The open animosity for Rep. McKinney expressed here . . . without cause

No charges against Rep. McKinney in scuffle with Capitol Police

Associated Press
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/14837641.htm

WASHINGTON - A grand jury declined Friday to indict Rep. Cynthia McKinney in connection with a confrontation in which she admitted hitting a police officer who tried to stop her from entering a House office building.

Big ass stink for nothing. Irritates the crap out of me.

Oh hell! Where are you folks who piled on? Where are the endless threads? What about the overreaction of the Capitol Hill police? On more than this occasion?

Did YOU stand with our Representative when it counted?

I seem to remember she had some pretty staunch supporters as well, if your cryptic comment is indeed about DU.

obviously there was support.

with what your intention apparently was--to stir the pot some more. Have fun.

I'm seething with anger. I hope you had the same admonition for others who 'stirred the pot' in the beginning of this fraud.

of McKinney's detractors during that time, weren't Democrats.

:toast:

:applause:
You are now my hero of the day.

hitting a cop

that we should wait until the grand jury clears her?

they've cleared her!




:bounce:

incident was just another two by four for them to clobber her with.

I see this whole thread as nothing more than an attempt to stir up that anger again

thanks for your generous contribution. :-)

:evilgrin:

better luck next time.

someone else loaded the weapon

all I did was fire my shots into the wall of anger

Oooops, there it is. I hope the grand jury is as easy on you as it was on Rep. McKinney. :dunce:

I didn't aim at the wall

figure of speech

but you knew that

if it had been me hitting a cop, I'd have been indicted as I'm sure the grand jury wouldn't have even been empaneled.

I'd have a record, might be in prison.


she's exonerated

:woohoo:

that's quite a record you have. 0 for 2. :dunce:

aren't you just a clown!

:+

Why is that a difficult concept for some people? A lot of people here were talking as if she was some kind of saint fighting the good fight, throwing off the shackles of oppression, and saving kittens all at the same time. While 1) she came to her senses after the fact and apologized the next day, 2) U.S. Attorney Kenneth Wainstein definitely took this much further than it needed to go, and 3) it's certainly good for her that she won't be indicted as if she were some petty thugette, the fact remains she was out-of-line for striking a police officer in the first place. It's irrelevent whether this was racial profiling or simply an officer doing his job. You, private citizen, would face jail time and/or pay a hefty fine for such behaviour, no matter the color of your skin.

He probably had it coming.

they knew very well who she was

until law enforcement in general starts behaving itself. Cop vs. citizen has come to trump right vs. wrong. I'm on the citizen's side right or wrong.

This is partly to balance the law and order mania in this country, but also because it REALLY PISSES OFF the cops and cop kissers on this board and elsewhere.

like being raped, murdered or gay bashed.

Glad to know you'll be in the courtroom suppporting the murderer.

Until the police stop being lying shits.

SHE WAS NOT CHARGED WITH ANYTHING!

If they had proof that she hit the officer with any malice at all she would have been charged. The hitting was evidently unintentional as she claimed. No one should go to jail for that.

anyone.. She apologized for the incident because the capitol hill police and the republicans were trying to milk it for all it was worth and there was pressure...

What interests me is that a grand jury of regular people didn't side with a policeman.. Hitting a policeman is a serious offense, and she never said she hit anyone, the police did...


How much I trust the capitol hill police in a republican owned house, I can't really tell you....

From the OP link

A U.S. Representative grabbed from behind.

a. she admitted to hitting him
b. the grand jury convened

can't you just be happy that she's off the hook?

instead you are angry and stirring up a pot that was stirred repeatedly a while back after this happened.

