Pour Out a Little Liquor for Cynthia McKinney
Some updates on Cynthia McKinneygate:
* Our friends on the Hill tell us that they havedemandedthat their bosses co-sponsor HR4968 (the "I Wonder If Heaven Got a Ghetto Act"), but, unfortunately, it turns out that many Representativesdon't know who Tupac is. Once again, Democracy has failed us. (We still urge you to write your Congressman about it).
* According to the AtlantaJournal-Constitution , "police have notified the federal prosecutor's office in Washington that they will be seeking an arrest warrant after the investigation is complete next week." Ohhhh shit.
* McKinney has cancelled today's news conference.
* Out on bail, fresh outta jail, California dreamin', Soon as Representative McKinney (D-GA) step on the scene she's hearin' hoochies screamin'
After the jump: IS CYNTHIA MCKINNEY'S COP-PUNCHING CONSTITUTIONALLY PROTECTED? The results of an EXCLUSIVE WONKETTE INVESTIGATION
This one kept us interested: Here's Article I, Section 6 of a little thing calledTHE CONSTITUTION:
[The Senators and Representatives] 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;
Commenter Gunner brought that one to our attention. Now, one of us went to Law School, and the other one used to seeLaw & Ordercast members around town, so we know our Constitution. Initially, we read it the same way as Gunner -- Rep. McKinney was ABOVE THE LAW. But once our lawyer half busted out his pocket constitution, desperately tried to remember 1st year Con Law, and eventually gave up and called someone who knew, we figured that that provision (called the Speech and Debate Clause) does not give a Representative immunity. The important bit comes later, about how Reps "shall not be questioned in any other Place" about speech on the floor. So, in other words, Cynthia can still be booked by the po-po, as long as she's not on her way to or from a House session (stay at your desk! Don't leave the floor!).
Oh well. We still think she's awesome.
Cynthia McKinney Faces Arrest Over Security Incident [AJC]
HR4968 [THOMAS]
Earlier: CYNTHIA MCKINNEY KNOWS: 911 IS A JOKE IN YOUR DISTRICT
Cynthia McKinney: They Put Up Her Picture with Silence, Cuz Her Identity By Itself Causes Violence