This situation is FULL of stupid answers but this one takes the cake. I want to reply
“We HAVE contacted them. These are US citizens. YOU are the US State Department. I really do NOT think Ms McKinney or others would be crying about any Privacy Act issues. So, answer the questions Mr. Kelly.”
U.S. Department of State Middle East Digest <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/mideastdigest/125541.htm01 Jul 2009 briefing on the kidnapped passengers (with the U.S. State Department). The sheer stupidity of the answer boggles your mind.
QUESTION: Erin Connors from Press TV. Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and members of the Free Gaza Movement were intercepted by the Israeli army when they were on a humanitarian mission over there. What’s being done about that? Are they on their way home? Will they be deported? What’s the next step there, and will their supplies ever get to where they’re going?
IAN KELLY: On that last question, I don’t know the answer, actually. I think I have to refer you to the Government of Israel. [editorial emphasis] We can confirm that the Israeli navy did arrest those on board this – the ship which is known as Spirit. We can’t comment on any of the individuals or the number of individual American citizens on board because of Privacy Act concern.
Can you *imagine* what would happen if Iran intercepted a vessel and/or incarcerated a former Congressperson and Nobel Prize winner?
–
Greta Berlin
Free Gaza Movement
357 99 284 102
www.freegaza.org
www.flickr.com/photos/29205195@N02/
©2009 Diane Saville
iadiedee@gmail.com
I’m not a huge fan of McKinney but as far as the double standard in US policy concerning Israel and US policy concerning every other nation in the Mid East, you’re absolutely right.
Comment by politux — July 6, 2009 @ 1:24 am
As Gore Vidal points out in his video series with The Real News our due process of law and our republic have all been stripped away. Our foreign policy is in ruins and the repair will take years. I am also not a big fan of hers but she’s brave enough to not only go to Gaza but to retry the trip after being on the Dignity that was rammed 3 times deliberately trying to sink it by the Israeli cowardice navy. She has the guts to stand up to them, speak out from Israeli prison and stand her ground? Then she has my support as she’s DOING what the rest of the world should be doing – standing up to the apartheid regime in Israel for the Palestinians. There are errors on both sides of the issue but home made rockets are no defense against state of the art military equipment. Equipment supplied with our tax dollars.
Mr. Vidal points out that we have attempted to be the sole colonialist power since Roosevelt’s time. He’s right. The last 8 years of Bush rescinded our constitution piece by piece. Bring back the Magna Carta. It’s disappeared.
Comment by iadiedee — July 6, 2009 @ 1:59 am