Schadenfreude. Thanks for providing it.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

if not, then put up or shut up

Cynthia's version of events.. Now this article says she punched the cop.. Like I said in an earlier post, the versions of the events tend to change with whatever newspaper is publishing.. Don't believe everything you read with a right slant to it....

she said the following

The writer details the incident, saying, "I was rushing to my meeting when a white police officer yelled to me. He approached me, bodyblocked me, physically touching me. I used my arm to get him off of me. I told him not to touch me several times. He asked for my ID and I showed it to him. He then let me go and I proceeded to my meeting and I assume that the Police Officer resumed his duties. I have counseled with the Sergeant-at-Arms and Acting Assistant Chief Thompson several times before and counseled with them again on today's incident. I offered also to counsel with the offending police officer."


http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=77991

he never said it, she never said it.
Can you find a direct quote of Al Gore claiming to invent the internet?
No - because he never said it!
The same applies to McKinney.

and he never said he did

now, you are the one who started this "quote" thing I believe

and he never said he did

now, you are the one who started this "quote" thing I believe

It's easy - just show me where she said it.
It must've been all over the news.
There must be video clips of it.
Or admit she never said it.

"So you admit you she never said it?"

who me admit I never said it

or admit she never said it

never said what?

that she hit a cop?

the article in the OP said she said it

AGAIN DO YOU HAVE SOME OTHER EVIDENCE?

someone else posted a link to local news station that had a different story.



dude????


:shrug: :shrug:

you cracking me up!

:rofl:

This is the pattern with these political attacks on folks: Attack. Attack. Attack. Then when the exoneration comes, dissembling and shifting blame. It's dishonest. The dissembling about what constitutes assault is dishonest. The Grand Jury decided that her actions didn't constitute assault. That makes all the blather about 'she hit him' dishonest.

and know what the truth is....

I'd quit posting!

I'm not going to let you get the last word in!!!

:eyes:

edit:

if you are accusing me of something more sinister than that, then say it

is that she was exonerated

but if she hits a cop in the future (whether she actually did this time or not)

she will be so busted

she better watch herself now, because you know that people on the other side will be watching her closely (other side than fellow Dems, who obviously don't all love her)

The fact that the Grand Jury exonerated her does not change the fact that she hit him.

as described by the Representative. She says it was inadvertent, unintentional. The Grand Jury must have agreed. If they found that she simply 'hit him' they would have allowed the indictment.

C. The policeman grabbed her arm from behind as she was walking in. (remember it is a crime to prevent a congressperson from coming or going to the congress. It is actually written into the constitution.)

D. On her website, you can see actual footage, not of that day, but of the many ,many times when the police did not recognize her and were discourteous, and their huge apologies. Because it is a pretty bad mistake to say to a congresswoman "who are you with?"

that said she punched, hit and slapped... I don't trust that... I trust what she admits too and again the grand jury did not believe a capitol hill policeman, I wonder why???

and another article I saw on Yahoo today

seems that if she didn't hit him

that would have been corrected after all this time

and you don't know that they didn't believe a "capitol hill policeman" (what's that supposed to mean?)

It just means they didn't find it met the threshold of deserving an indictment

did not believe the capitol hill policeman's story and believed Cynthia McKinney's. It is called vindication.....

it could mean that they just didn't think that her hitting him in the manner she did was criminal

it may not have been

or ....


well we won't go there

I am assuming right

I learned long ago when you assume

you make an ass out of u and me

It was a wash.

interesting choice of words. I wonder if it had been Nancy Pelosi instead, you would have chosen that particular descriptive term. Never mind. :eyes:

... since s/he didn't use the word "nigger" - which is the only thing white folks accept as proof-of-predjudice.

So I dunno what you could be thinking.


EDIT: spelling typo.

it's very telling. Very, very, very telling.

...not "nigger." The ONLY reason you folks are bringing this up is because YOU'VE equated the word "thug" with black people because of rap music. Now, who's the being racist here? You or me? Or, am I being racist by NOT using "thug" to mean blacks? I must've missed the commitee meeting that changed the definition of that word.

And please, not understanding the -ette part of thugette? Right, like none of you have never seen that tacked onto a word before. Don't be thick: Thug = Male, Thugette = female.

... that treats 'em like crap over and over and over and over...

If those silly coloreds would just obey god's own will and accept their place, there wouldn't be any problem...

What.... we've got here.... is FAILURE to communicate...

:sarcasm:

..given ONLY to Congresspersons to identify them as Congresspersons as thus cleared to pass security quickly. God forbid she should suffer some fucking button on her shirt so that security can let her pass through without so much as a word. :eyes:

is comprehension of DC code.

