CYNTHIA McKINNEY: `Obama Pulls U.S. Out of UN Conference on Racism, But Congressional Black Caucus Should Attend Anyway'

[xprophecy]

When Eric Holder, the new U.S. Attorney General called the nation to
account for its historic reluctance to honestly talk about race and
racism, its manifestations and consequences, he could have been
talking about his boss the president. By withdrawing from the UN
Conference on Racism he is leading backwards, in the direction of
Clinton and Bush rather than forward into the 21st century. The fact
that the President of Change wan't bring himself -- or us --- to an
honest discussion about race says a lot for his willingness to lead on
the subject.


But Obama's willingness to cave in the face of white racism and
business as usual is no excuse for the Congressional Black Caucus,
supposedly among the best and brightest Black America has to offer.
It's time for the CBC to step up where the president has stepped back.


The author is a former U.S. Representative from Georgia and Green
Party presidential candidate.


- - - -

“I implore the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus to spearhead
the participation of the United States in the United Nation's World
Conference Against Racism.”


I have played around with this idea for hours now, on whether or not
to write this piece. But the events of the last few hours, I believe,
mandate that I raise my voice once again.

I have read and re-read President Obama's Joint Congressional
Address. All of the "acceptable punditry" have spoken and given the
President glowing reviews. And so, to them and the population that
still believes in them, "All is right with the world." But for the
rest of us, who refuse to swallow the pill that puts us into the
Matrix, a good dose of reality is strongly called for.

But reality is not what we're getting, not even from one of the
national columnists whom I've met, Maureen Dowd.

I think Maureen Dowd characterized it as "Spock at the Bridge." Now,
being the Trekkie that I am, that headline grabbed my attention. I
nearly gagged, however, when I got to the line supposedly from
President Obama calling President Bush to proclaim, "'I’m ending your
stupid war.' Mission Relinquished."

Why write things like this now that it is clear that the Obama
Administration is continuing the Bush policies for missile strikes
inside Pakistan; torture; rendition for torture; public release of
Bush Administration e-mails; illegal wiretaps; status of prisoners at
the U.S. base in Bagram, Afghanistan; and workplace immigration raids?

For the record, President Obama is also pursuing Bush policies on Iran
and Israel. As recently as yesterday, President Obama's Chairman of
the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, responded when
asked whether Iran was capable of building an atom bomb. Admiral
Mullen replied, "We think they do, quite frankly."

Dowd concludes her “Spock” piece by imbuing the President with "a
Vulcan-like logic and detachment." But I think the detachment of
“acceptable” political punditry from the real world is what is totally
lamentable. In the process, they render themselves irrelevant.



“The Obama Administration is continuing the Bush policies for missile
strikes inside Pakistan; torture; rendition for torture; public
release of Bush Administration e-mails; illegal wiretaps; status of
prisoners at the U.S. base in Bagram, Afghanistan; and workplace
immigration raids.”


So, it's clear. I'm about to step into marshy soil here, by noting
that I found 19 questionable Obama policies or statements in his Joint
Congressional speech delivered three days before his announcement that
upon the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, up to 50,000 U.S.
troops could remain through 2011, after the "pullout."

And while various "mint" operations are peddling Obama "Change" coins
for purchase, complete with a certificate of authenticity, I wade
further into the muck by noting that the President continues the
giveaway of our hard-earned coins to an economic team intent on
keeping mismanagement structures in place, serving economic ends that
do not constitute the common good. I would refer readers to the many
statements that I issued during the final days of our Power to the
People Green Party Presidential campaign about re-creating an economic
system truly and finally owned by the people, operating in our
interest. It is possible to do that. All it requires is enough
political will.

But what forces me out into the open marshland of "non-mainstream"
political punditry has to do with the latest Obama "pullout": the
decision to withdraw from the April 2009 Geneva United Nations World
Conference Against Racism, dubbed Durban II.

We heard the same palaver in 2001 from the same forces inside our
country, basically that a discussion of Zionism, in the context of
such a Conference, would be anti-Semitic; therefore all the world's
dispossessed and marginalized people must continue to suffer and
sacrifice while muting their grievances so that no discussion of
Israel would take place on the world stage in this context.

Well, in 2001, upon hearing this line of reasoning, I went to then-
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chairwoman, Eddie Bernice Johnson,
and asked if I could be appointed as the CBC Task Force Chair on
Durban. The non-participation argument was also a handy "peg on the
track" with the potential of derailing many conversations, including a
real discussion about the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the issue of
reparations. Respectful of the excellent preparatory work that had
been done, I wanted to avoid that outcome.

Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson made the appointment and I led a
delegation of 5 Members of Congress to Durban.



“We successfully argued for U.S. participation in that Conference at a
Hearing designed to quash our effort.”

The current Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Barbara Lee,
was a member of my delegation to Durban. From my position on the
International Relations Committee, we successfully argued for U.S.
participation in that Conference at a Hearing designed to quash our
effort. We not only met with then-United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, we also presented her with the untold
story of COINTELPRO and the remaining unsolved deaths of its Black
Panther Party member victims, commissioned by me and written by
Kathleen Cleaver and Paul Wolf.

