haven't taken it off of the AJC website:
Here's the Link.

[Colosis]

Any Relation?

[randita]

The nation of Israel is getting a primer on who their real friends in the U.S. are and aren't. I hope the Jewish community here takes note in time for the next election.

[Ed_NYC]

What if instead of Guliani they handed this check to Hillary? Would have she done the same and returned it? I think NOT.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Let's not go there :-)

I would have voted against the bill also. I truly believe this bill warranted serious debate before being rammed through Congress.

[Georgia_JimD]

Thanks for the re-link. I can't believe the media's silence... Oh yeah, they're socialist/communist... Humph!

[FreedomPoster]

Ping me if there's an opportunity to Freep Cynthia in Atlanta. I'm local, ready, willing, and able. Will trot right down to Radio Shack for a bullhorn. God I hate having her for my Rep! I had so much hope for the re-map, but they left Dunwoody in the 4th. I consider Barr my de facto rep.

[YOMO]

OOPS! I forgot, GA GOP, have a copy of that letter ready for publication in her next election.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

What if instead of Guliani they handed this check to Hillary? Would have she done the same and returned it? I think NOT.

Ed, Ed, Ed.....must you ask? NYC would not have seen adime of the check. Due to the 'mistake' of some low-level employee, the check would have found it's way to her coffers.

:-)

[ProudFossil]

But if we are to complain about only a portion of her activities then we are only working with a partial deck. If anybody is to be called on the carpet for a specific action and related occurances to that action are ignored, then the original complaint is meaningless. For instance, is it correct to complain about Clinton freeing the Puerto Rican terrorists but not mention his close affection for Arrafat? I think you need to evaluate the person on all their actions not a selected few which fit your own particular viewpoint.

If you disagree with the terrorism bill (and I agree this thread is not the place to discuss that) and also disagree with her relationship with those who are indirectly connected with the targets of that bill, then there has to be uncertainty in any statements about that representative on this matter. In that case her actions must be examined in total in order to try to resolve the uncertainity.