Wyclef Jean Godsend for U.S., France; NYPD Top Cop is “Rogue”; Cynthia McKinney Bikes for Peace; Blacks Get Little News Coverage

by Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford

Wyclef Jean’s “Divisive” Role in Haiti

Should we take entertainer Wyclef Jean’s candidacy for the Haitian presidency serious? “In normal times, in a country that was functioning normally,” said community activist and radio host Roger Le Duc, “it would be a joke.” But with the state that Haiti is in today, Jean’s role could be to “divide the popular masses” to the advantage of American, French and Canadian overseers.

Blacks Not Newsworthy

McKinney: Obama “Backtracks” on Israeli Nukes

Cynthia McKinney accuses President Obama of “backtracking” on his previous position on a nuclear-free Middle East, with his statement that Israel has the right to deploy whatever “security” measures it sees fit. It is the “height of hypocrisy” and “pusillanimous” for the White House to “threaten war” against Iran while condoning Israel, the region’s only nuclear power, says the former Georgia congresswoman and Green Party presidential candidate.

Peace Movement Growing

The peace movement has been slowly growing since “bottoming out in late 2008” when Democrats won the White House, said David Swanson. The noted activist and author, who coordinates efforts to deny funding to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has compiled a list or organizations that only actively oppose wars when the GOP is in power.

Resentencing for Lynne Stewart

Human rights lawyer Lynne Stewart, whose sentence to 28 months in prison is opposed as too lenient by federal prosecutors, could be resentenced to as long as 30 years behind bars on July 15. Ralph Poynter, her companion in struggle for 48 years, told a rally, “We will win this because we must!” Atty. Stewart is charged with providing “material support” to terrorists in the process of defending her client.

Democrats Have No “Substance”

Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans address the “substance” of people’s democratic rights, says Tony Monteiro, Temple University professor of African American Studies. These are the rights “Martin Luther King was talking about in the latter years of his life: economic rights, social rights, the right to real health care, to education, the right to a home.”

Oil Gusher Adds to Katrina Catastrophe

The Obama administration’s failure to provide leadership in the post-Katrina Gulf “meant there would be no infrastructure to deal with anything else in the region.” So says Gulf Coast reconstruction activist Kali Akuno. There has been a “total dereliction of government duty” in the Gulf in the five years since Katrina, with the goal to “get rid of poor Black people from New Orleans and the region.”

Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network is hosted by Glen Ford and Nellie Bailey. A new edition of the program airs every Monday at 4:00pm ET on PRN. Length: One hour.