This is the fifth time since 1993 that McKinney has run afoul of the U.S. Capitol Police. The bottom line here is that Cynthia McKinney’s race had nothing to do with this incident. It is McKinney’s behavior. Allow me to be the first to congratulate Cynthia McKinney for rendering racism nearly meaningless.
It has become more predictable than a World Wrestling Entertainment pay per view. Only without the entertainment. Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney gets into hot water and blames her misfortune on racism.
Last week, McKinney tried to gain access to a congressional building but did not have the lapel pin worn by every member of the House of the Representatives and the Senate in her possession. An officer with the United States Capitol Police Force (which guards all Congressional buildings) advised McKinney that she could not enter the building. McKinney refused to cooperate. The officer repeatedly advised McKinney that he could not admit her without the lapel pin. McKinney defied the officer’s order and tried to gain entry. The officer physically prevented McKinney from gaining access to the building. McKinney allegedly responded by striking the officer. It is not clear whether the officer was assaulted with McKinney’s hand or with her cell phone.
What is clear is that the U.S. Capitol Police have issued a warrant for McKinney’s arrest and the U.S. Attorney is reviewing the matter to determine whether filing criminal charges against McKinney is appropriate. Indeed, according to the Associated Press, a grand jury is being convened for that very purpose. What is also clear is that McKinney is not taking responsibility for her actions. McKinney claims she is a victim of racial profiling and racism.
“The issue is racial profiling,” McKinney told CNN on April 3rd. House Speaker Dennis Hastert replied, “It’s not about racial profiling. It’s about making this place safer.”
But McKinney is unrepentant. On April 5th she declared the following, “Face recognition is the issue…The pin doesn’t have my name on it and it doesn’t have my picture on it, and so security should not be based on a pin…People are focused on my hairdo. Something that perhaps the average American just doesn’t understand is that there is a heightened sense of a lack of appropriateness being there for members who are elected who happen to be of color and until this issue is addressed by the American public in a very substantive way, it won’t be the last time.”
Allow me to be the first to congratulate Cynthia McKinney for rendering racism nearly meaningless.
This is not to say that racism is without meaning. But it is losing its meaning.
McKinney made her most recent remarks one day after the 38th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. One could legitimately argue that on April 5, 1968 racism was a fact of everyday American life. Segregationists George Wallace and Lester Maddox were nationally respected political figures. Wallace was in the midst of a Presidential run that year that would see him carry five Southern states. The thought of integrated marriages, neighborhoods and school buses were an anathema for too many conditioned by generations of hate. Does McKinney honestly believe that American children reared since King’s assassination are every bit as racist in their sentiments as their parents and grandparents? Does McKinney honestly believe that anyone with Presidential aspirations could hold Wallace’s segregationist views and get five minutes of our time much less carry five Southern states in 2008?
In 1968, there were seven African Americans in Congress. In 2006, there are 43 African Americans in Congress (including the non-voting delegates from the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands). That’s a six fold increase. The times they are a changing. Slowly perhaps. But there is certainly a difference.
The bottom line here is that Cynthia McKinney’s race had nothing to do with this incident. It is McKinney’s behavior. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Now, I have never been to Capitol Hill. However, I have spent some time in both the Canadian and British Parliaments. I have also visited the Israeli Knesset. Based on my experience inside these bodies I can offer the following observation. On any given day, a legislative building is occupied with legislators, their staffs (including interns and volunteers), lobbyists and activists as well as visitors both local and international. Let us also not forget the media both print and electronic. This can add up to thousands of people at any given moment. A legislative body must be protected just like any other public space. With this in mind how can one expect any one person to recognize and remember the face of every single person they see.
As such there are certain areas only accessible to legislative members. Now McKinney might believe herself to have a Q rating of Senators like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, John McCain or Barack Obama. But she doesn’t. If you were to ask most Americans to name five members of the House of Representatives you would be lucky if you got the name of their own representative. Even then they might not know what their representative actually looked like especially in a large metropolitan area. How many Americans could recognize new House Majority Leader John Boehner or House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi if they were to suddenly walk into their living rooms unannounced? In this respect, the U.S. Capitol Police are no different from the general public. It is therefore perfectly reasonable to ask elected representatives to wear something that signifies to security that they are in fact an elected representative and entitled to the privileges accorded to an elected representative. They do it in Canada, Great Britain, Israel, the United States and in dozens of other countries.
As far as I am aware the 42 other African American representatives in Congress wear their lapel pin. And if they forget to do so they comply with the instructions provided by the U.S. Capitol Police. None of McKinney’s 42 other African American congressional colleagues joined her at her press conference last Friday. As of this writing, none of McKinney’s 42 other African American congressional colleagues have issued a statement in support of McKinney. This is the fifth time since 1993 that McKinney has run afoul of the U.S. Capitol Police.
So why can’t Cynthia McKinney play by the rules?
Of course, if you ask McKinney she will tell you that she is playing by the rules. In fact, if one were to check her website www.house.gov/mckinney/she cites Article 1, Section 6 of the United States Constitution:
The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. 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.
