[Marxism] Cynthia McKinney: we lived to tell the story

[Louis Proyect]

Counterpunch, January 2 - 4, 2009
How Lebanon Rescued Us
We Lived to Tell the Story

By CYNTHIA McKINNEY

Yesterday, we met with the President of Lebanon, the Chief of the 
Military, and the Interior Minister who all thanked us for responding 
and risking our lives on a mission of mercy; we profusely thanked them 
for rescuing us.

What would we have done, stranded out at sea, prohibited from reaching 
our destination, low on fuel, with a badly damaged boat if Lebanon had 
not accepted us? Lebanon sent their ships to find us. Lebanon rescued 
us. Lebanon welcomed us. And we are truly thankful.

It's official now. We've been told that the sturdy, wood construction of 
our boat, Dignity, is the reason we are still alive. Fiberglass would 
probably not have withstood the impact of the Israeli attack and under 
different circumstances, we might not be here to tell the story. Even at 
that, the report that came to us yesterday after the Captain and First 
Mate went back to Sour (Tyre) to inspect the boat was that it was 
sinking, the damage is extensive, and the boat will take, in their 
estimation, at least one month to repair. Tomorrow, we will bring the 
Dignity from Sour to Beirut. And now, we must decide what to do and from 
where we will do it and how we are to get back to wherever that might be.

My personal, and I know the group's, thanks must go to Al Jazeera, that 
allowed three of their reporters to be onboard with us on our voyage. As 
a result, Al Jazeera carried the story of the Dignity live, from castoff 
in Cyprus when our spirits were high, right up through the manacing 
maneuvers of the huge, super fast Israeli ships before they rammed us, 
the Israeli calls on the ship phone after the ramming calling us 
terrorists and subversives and telling us to return to Cyprus (even 
though the Israelis later claimed that they didn't know who we were, 
they knew enough about us to tell us where we had come from), and the 
fact that we didn't have enough fuel to follow their instructions, right 
up to their threat to fire at us if we didn't turn around, ending with 
our beaten-up boat limping into Sour harbor in Lebanon. Al Jazeera 
carried our story as "breaking news" and performed a real service to its 
audience and to us. Al Jazeera called the Israelis to inquire about the 
incident right as it was happening and I am sure the Israelis were 
prepared to leave none to tell the story. Al Jazeera told the story and 
documented it as it was happening.

One of those Al Jazeera reporters with us was Sami El-Haj, who was 
detained in Guantanamo by the United States for six incredibly long 
years. What an honor to even exchange glances with such a humble man who 
had endured so much pain at the hands of the U.S. government. I 
apologized to him that my tax dollars were being used in such a 
despicable way. And Sami's crime according to the U.S.? Born in Sudan, 
and reporting for Al Jazeera in Afghanistan, Sami was the wrong color, 
the wrong nationality, the wrong religion, reporting for the wrong news 
outfit, telling us the truth about a wrong war. And for that he survived 
incarceration for six long years. Sami El-Haj, Guantanamo prisoner 
number 345.

Another incredibly committed journalist who was with us was CNN's Karl 
Penhaul. Karl reported the truth even when his own station was repeating 
Israeli disinformation. The fact that we were traveling with these alert 
journalists added to the flat-footedness and obvious crudeness of the 
Israeli response. Sadly, Israel has changed its story too many times to 
count, and that's because they are not telling the truth.

We lived to tell the story.

I'm told that CNN only played my full statement once--and that's the 
time that it aired live. Of course, they cut the reference to the U.S.S. 
Liberty. What are they afraid of?

Last night I was on PressTV.com, along with others who were on the 
Dignity, and we debated a representative from WINEP, the Washington 
Institute for Near East Policy. I reminded the audience that the 
Palestinians don't have nuclear weapons, depleted uranium munitions, 
white phosphorous, or F-16s, but the Israelis do. The facts, however, 
tend to get garbled after being processed by the "Grand Wurlitzer" organ 
of state-sponsored disinformation utilizing the world's press.

With the truth clearly on our side, Israel has been reduced to releasing 
the ridiculous bombast below, given to me by a reporter who came to our 
hotel in Beirut for a visit. With their multiple, conflicting stories, 
it is clear that the Israelis did not expect us to live to tell the truth.

On the drive from Sour through Saida to Beirut, we were welcomed like 
heroes because our ordeal had been seen by everyone on Al Jazeera. The 
mayor of Sour came to welcome us. The mayor of Saida insisted that we 
stop there, on our way to Beirut, for a special ceremony. But there was 
something else that was visible along our drive, and that is the 
devastation that Lebanon, itself, has received as a result of the 
Israeli war machine. The scars of the war are still evident everywhere. 
I will write more on that tomorrow.

And one final note, President-elect Obama roared like a mighty lion onto 
the political scene, but now he is as silent as a lamb in the face of 
the death and destruction that is happening in Gaza. As we approach the 
birthday celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. let us remember what 
Dr. King said:

"In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the 
silence of our friends."

And after five days of aerial bombardment by Israel, the carnage in Gaza 
continues.

Cynthia McKinney ran for president on the Green Party ticket.