Our CBC Chairwoman made a beautiful statement of why it was imperative
that the United States join with our Native American and Latino
brothers and sisters and with oppressed peoples all over the planet
and not only make our statement of solidarity, but also institute
policies at the Congress that recognized their needs. It is incorrect
to say that the United States was not present at Durban. We were
there and only when the duties of Congress pressed us to return to
Washington, DC did the Bush Administration make a big deal about anti-
Semitism and then staged its phony walk out. The United States
delegation of Congressional Black Caucus Members was there to support
the phenomenal work of U.S. activists and the African and Caribbean
delegations, in particular. I think everyone in Durban was moved by
the plight of the Dalits in India and understood better the surging
political power of Afro-Latinos.

Durban was a clear victory for the world's marginalized peoples,
including those of us who reside inside the United States. But, when
the Congressional Delegation returned to the U.S., there was no time
for celebration because the tragedy of September 11, 2001 unfolded.

What has happened in the interim has devastated the very people that
Durban was designed to address, unfortunately, much of it due to U.S.
policy. Now is not the time for the United States to shrink from this
call.

In order to prevail in Durban, I had to go toe to toe with the Anti-
Defamation League and Members of Congress Tom Lantos and Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen who, among many other Members of Congress, vociferously
denounced Durban. This was something that I did because I felt it was
the right thing to do. Given Israel's recent actions in Gaza that
have brought upon it the world's opprobrium, I can imagine that this
is the last point in time that Israel might want to revisit Durban.
Israel has said that it will not attend the Conference in Geneva.



“The Bush Administration make a big deal about anti-Semitism and then
staged its phony walk out.”

Early last year, a government official announced Canada's decision to
not attend Durban II after deeming the Conference to be anti-Israel.
Shortly afterwards, France followed suit with French President Nicolas
Sarkozy stating that the "excesses of 2001" transformed the Conference
"into an intolerable platform against the State of Israel." I would
note also that France must be particularly loath to discuss racism now
with what is happening in Guadeloupe and Martinique as I write this
piece. And remembering that Paris, itself, was literally on fire just
a few years ago.

The UK, which has been under severe racial tests with Asians rebelling
openly in the streets since Durban 2001, and the Netherlands have both
threatened to withdraw their support for the Conference if a "negative
spiral" of events takes place. Interestingly, these remarks came at
the same time as the release of a European Commission Against Racism
and Intolerance report which found that the tone of Dutch political
and public debate on immigrant integration, racism, and other issues
relevant to ethnic minorities, had experienced a "dramatic
deterioration."

So, we shouldn't be surprised that the racism stress test is revealing
cracks and fissures in human relations. But the United States and
President Obama should not shield them or this country from these
stresses. This Conference gives us the opportunity to get the issues
out in the open and to deal with them. That's the way to put them to
an end. The world might have changed because of events occurring in
September 2001, but it wasn't because the United Nations successfully
convened the World Conference Against Racism.



“Given Israel's recent actions in Gaza that have brought upon it the
world's opprobrium, I can imagine that this is the last point in time
that Israel might want to revisit Durban.”

And now that I am as completely in the middle of the marsh as I was as
completely in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea when
my boat was rammed by the Israelis, let me make an observation about
one aspect of marshes. I have witnessed the most beautiful sunrises
and sunsets on the Savannah, Georgia marshland. And the most
beautiful rainbows. Being away from the glass and concrete can give
one a better perspective.

I observed last year that I thought U.S. voters went to the polls in
large numbers to try and regain a bit of dignity lost during the eight
years of outright banditry played out in our names, with our
resources, against our interests. But I was reminded at the recently
adjourned Transpartisan Alliance convention in Colorado that dignity
will not come without first an acknowledgment of the truth: with truth
we can have justice; and with justice we can have peace; and it is
only with peace that we can truly have dignity. Something as easy as
a vote, alone, is not going to be enough to wrest us from this mess
that has been wrought.

This morning [Monday], I sent the following message to the White
House:

‘Mr. President, it was with great disappointment that I read of your
decision to pull out of Durban II. Even the Bush Administration,
under pressure from the Congressional Black Caucus, provided some
funding for the United Nations effort and sent staff to support the
Congressional delegation that attended the Conference. I was there.
I was head of the Congressional Black Caucus Task Force that
negotiated Congressional and Administration engagement on this issue.
There is still time for the U.S. to participate. Your decision is not
irrevocable. I would encourage you to please reconsider this decision
and not only attend the Conference, but also provide funding to ensure
its success.”

I implore the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus to spearhead
the participation of the United States in the United Nation's World
Conference Against Racism: to boldly go where we have gone before.
Dr. King reminded us that "the ultimate measure of a man is not where
he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands
at times of challenge and controversy." On this issue, President
Obama has shown us his measure. I hope that the Congressional Black
Caucus and the Progressive Caucus and the Democratic Caucus can show
us, oh, so much more.

* * * *

Black Agenda Report
by Cynthia McKinney
Wed, 03/04/2009 - 11:31
http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/obama-pulls-us-out-un-conference-racism-congressional-black-caucus-should-attend-anyway