Katrina 'Konspiracy' Kooks

Representative Cynthia McKinney (D—Ga.) is indulging the paranoid style in American politics. Again.

The select House Committee investigating the federal response to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday, December 6, listened to a plethora of racially—motivated kooky conspiracy theories not heard since the nadir of the 'militia movement' in the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing of April 19, 1995.  Back then, the House Judiciary Committee's 'Waco hearings' chaired by Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry J. Hyde, R—Ill. provided a forum for 'disgruntled' citizens.  'Militiamen' were encouraged to air their paranoid delusions that included these memorable allegations: U.N. forces were poised to invade America; reports of nighttime Blackhawk helicopter flights; Gurkha troops training in the Montana wilds (see U.N take—over plan); the Waco raid as a rehearsal for a federal plan of nationwide gun confiscation; and as was reported in Time (May 1, 1995), John Trochmann, cofounder of the Militia of Montana, claimed the federal government was

'secretly building concentration camps and ... planning nine zones to replace the lower 48 states —a partition plan that ...[according to Trochmann] was spelled out in an illustration on the back of Kix cereal boxes last year [1994]... .' 

It was not one of the better moments in Congressional history as the House Judiciary Committee was reduced to providing a psychotherapeutic moment for the militia nut cases.  Fast forward to December 6, 2005 and we have just as embarrassing a moment.

The chief architect behind Tuesday's study in illiteracy, paranoia and race—baiting was Georgia congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D.) whose penchant for ridiculous anti—Semitic, anti—Bush, and anti—American statements knows no boundaries. 

"Racism is something we don't like to talk about, but we have to acknowledge it,"

she blurted in a moment of profound insight.

"And the world saw the effects of American—style racism in the drama as it was outplayed [sic] by the Katrina survivors." 

If that 'world' bothered watching the dramatic footage of Coast Guard, US Navy, US Marines, and US Army helicopter crews engaged in rescue, they would have noticed that a vast majority of the flight crews and rescuers were white.  What New Orleans exposed was the dire circumstances of the permanent underclass of African—Americans, constituting approximately a quarter of all African—Americans.  More important, Katrina exposed the dire consequences of nearly four decades of paternalistic Democratic Party entitlement programs that have stripped primarily, though not exclusively, African—Americans of the drive, dignity, and determination, not to mention traditional family structures, needed to succeed in a highly competitive meritocracy.  But why bother when you can blame it all on the 'Isms' of America as Dyan 'Mama D' French asserted; her 'isms' of course included 'capitalism'.

The New Orleans Katrina so—called victims selected to testify came with wild—eyed stories of government neglect and depravity:

o On allegations that  the levee was blown up: 'I was on my front porch.  I have witnesses that they bombed the walls of the levee, boom, boom [sic]!' Mama D said, holding her head. 'Mister, I'll never forget it.'

o On comparing Katrina victims' alleged neglect to the Holocaust: 'Certainly appears to me to be an act of genocide and of ethnic cleansing,' Leah Hodges, another New Orleans citizen, told the committee.  When these spokespersons likened their plight to victims of genocide and the Holocaust, a few congressmen objected. "Not a single person was marched into a gas chamber and killed," Rep. Jeff Miller, R—Fla., told witnesses. "They died from abject neglect," retorted community activist Leah Hodges. "We left body bags behind. ... I'm going to call it what it is ...That is the only thing I could compare what we went through to [sic]. "

o On literacy and educational attainment on parade: "If it was not poor African—Americans who would be most affected by this [sic], there would have been a plan in place," said New Orleans resident Doreen Keeler.  "No one is going to tell me it wasn't a race issue," complained New Orleans evacuee Patricia Thompson. "Yes, it was an issue of race. Because of one thing: when the city had pretty much been evacuated, the people that were left there mostly was black [sic].' And not to be outdone was 'Mama D' who warned that racism would lead to planned 'mercy killings' of the poor or what she called 'euphamasia'.

o On horrific conditions and the nefarious armed white soldiers:  One 'Nawr Orleans' witness stated she was 'one sunrise from being consumed by maggots and flies." Another female witness claimed 'military troops focused machine gun laser targets on her granddaughter's forehead.'  And of course, there were claims that police used racial epithets.

o On finding fault: "No branch of government was prepared for this disaster. They started with complete confusion and migrated to finger—pointing,'  said Doreen Keeler, one of the few that did not blame just the Bush Administration.

In  essence, there was little to be gleaned from this Congressional testimony other than a look into the gap between perception and reality that exists among a sizeable number of those that form the African—American underclass.  The testimony was mostly nonsense and more important, the entire exercise was yet another disingenuous moment by the circus ringmaster Cynthia McKinney, who never fails to provide a platform for the most unhinged, kooky conspiratorial voices on the American Left.

Michael Lopez—Calderon is a freelance writer who lives near Washington, D.C.