Hitting a police officer is not an automatic crime.
nor is admitting it.

The difficult concept for some people, is admitting to themselves, they need not be slaves.

...not a slave. Get some perspective and get a grip.

It's wrong to disobey a cop even if he's wrong, right?

One can refuse to follow a wrongful military order, but don't you dare disrespect a cop.

Baloney.

A wee bit different an environment from some streetside confrontation with a cop, don't you think? And what the hell does the military have to do with this? This was a domestic matter, not a military one. :eyes:

like I would with anyone else

McKinney still hit the cop according to the story

she wasn't indicted

question

would anyone else but a congressperson or a celebrity who hit a cop be unindicted?

if I admitted to hitting a cop, I wouldn't be unindicted

would you?

so indicted right away.

I was wondering if I slipped into some kind of parallel universe here or what

The capitol cops have a history of fucking with Cynthia.

didn't she refuse to wear her pin or some such BS?

I can't really remember, but it wasn't like it was just obviously racial profiling now. Surely you aren't saying that.

:shrug:

I wasn't there

were you?

I wasn't in the GJ

were you?

she's exonerated

:woohoo:

now if we can keep her quiet, maybe we'll win back the house!

:think:

I don't have any reason to think otherwise.

Is that reason enough?

as this Grand Jury did not feel that her actions constituted assault.

You can't replace the facts with another set of assumptions that constitute assault.

no one should be indicted for that.

she admitted she hit him

now it was "inadvertent"

Let's just all celebrate that she's off scott free!

:silly:

It could have been an irate constituent. She had no way of knowing. There's a great deal of difference between that and the crime you are trying to pin on her. The Grand Jury rejected your premise that she committed a crime. What she did was inadvertent.

Thankfully our justice system worked in this case. Rep. McKinney did not deserve to be accused of a crime. She was exonerated today. That sticks in the craw of folks who want to see her pulled down. But I'm going to celebrate the Grand Jury's rejection of the Capitol Police's assertion that their actions were so proper and hers were so out of bounds as to constitute a crime.

you make a lot of assumptions

you don't know what McKinney did or didn't think

she's exonerated as you said

so why so hostile?

I'm as free as anyone else here to make assumptions based on what was reported.

If that's hostile to you then so be it,

thank God

on edit

I'd really rather have her than my representative

I'm just getting a little heated because I really have no dog in this fight and I made a comment about how this needed to go to a grand jury since there were so many questions about it and it was a cop

but we lived in an adjoining district and never trusted her - she seemed to mainly be about her own ego. As far as I can tell, Cynthia is for Cynthia. And I'm not alone in these feelings.

Assume I'll get flamed for this, but will value it only if comes from those who also watched her for years.

All of the issues and concerns she fought for on the House floor and in Committee trancended ego.

Rep. Cynthia McKinney is for the Democratic Party. She's also human.

she's better than my Repuke congressman

but she's not my representative

and she comes across as flaky


:woohoo:

just what we need speaking for the Democratic party

maybe she should be house speaker when we win back the house?

only one of her in the House of Representatives.:loveya::woohoo: :yourock:

Having read your many comments this far in the thread, I have to laugh at your extremely partisan defense. You assert over and over that the GJ did not indict for this reason or that. You have no fucking idea why the jury did not indict.

She's a dem, so she MUST be the victim of some form of persecution at the hands of the Capital Hill Police, Tom Delay's personal harassment squad.

You have clearly been pissed since the incident and now you think this consitutes some sort of victory dance. Have fun with that. Until you can PROVE why the GJ did not indict, you are just talking out of your ass.

This thread is idiotic. Hope it made you feel better about the previous discussions though. You could obviously stand to get over them.

She used her arm to get him off of her... Read her statement...Stop spreading untruths...

since that is what this thread is about

her statement means nothing to me except that it is what she said happened.

in the OP link it says she admitted she hit him!

would anyone else but a congressperson or a celebrity who hit a cop be unindicted?

There is a loophole in the DC code. and the excusable hitting is defined.

