If a Republican Congresswoman ever pokes a cop with her cellphone,

[Eric J in MN]

and he's not injured, I WON'T say that she should be prosecuted, either.

Prosecution is serious. Someone should only be prosecuted when it will benefit society.

The reasonable reaction to the Cynthia McKinney tussle is to fix the checkpoint. Install a locked turnstile just for Congresspersons, and the cops can buzz someone through who shows proper ID.

It would be a better system than chasing after people not wearing pins.

[realisticphish]

1. um

look, i REALLY don't want to get involved but...

"the cops can buzz someone through who shows proper id"

isn't that EXACTLY what was in place here?

[NorCalDem]

2. Yep, pretty much...

[Eric J in MN]

3. No. There isn't a locked turnstile.

People can walk through into the Capitol.

It's expected that Congresspersons will wear a pin to indicate that they are allowed to walk right through. And that people aren't Congresspersons will submit to a security check.

[Ms. Clio]

18. No pins are required, according to Sheila Jackson Lee

The Congresspeople are often in a rush, on their way to vote (they only have 15 minutes to do so) and they frequently don't carry IDs, either.

[Jigarotta]

22. am curious about that 15 minutes deal.

can someone give info on that?
seems a bit bizarre.

[Ms. Clio]

24. That's all I know about it -- Jackson Lee mentioned it on Democracy Now

She said that time is definitely a factor when they are trying to vote. I had never heard of it before, either.

[Jigarotta]

27. found this info on that 15 minutes.

http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:-VV3lLQosRUJ:www.senate.gov/reference/resources/
pdf/98-228.pdf+congress+15+minutes+to+vote&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=1&ie=UTF-8

can't make any sense of it though.

House voting procedures

Length of Time for Voting. Under Rule XX, clause 2(a), the minimum time for
a record vote by electronic device is 15 minutes in either the House or the Committee of
the Whole. The 15-minute period is the minimum, rather than the maximum, time
allowed for the conduct of a recorded vote. The chair has the discretion to hold the vote
open longer. However, there are also occasions in the House (see Rule XX, clause 9)
when the Speaker has the discretion to reduce the voting time to not less than five
minutes. The Speaker also has the authority under Rule XX, clause 8, to postpone and
cluster certain votes. Votes in the Committee of the Whole may also be reduced to five
minutes, as noted in Rule XVIII, clause 6(f)

[Ms. Clio]

30. Thanks for the info

Apparently the voting time can be as little as 5 minutes! Surely that doesn't happen often!

[northzax]

4. it's actually a constitutional problem

it's a crime, layed out in the constitution itself, to do anything to interfere with an elected representative in pursuit of his/her official duties. It's a potential problem for any ID check at the capitol.

[Eric J in MN]

7. According that interpretation, they can't get pulled over for speeding

when they're on their way to work.

I don't buy that interpretation.

[northzax]

11. they basically can't

which is why they have special stickers on their cars (and official plates on many of them) article I, section 6:

They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

[Eric J in MN]

12. My interpretation is that they couldn't be arrested for refusing

to show ID at a checkpoint, but they wouldn't have to be buzzed through if they couldn't show that they're Congresspersons.

[northzax]

14. right, but imagine...

there's a tight bill on the floor, and an officer refuses to buzz someone in, for whatever reason. the bill passes by one vote.

would we really put that past the wingnuts?

[TomInTib]

5. McKinney is a whack-job riding a racism hobby-horse...

...she may be our whack-job, but she is off the hook. Ignores the facts because she is on a racist hobby-horse. If Nancy Pelosi lobbed her cell phone at a cop - oh, nevermind - she has bigger fish to fry...and she is not walking around with a chip on her shoulder, which is what this is about.

Ye shall find what ye seek...

Could you make your argument if you had gone off a bit and shoved a cop at the mall?

Her camp should have let this die a quiet and natural death instead of going all McKinney on it.

[bahrbearian]

6. I see that you go through a lot of check-points ever day.

I go trough them sometimes 20 times a day, never have I be grabbed.

[billbuckhead]

9. Why don't the Capital police have video of this incident?

You'd think if they were all so competent they would have a better camera set-up.

[bahrbearian]

10. That is the $64.000 question, Why are they with-holding it?

[billbuckhead]

34. If the Capital police don't have a film, then they are incompetent

It would show incompetence to not have a camera set up to see such an important area of the security zone.