Nice try, Cynthia. However, I think assaulting a police officer would constitute a breach of the peace.
McKinney is grasping at straws. So are her attorneys. At her press conference last Friday, James Myart, Jr said the issues were “sex, race and Ms. McKinney’s progressiveness.”
Ms. McKinney’s progressiveness?
If the Capitol Police officer did not recognize McKinney then how could the officer have knowledge of Ms. McKinney’s progressiveness?
Give it up and face the facts. The Capitol Police Officer was right and Cynthia McKinney was wrong.
This incident would have never happened if Cynthia McKinney had simply worn her lapel pin.
For McKinney to conjure up racism into the matter diminishes both the meaning of racism and herself. Too many African American leaders be it McKinney, Reverends Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Louis Farrakhan or Representative Charles Rangel inject race into matters where it simply does not belong. By doing so they direct discussion away from viable solutions to address legitimate problems faced by Americans – African American or not. They are content to smear people as racists simply because they do not agree with their political agenda. If they continue to choose to use such a vehicle in their journey towards progress then they will travel nowhere in a hurry.
As for McKinney, I have only two words for her. Grow up.
It’s really getting a little much.
Ok, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, admits her lapel pin, which is her ID to get into the “peoples house” was absent from her clothing, and from all accounts she refused to pause when asked and a confrontation with an officer ensued.
Now she claims she was being singled out, even racially profiled, by the police. She stated at a press conference, “This whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me – a female, black, progressive Congresswoman.”
Maybe I’m just not getting it, But it appears that Ms. McKinney is making a big deal of nothing.
Those of us who work inside office buildings are aware that identification is necessary to get into buildings these days. 911 has caused us all to very understanding of security. We all have to show our ID to get into buildings these days. We use our ID’s to get on trains, planes, make purchases with our credit cards and so on.
No one is above the law, no one is above the rules. When I have visited the capitol, or go into another Federal building I have to show I.D.
I guess the bottom line is Rep. Mckinney, should have just done what other people have done. When she’s stopped by Capitol police, both with and without her pin attached to her jacket or dress, she should stop, says hello, and says who she is, show her ID and keep it movin.
The unpleasant confrontational situation could have been mitigated if Rep. Mckinney would stop taking herself so seriously regarding this incident. So what if some people think we all look alike, who cares?
She is an active member of the congressional black caucus. Rep. Mckinney should be addressing big ticket issues impacting her congressional district, African-Americans as a whole and Katrina victims.
Rep. McKinney should get a grip, apologize and keep it movin. Otherwise she may find herself with Republicans introducing motions to censure her behavior as conduct unbecoming a member of the House of Representatives.
Candidly, she should be proud and honored to wear her congressional pin representing the great state of Georgia.
L. Nathaniel Rock
AfricanAmericanOpinion.com
Rep. Ms. McKinney is another example and leader of constituents that believe they are entitled to special privileges, treatment, and fiduciary compensation for historical bias suffered mostly by their ancestors, perpetrated by persons long dead.
Hiring quotas, promotion quotas, school admission quotas, quotas to ensure minorities receive their “fair share” of awards and benefits in institutions both private and government, quotas to lesson the frequency of prosecution of minority lawbreakers, and to lesson their penalties, quotas to ensure neighborhoods are racially mixed, on and on for almost four decades have ingrained this privileged entitlement belief into our culture. It will take decades for families and subcultures to become weaned from Uncle Sam’s handouts.
The white American male of no particular minority must compete against minorities that have a government sanctioned advantage – regardless of individual merit.
Most recently, homosexuals and illegal aliens are acquiring special unmerited privileges based upon gender confusion and national identity confusion.
Does anyone believe that if the circumstances had been different, a white male representative stopped by a black female police officer, would anyone have taken the white male’s complaints seriously if he had complained?
J.C.H., I agree completely. I didn’t care much for the inference in this article either that segregationism and racism was a dominant trend in most of America. It wasn’t. It’s pointed out that George Wallace carried 5 southern states as a presidential hopeful, and that says a lot. The only people in America still clinging to segregationist and racist ideals even back then were rooted in the deep old South. Think about it for two seconds: if the entire country was hell bent on trampling blacks as everyone today seems to believe, then how did the Civil Rights initiatives of the 60′s get passed through a white-dominated House, Senate and Presidency? And upheld by an entirely white Supreme Court? This much I can say for sure: My grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents on both sides of my family weren’t racists, weren’t segregationists, didn’t own slaves, and in fact, had it just about as hard at some times as the black slaves in the south in the 1800′s. I’m of Hungarian and Irish descent mostly, and my great grandparents came to America from Hungary. That same country was over run by Nazi Germany during WWII and thousands of people were sent away to slave labor camps where they were malnourished and forced to work until they died of disease, exhaustion or malnutrition. By contrast, at least most Southern slave owners kept their slaves well fed (since they were a business commodity, and an expensive one at that). All that to say: I’m really sick and tired of the extremely diverse and numerous cultures that have pale skin being labeled as “whites” (frankly, it’s probably the most racist ethnic grouping there is. There are hundreds of countries across the entire planet whose inhabitants have white skin, but we’re all the same. We’re all “whites”) and being blamed for things that never happened. Because I’m a “white” I get to be told with monotonous regularity that my ancestor’s were slave traders who hated black people and killed Martin Luther King Jr. Well, maybe YOUR ancestor’s did, maybe somebody’s ancestor’s did, but certainly not mine. And in all actuality, very few other “white” people’s ancestor’s did either, since only the wealthiest plantation owners in this country could afford to buy and keep slaves: less than 5% of the nation, probably closer to 1%. I’m tired of everything being a racial issue. I’m tired of walking down the street and getting threatened and intimidated if I accidentally look a black person in the eye. I’m tired of being a second class citizen because of things that happened 200 years ago, and weren’t perpetrated by my ancestor’s, nor against half of the black people’s ancestor’s. I’d like to have actual equality, not racism against one group for the “furtherance” of another. Racism against “whites” shouldn’t be any more acceptable than racism against blacks was. Were all men created equal, or weren’t they?
