Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is a former US Congresswoman and a member of the Green Party since 2007. As a member of the Democratic Party, she served six terms as a member of the US House of Representatives In 2008, the Green Party nominated McKinney for President. She was the first African-American woman to have represented Georgia in the House. In 2009, taking medical supplies to the blockaded Gaza Concentration Camp, she was illegally arrested on the high seas by Israelis and imprisoned in Apartheid Israel (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_McKinney ).
Cynthia McKinney on Gaza and her illegal arrest on the high seas by Apartheid Israel while taking medical and related supplies to the Israeli Gaza Concentration Camp (2009): “Gaza lives. The people are vibrant and alive despite F-16 bombings, deformed children, depleted uranium. I didn’t think about what could happen to me before going. I’ve been involved in life-threatening political activity for some time, so when I got the call I didn’t think about my safety. Operation Cast Lead sickened me. I just went, and I’m so happy I did, even when my boat was rammed and I was kidnapped by the Israelis. They took us to Israel and then charged us with illegal entry! I spent seven days in prison with Ethiopian immigrants facing similar charges. Meanwhile, the Congress and White House said nothing. We had a boatload of $500,000 worth of trucks, cars, medical supplies for Gaza, but Egypt denied entry. They’re still sitting in the port right now.” [1].
[1]. Cynthia McKinney quoted in “In spite of siege, “Gaza lives, ” Cynthia McKinney”, San Francisco Bay Area Independent Media, 26 August 2009: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2009/08/26/18619489.php .