[TomInTib]

13. And you never show any ID? 20 times a day? How in the world do

you go through "check-points" 20 times a day?

That just blows me away.

Do you work for a paycheck?

And does your employer have any idea about how much of your day is spent passing "check-points"?

Please enlighten me, for I am truly curious.

[bahrbearian]

17. Gee, I don't know , I drive different vehicles, I walk through,.??

NO-one has grabbed me, I've been video tapped , there is a Eye in the Sky. and even the airport I work at part time seems to know me.. and I drive truck. every time I make a security breech no-one touches me.

[TomInTib]

19. And you show no ID and refuse to do so if asked?

Keep in mind that Ms Mckinney refused to proffer ID when asked to do same.

Why do I have to go through all of that BS at the airport?

[bahrbearian]

21. I've never been grabbed, , but you might be right " I'm a white male"

[TomInTib]

26. That's it.

And if "grabbed" at your workplace, wouldn't you try to suss out the situation rather than blindly striking out at the "grabber"? Or is crime/assault an issue in your work environment?

I seriously doubt that crime is a problem in the building where all Ms McKinney's excitement took place.

[bahrbearian]

29. I think that may be part of her agenda,,in which I don't agree with

but until everyone is treated equal, then we must all obey the rules , not the Few.

[bahrbearian]

20. Sorry , I do show ID ,and finger-print analysts most of the time.

with a PIN code ,but some of the time I am recognized and, I can walk around the gate. Or just walk around the gate.

[Eric J in MN]

8. If a cop grabs me at the mall,

I may instinctively shove him, and I may get prosecuted for it.

It doesn't mean I should get prosecuted for that.

[TomInTib]

16. And you would not have howled to the media, either.

That is the root of this whole thing.

Not the incident, but the reaction.

Just as if the two of us bounced off one another on the sidewalk.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

25. "Her camp should have let this die a quiet and natural death instead of

going all McKinney on it"

:applause:


Statement of the night, and sums up my feelings in a nutshell.

[TomInTib]

28. Thanks O...

Nutshell it is...

[Mike Daniels]

32. McKinney alone is responsible for elevating this to the point it's gone

She's the one who threw racism into what was likely an honest mistake by an officer. Once she started threatening lawsuits the police had to respond back.

Unless she can prove that she's the only congressperson who's ever not been recognized by a security official or asked to show ID after passing the checkpoint she's out of line with her charges.

I find it telling that very few, if any, of her fellow Democrats have come to her defense over this matter.

[Swamp Rat]

15. "Stop Making Sense!"

Great Talking Heads album. :D

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

23. I Don't Think She Should Necessarily Be Prosectuted Either. An All Out

retraction of her provocative accusations and full genuine apology to the cops would definitely suffice for me.

[zbdent]

31. The cop would be placed on administrative leave

pending an investigation into his misconduct . . .

[KharmaTrain]

33. This Horse Is Being Beat Into Dog Food

Rove must be laughing his ass off on how well this McKinney story is playing. He couldn't have asked for it to be a greater distraction.

Sadly, Rep. McKinney has played right into the wingnut and racist game and when that happens BOTH sides lose. She's now in a pissing match with the Repugnicans and their corporate media toadies who didn't need an excuse to go after her, and are playing her and her temperment to amplify the campaign meme of fear...in this case, "look at how crazy those Democrats are"...or in the more racist circles "...that "n" is crazy". No need to spell it out, all those watching know the lingo by now, the Repugnicans have perfected it over the past 40 years.

From all I've read, Rep. McKinney has over-reacted on this issue. Please spare me the racism deal. I don't see racism when a security guard tries to stop someone who runs a checkpoint. I saw it on the rooftops of NOLA, the massive marches in the Southwest and the ongoing assault on other individual rights...not with a grandstanding (and yes, she's grandstanding) politician with issues against the powers that be.

Unfortunately Rep. McKinney's own actions have all but goaded the Capitol Hill police into going to the Grand Jury (this tips me off they really didn't want to press charges) and they'd like this to go away. Methinks Rep. McKinney should move on...there's far more important issues to battle racism. There's billions of dollars in redevelopment funds for NOLA that mean a hell of a lot more than a silly cellphone and it'd be a shame to lose an important vote and advocate for the rights of the blacks of NOLA due to what appears to be more a wounded ego than any other harm.

Peace...