Snippets for Saturday

What began as snippets became something more!  Anyway, read on.

I am pretty disgusted with the Cynthia McKinney flap -- more accurately the flap that Cynthia McKinney has generated for herself.  According to USAToday, her attorney claimed that she was "just a victim of being in Congress while black."  Just what we need -- a "leader" playing the victim card.  I also wonder if she is a victim in Congress, or a victim of being black. To parse it further, she surely consciously pursued her seat in Congress, didn't she? And did it with the goal of representing her minority status?  Anyway, apparently, Ms. McKinney was not wearing the appropriate identification. Again according to USAToday, several Capitol Police officials have said the officer involved asked McKinney three times to stop. When she did not, he placed a hand on her and she hit him, they said."  So maybe the Capitol Police officer is a victim?  A victim of a victim? Anyway, Ms. McKinney's behavior is just ludicrous.  Ms. McKinney should be enough of a responsible adult to dress as a Congressperson should and wear her ID.  She should not, under any circumstance, hit people.  (I think we tell our children that!)  Can you imagine if someone did this when dealing with TSA during the airport inspection process? Why is security at the Capitol any different?  Captain's Quarters has a fine write-up on this imbroglio and points out the implications for the Democratic Party's efforts to be more security-conscious. Big wrap-up with lots of cites at Michelle Malkin.

The Christian Science Monitor has an article on the price Jill Carroll paid for freedom -- doing a fully scripted and directed video.  Unfortunately there are a number of virulent right-wing blogs that are suggesting that she has always been "sympathetic" to the insurgents.  Until I hear more, I don't buy it. I remember well the Patty Hearst kidnapping -- the grand daughter of newspaper baron William Hearst, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, and eventually participated in robberies and spoke for the group.  See here and here.  Wikipedia has a good article on the "Stockholm Syndrome" which has been updated to include the Jill Carroll case.

Fun article at the Guardian today talking about the rising of female blogging.  Mentions of lots of blogs I have never heard of.