Newsletter #23 – the company we keep
Posted: June 24, 2012 Filed under: Hamas, Subhi Ali, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) Comments Off
The Governor’s constituent letter (see Newsletter #21), responding to inquiries about Samar Ali’s appointment to the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) references her father’s (Dr.Subhi Ali) position as the past President of the Tennessee Medical Association, a credential seemingly unrelated to Ms. Ali’s appointment.
One possible explanation could be simple politics and cronyism:
See for example, Will Alexander, son of U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (formerly Asst. Commissioner for Strategy, now chief of staff of ECD); Clint Brewer, Knoxville native and former political editor for The Tennessean (nowECD’s Assistant Commissioner, Communications and Creative Services). Even new ECD appointee Alice Rolli, was formerly employed by Senator Alexander.
But if the Governor believes that Dr. Ali’s political activities are somehow relevant to Ms. Ali’s appointment, then aren’t his constituents, the voters who put Governor Haslam in office, entitled to all the information about Dr. Ali?
It was already noted in Newsletter #16 that Samar donated $450 to the Harold Ford Jr. for Tennessee campaign in 2006 and that her father, Dr. Subhi Ali, donated $500 to the Obama Victory Fund in 2008.
Dr. Subhi Ali’s other political spending:
Federal
2001
Cynthia McKinney – $250
2002
Cynthia McKinney – $750 (Dr. Maysoon Ali [mother] – $1,000)
Merwyn Scott (former McKinney staffer) – $1,000
Bob Clement – $500
Maad 4 Congress (Calif. Dem.) – $250
2004
Cynthia McKinney – $250
Lincoln Davis – $250
State
2004
Mark Norris – $200
Independent Medicine PAC-TN (IMPACT) – $250
2005
IMPACT – $500; $600
Bredesen – $500
2006 – Dr. Maysoon Ali (mother) – Bredesen – $500
2008
IMPACT – $1,000
2010
IMPACT – $300 Dr. Maysoon Ali – $300
2011
IMPACT – $1,000
2012
IMPACT – $500 Dr. Maysoon Ali – $500
For the 2010 Tennessee gubernatorial primary the Independent Medicine PAC –TN (IMPACT) donated $7,500 to Ron Ramsey and $2,500 to Roy Herron. The PAC is listed among the Affiliates and Partners of the Tennessee Medical Association (TMA). Dr. Ali’s other daughter Yasmine Ali, M.D. is listed as a Board member of the TMA.
The Alis are a very politically involved and active family.
Cynthia McKinney stands out most among the political candidates Drs. Alihave supported. McKinney is a vocal supporter of the pro-Hamas/anti-Israel position. She has also been noted to support the Nation of Islam, the New Black Panthers Party and participated in events sponsored by the Muslim Student Union at UC Irvine.
Much has been documented about the financial support she has received from Arab and Islamist donors. “Interesting” donors include the President of the Bridgeview Mosque (very very interesting article written in 2004 by the Chicago Tribune about the change-over in leadership at this mosque to fundamentalist Islamists), board member of the Islamic Academy of Florida (an Islamic school that during litigation involving Sami al-Arian, was disclosed to have functioned as a base of support for the group Palestinian Islamic Jihad), and $2,000 from Abdurahman Alamoudi, then Director of the American Muslim Foundation.
Alamoudi national president of the Muslim Student Association (MSA)during the 1980s, was al Qaeda’s top fundraiser in America and is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence. An interesting note about McKinney’s 2002 donations – it was reported that $13,850 in donations were made on 9/11 of that year.
Merwyn Scott to whom Dr. Ali donated, also received money from the CAIRdirector in Virginia.
Support for these candidates makes sense in light of Dr. Subhi Ali’s own political activity. More on this to follow.