Patrick- I appreciate your candid and for some difficult statements. I have always marvalled how the Hollywood studios glorified the confederate soldier but has given little to no attention to the Union soldier. ‘Ol Hollyweird has been sympathetic to the southern soldier (Gone with the Wind, Outlaw Josie Wales, or Ted Turner’s own Gods and Generals), but refuses to recognize the sacrifice of the northern soldiers. It is clear to me that the Union Soldier is the most underappreciated hero of all American Wars. Over 300,000 white men died in that war.
Mckinney, let her stay front and center as long as possible. America recognizes idiots. When she is one a stage with Danny Glover and Harry Belafonte they see the liberal left as they are, racist morons. Keep this group together as long as possible.
When I mentioned 300,000 white men, I was only referring to the Union Soldier.
Most people don’t think, but most people are convinced that they think deeply. What’s disturbing to me is that even though it’s clear what happened, no one changes their minds.
Yes, her years of self-indulgence covered up with a sloppy coloring of these events as racism have at this stage of her life either taken from her the ability to credit people with the ability to understand what really happened, or worse, she’s genuinely paranoid.
But no one who has an opinion rethinks that opinion – even with such a clear spectacle as this.
“Does McKinney honestly believe that American children reared since King’s assassination are every bit as racist in their sentiments as their parents and grandparents?”
She banks all her political capital on it.
Here’s a thought; yes the old ‘south’ was rooted in slavery and what we term racism, but as far as the confederate soldiers go, they may have been racist but how many were actually slave owners and did they fight for slavery or what they thought was a misguided war for independence? Doesn’t matter here but since honker brought it up…
Who cares? She is an idiot…move on. Let’s talk war, abortion and
immigration and stop with the National Inquirer crud.
This lady has problems. She tried to say that it was racisim and in the same breathe that this guard was trying to cop a feel of her. This lady also backed down so fast when she realized that even her own democrats were trying to shy away from this embaressment. They wanted nothing to do with it. Also watched the interview with Soledad Obrian and she (probably a liberal herself) even could not get a straight answer from this lady. That is why the U.S. has the problems they have today, thanks to liberals who hate the U.S. and thinks the bad guys have a right to win, the rich should be punished, and that the white man is the bad guy. I have no problem with race, but the problem is with idiots like this woman who use racisim as their tool to spread hate. Cmon people… If you hate life or your country so much then put a bullet in your head or move to a country where you can be happy. Quit ruining it for everyone else who happens to love their country!
Oh yeah! Is it just me or does this lady have some freaky bug eyes!
There are too many more important issues on the table, to even think she can’t stop this name calling.
The African-Americans in the US who think they have reparations coming to them, for damages, have just missed an important segway.
Their 40 “acres and a mule” have just been promised to the latest slave class in America, the illegal aliens. Why haven’t we heard them come out stronger on this issue? Are they more interested in the vote an illegal (may) get in 11 years, than they are willing to drop the hyphen-ated
identity, and just join the rest of us and be AMERICANS.
Yeah,
It’s always the fault of the person of color. Just keep telling yourselves that and racism should be forever nurtured in this pathalogical society. And where the hell did you get this picture from? What an insult to Congress woman McKinney. This is a seriously scary site that looks like it only fosters hate towards women and people of color. Open your minds. Please.
To Dean: My feelings on the Civil War go much deeper than I am printing here. My purpose of the post was simply the refusal of today’s liberal to acknowledge the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of white people to change the culture of racism in America. With people like Congresswoman McKinney, Belafonte, and Glover as the talking heads of racism, nothing will be accomplished.
What moron elects to inject the rationale for the War Between the States and this moonbat McKinney? There is not the slightest shred of relevance between the foibles of a contemporary idiot and the issues confronting the nation in the mid 1800′s.
When can other people other than BLACK cry out racism? It seems like we ( THE WHITE RACE) are sometimes the Target for racism, like in the police man’s case!! We are all just people of unique different colors.