McKinney - News Briefs

"Efforts to revive the Star Wars technology is like performing CPR on a pork roast at dinner."

WASHINGTON -- Standing alone in the massive shadow of her predecessors Ron Dellums and Patricia Schroeder, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga) stood alone today as she voted present in the face of all of her colleagues. "Voting present on today's motion to instruct conferees was a vote of conscience and I chose not to decide which is the lesser of two evils," said McKinney stepping off of the House floor. "Working families understand Star Wars as a boondoggle to the defense industry. Likewise, the anti-ballistic technology is proving to be another failure regardless of the defense industry's promises," continued the Congresswoman.

The House bill provides for a theater anti ballistic missile system, while the Senate's version would gut theater missile defense to pay for the resumption of "Star Wars" experiments. "This Republican Congress likes to play war. It second guesses the Pentagon by pursing additional spending items, and it is looking under every rock and bed for a new enemy. On defense we outspend all of their bogey men combined," stated McKinney.

McKinney believes that the national security of the United States rests on three pillars: defense, diplomacy, and domestic security. She supports a fairer distribution of money between the domestic, defense, and diplomacy accounts. "Everyday the Congress has an opportunity to make the world a safer place. Other than supporting our armed forces, we can strengthen our agencies for diplomacy and we can stop the proliferation of weapons technology. This balanced approach will produce a healthy, well educated, properly housed American citizenry; a forward thinking diplomacy that prevents warfare before it erupts; and a defense that secures our national interests around the globe," said McKinney. "I voted alone on this issue for every struggling hard working American family that hopes to pay for college, pay for doctor visits, hospital stays and even heat in the winter. Senate efforts to revive the Star Wars technology is like performing CPR on a pork roast at dinner," continued McKinney.