On the operational level, NO. few would ever get the opportunity to mount the excusable defense.

the courts and prosecution are stacked toward the police state.

she admitted she hit a cop

it needed a grand jury to clear it up

they cleared her

would they have cleared you for the same thing?

I don't smack people.

Zsa Zsa smacks people.

Rep. McKinney should be better than Zsa Zsa.

Zsa Zsa smacks people

McKinney is better than Zsa Zsa

but she shouldn't smack people

it was a good instinct. She didn't know it was an officer, She apologized afterward.

It could have been anyone grabbing the U.S. Representative. She's not Zha-Zha. She's a U.S. Congresswoman. The Capitol Police should be better than that.

all the more reason for a cop to be weary

really?

how did he know for sure who it was if they were "walking away from him"

if a cop had been shot there

they should be on high alert to protect their fellow officers, and the congress and staffers

she didn't go through the metal detector did she?

Listen - The cop was probably being a douchebag, but she should conduct herself in such a way that befits a member of congress. That includes (I assume) NOT smacking people.

Do you smack people?

She said it was an inadvertent reaction to being grabbed from behind. If she had simply 'smacked' the officer she would have been charged. The Grand Jury obviously didn't find anything in her conduct that threatened the officer. I don't see how anyone can still assert that her actions constituted an assault.

She was.

HOWEVER, you shouldn't strike people. If that's your first reaction, you're in the wrong.

We're in agreement here, aside from the idea that it is OK to smack people. Ms McKinney did that. I'm sorry, but I'm a pacifist, and hitting someone is Not OK in my book.

she has had death threats in the past.

that you & I probably agree on many more things than we disagree. I completely respect your opinion on this.

OK, now that I've made that particular disclaimer, I'd point out that I suspect that most (if not all) members of congress have experienced similar threats. That sort of thing (sadly) goes with the job regardless of political affiliation.

My point is that she behaved badly, based upon the circumstances to which we are privy. I've not been convinced that her life or livelihood were threatened in this particular situation.

I don't believe that hitting people is a Good Idea. I like Rep. McKinney's political beliefs, and I agree with her on most issues. That said, I think that she made a big mistake in her response to a difficult situation. Is that a fair assessment?

I don't think her reaction was really 'hitting.' It seemed mild. A natural, defensive reaction to being grabbed from behind. She apologized. She regretted her reaction. I still don't think she intended to strike out in the manner she did.

I think it was the Capitol Police who overreacted to the incident, prompting Rep. McKinney's initial statements. It wasn't the first time she was accosted by them. THEY had apologized in the past.

Perceptions.

I don't think Rep. McKinney believes 'hitting' people is a Good Idea either.

We've both been polite in expressing our thoughts on the matter. I respect that.

Peace, friend. I will never smack you. :D

...who grab me from behind.

Just a reaction.
It is NOT OK to touch someone without their permission.
Being Grabbed from behind IS an attack!.

I mean being poked by a cell-phone wielded by a vicious 100lb woman could be devastating.

who attacks a police officer doing his duty.

McKinney was out of line.

he may have been checking someone else's ID and she walked by for all I know

only the GJ knows

you don't

I don't

and read her statement.....

The Grand Jury obviously rejected that lie.

I knew this was bullshit. Smelled funny to me.

McKinney's idiotic behavior defamed Democrats and the progressive movement. She did a great thing in her refusal to tow Bush's party line so soon after 9/11, but since then she's put her foot in her mouth many times. As a member of Congress, her actions doesn't just represent herself but Democrats in general. A Democratic official who behaves recklessly and builds a bad reputation in the national media is, in essence, attacking all Democrats.

flame suit on- check

go for it buddy

Hatred for McKinney? Payback for some perceived slight from the Representative?

That's reprehensible and wrong.

Democratic ideas and candidates, did I stumble and fall into another forum.. If our Democratic rep is exonerated, then she is not guilty of anything and that is the end of this story...

she still wouldn't be "guilty" of anything until convicted

the end of the story is that the grand jury didn't indict her

she admitted she hit the cop

she apologized for it

and now she is off scott free!

if they thought she simply 'hit a cop.'

