WPCNR MR. & MRS. & MS. WHITE PLAINS VOICE. JUNE 22, 2005: A WPCNR reader notes that of the twenty United States Senators who voted June 20 not to support a Senate apology for lynching of African-Americans in the past, one of the "No" Voters was Saxby Chambliss, the Senator who had White Plains resident Elena Sassower jailed, and prosecuted for "Disruption of Congress in 2002. Our viewer writes:
June 20, 2005 - The U.S. Senate formally apologizes for decades of
failing to enact anti-lynching legislation. Eighty senators vote for
the apology, but 20 senators refuse to vote for the apology. Here are
those 20 senators:
Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Christopher Bond (R-MO)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Conrad Burns (R-MT)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH)
It's not surprising to see Christopher Bond's name on the list.
Missouri has a long and shameful history of racism and violence. In
1906, three innocent Black men were lynched in the public square of
Springfield, Missouri.
In 2002, Leonard Gakinya, a Black man from
Kenya, was found hanging from a radio tower in Springfield, Missouri.
The investigation of Gakinya's death was so flawed that it is clear
Gakinya was lynched.
It's not surprising to see Saxby Chambliss' name on the list. In 2003,
Senator Chambliss participated in a "lynching" of Elena Sassower, the
Co-founder and Coordinator of the Center for Judicial Accountability.
Chambliss arranged for Sassower to be arrested and incarcerated for the
"crime" of testifying in opposition to the appointment of a corrupt
judge.
The crime of lynching is not limited to America's past. It is still
happening, and it is still being covered up. Let's find out why these
20 U.S. Senators refused to vote for such humane legislation.
Best regards,
Jeff and Mary
Note: Ms. Sassower is planning to argue her appeal of her conviction and sentence for disruption of congress June 29, one year to the day when she was sentenced and incarcerated on the spot in Washington, D.C.