To continue to push that line is dishonest (no matter what language the article uses).

so quit calling me dishonest

The media says any old thing. You don't have to repeat it.

that's wrong

. . . and to further express that she did not intend to deliberately strike out at the officer, she apologized to him.

so quit calling me dishonest

from you?

for what?

for saying that this should be looked into?

I've got nothing to apologize for

she hit the cop

she apologized

she's exonerated?

or at least not indicted

And it will be. She was very honest and forthcoming about the incident. I like THESE things about Representative Mckinney. (From her website, I'm a fan of hers but I have Jim McDerrmot as a Rep so I'm pretty happy.)
http://www.house.gov/mckinney/news/index.shtml
http://www.house.gov/mckinney/issues.htm

And her home page:
http://www.house.gov/mckinney/welcome.htm

If I ever moved down to Georgia's 4th district, I would be proud to call her my representative.

But her race baiting lame excuses were still lame.

I'm glad this is over as it would have only embarassed the party more.

But I'll be sure to watch American Blackout, sounds awesome.

thanks :hi:

She makes us look "bad". We lose our "crediblity". Meanwhile, their ilk advocates people from our side's MURDER in quaint ways-fragging? I've never heard that term. They would just as soon kill you as worry about anything you say being the truth or not. They aren't interested in the truth. They just want you to shut the hell up and cease to exist.

Apparently she's not a ham sandwich. I'm still not sure if Rove is one or not. Not that I would ever trust anything that comes out of the media.

Many of US could have found ourselves striking out when grabbed from behind by surprise. Not everyone, in every situation, would react the same, but it's not something unbelievable or sinister for someone to push off another one unknown who accosts them from behind.

Further, she is a U.S. Representative who is a staunch supporter of our Democratic agenda. She votes and advocates against their 'ilk.'

IS an ATTACK!
If you go around grabbing people from behind, expect to get hit!
Especially in MY neighborhood.

bad'. I am proud that she is representing me since I don't have a voice in Congress. My Democratic Senators support the war, Rep. McKinney opposed it and spoke out against it.

My Democratic Senators don't seem to care that Bush lied to get us into war, Rep. McKinney does care and her questioning of the liar Rumsfeld in Congress was exactly what I wish my Senators would have done.


My Democratic Senators did not stand up for Sgt. Kevin Benderman when he upheld his oath to defend and protect the Constitution. Rep. Cynthia McKinney did, on the floor of the House and called him an American hero.


After 9/11, my Senators did not demand an investigation into that crime but Rep. McKinney did, when few others dared.

She is a courageous and caring woman who is always on the right side of the issues. She tells the truth and because of that, she has been a constant target of the radical right.

She did not admit to hitting a cop, the media continues to perpetrate that lie ~ and the GJ agreed. The only reason this was sent to a GJ was to further smear her.

As for racism, she was not at all out of line to make that claim. Over 300 Black Capitol Hill police filed a lawsuit against the Dept. because they were subjected to discrimatory treatment. The Black Caucus fully supported them.

I remember the fierce attacks on Cynthia McKinney here on DU ~ some by new members who have not been here since as far as I know. The rightwing hates her for telling the truth and asking the questions we don't get a chance to ask.

It would have been nice had Democrats stood by her the way she has stood up for us. I found it very sad to see how little support she got and how willing many so-called Dems were to attack her and assume she was guilty.

Had she been a Republican, they would have been united in their defense of her. No wonder we can't win. We bend over backwards trying hard to be 'fair' and in the process we are often not fair at all.

scapegoat in the form of a small, strong uppity black woman. Instead of addressing the real cause of their fear, they picked on an easy target, full of lawNorder aggressiveness and an excuse for political incorrectness. It was a diversion, a bunch of folks arguing without facts or information and then arguing about arguing about it............ an endless supply of troll food.


"Did YOU stand with our Representative when it counted?"

Some of us did :grouphug: :hi:

She stands for me when she votes.
Wish the Democrats had 300 more like her in the House.


I DO wish she had said,"Damn Straight I hit him. Any man who snatches me up from behind is going to get hit!!!"


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

DUers are expected to support and vote for Democratic candidates-- why not give the benefit of the doubt to Democrats entrapped in media nightmares of innuendo and withheld information? :thumbsup:

God after all those threads claiming rapists are "innocent until proven guilty" the mass mind can't do the same for a Congressional hero? :eyes:

I did, and do so every day. Cynthia McKinney is my role model.

attempting to use the entire history of the civil rights movement for her petty, dishonest cause. That's why the people who know her best, the ones who pass that checkpoint with her on a daily basis, the ones who know exactly what happened, the ones who serve proudly in the Black Caucus, refused to stand with her as she assaulted their civil rights legacy.

McKinney not only attacked the officer, but, by lying about what happened, and by crapping on a movement for which people have traded in their lives, she eventually offended every person who ever stood up for what is right.

And you stood with her.

said cruel things about her. Don't tell me there isn't misogynist and racist sentiment.

She is one of the good people IMHO. And I am so glad she doesn't have to worry about this anymore.

"Bat Shit Crazy" and so many here revelled in the punkfest.

"Jon Stewart's right, she is batshit crazy, how can you people support her?"
was the general tone.

well what do you suppose a Jon Stewart interview with rummy would go like? Do you really think he'd have rummy fumbling for words? My guess is it would be staged like skit, you know, fantasy, an ILLUSION, like most of his bits.

What would a McKinney interview with rummy go like?
my educated guess is...not real well, for rummy that is....

Now who are the batshit crazy ones?

That whole incident was a tempest in a teacup.

Am I to stand with a person who did something for which I would be put in jail and soundly condemned just because she is a Congressperson or ... what?

I stand with Representatives who do not believe they are above the law just because of who they are.

I'm glad she wasn't indicted. As others have said, I believe the incident was blown out of all proportion. That does not mean I believe she was an innocent lamb in the matter nor that she wasn't deserving of criticism. When the original incident occurred, I offered criticism and still do. Whether she's indicted for a crime has no relevance to that. Karl Rove isn't being indicted either. Do you give him the same consideration? I don't. Maybe he doesn't deserve to be in jail. He, like McKinney, has acted in a manner not worthy of his position.

It's easy to see through your dishonesty, just as it was easy to see through McKinney's tactic of appearing on national television to lie about what happened.

I'm glad she beat the rap, but that's no excuse to support her insanity.

and brought race into this situation immediately, as if she didn't do anything wrong.

I am probably one of the handful of people who actually up until last November lived in her district. And yes I stood up for her. In fact I posted a thread about my thoughts on her since I was from her district. I was pleasantly surprised that the vast majority here supported her. There was in actuality only a very few people who were putting her down..........but they were doing it voraciously and doing it as often as possible. I notice that on most threads now around her. It's usually only a very few who don't agree.

Exaggerate, as in: the Gitmo prisoners who committed suicide did commit an act of war against the US by doing so.

BBC
The suicides of three detainees at the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, amount to acts of war, the US military says.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5068606.stm

Exaggerate, as in: criticizing the president during a time of war is providing comfort to the enemy.


Likewise,

"I was rushing to my meeting when a white police officer yelled to me. He approached me, bodyblocked me, physically touching me. I used my arm to get him off of me. I told him not to touch me several times. He asked for my ID and I showed it to him. He then let me go and I proceeded to my meeting and I assume that the Police Officer resumed his duties. I have counseled with the Sergeant-at-Arms and Acting Assistant Chief Thompson several times before and counseled with them again on today's incident. I offered also to counsel with the offending police officer."
http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=77991

Does equate to "hitting" a cop, according to the RW.

were dead wrong to do so?

Lack of indictment does not make the event any less of an embarassment. To further exacerbate the situation by attacking the police as racist was also unexcusable. The cop was clearly doing his job.

Deal with it. She fucked up. She was rightly criticized for it.

"Seething mad"? Get a grip.

YOU SOUND JUST LIKE THE WINGERS DO WITH KARL ROVE. PARTISAN HACKERY.

NO INDICTMENT DOES NOT EQUAL NO CRIME COMITTED.

This has become inflammatory.