More Woman Power from SOS Hillary Clinton

The Daily Beast reports that Secretary of State Clinton delivered "the best speech of the Obama administration" Wednesday morning. Tunku Varadarajan writes about her "new American moment" -- and "why she's better than her boss."

Behold the Hillary Doctrine. And heap abundant gratitude—and rose petals if you have them on hand—on the firm, unfussy, deeply reassuring woman who has just offered it up to the world.

In the 20 months since this administration began administering (a verb I use only in the loosest sense), the speech Wednesday morning by Hillary Clinton, delivered at the Council on Foreign Relations, was the first time we have been given an unreserved lift of the heart by any of its members. It was, by far, the best speech of this administration. Whereas her president has frequently wrung his elegant hands, doing the rounds of the world to reassure foreign leaders that America is a cuddly bunny at heart, the secretary of State declared Wednesday that we are all living “a new American moment—a moment when our global leadership is essential.” There was no bowing from her to potentates in robes; there was, instead, a promise that “we will do everything we can to exercise the traditions of American leadership at home and abroad.”

Varadarajan goes on to say:

What is so piquant here is not the fact that Hillary understands that Obama is president. It is the growing sense that Hillary would have made a much, much better president than Obama.

I agree.

Florida Woman Jailed over $7.45 Bill

Who says there's no free lunch? Maryanne O'Neill, a 66 year old Florida woman, has decided to go to jail rather than pay her $7.45 bill at a Fort Pierce Waffle House restaurant.

Apparently the woman entered the establishment, ordered coffee and a sandwich, and then refused to pay the bill. When an officer asked her to pay or go to jail, she refused to pay.

O'Neill, released on Monday from the St. Lucie County Jail, was charged with a second degree misdemeanor for obtaining food with "intent to defraud" the restaurant. If convicted she could face up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

So why do you think O'Neill is in this pickle? Is she simply too poor to pay the $7.45 bill? Is she looking for free room and board for the next 60 days? Was the food bad? What do you think?

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Justice ... better late than never

Update on the Jessica Hall story. The 25 year old mother of three, convicted of a felony for tossing a McDonald's cup at a car that cut her off in traffic, has just had her sentence reduced. Instead of facing the next two years in prison, Hall was sentenced to time served and will be placed on probation.

Hall, who has spent the past two months in jail, is finally going free! I don't know if there is any way to get the decision removed from her record, but I hope someone in the state will ask the Governor about it.

'McMissile' leads to major injustice

Imagine you are sitting in a hot car in July, driving on a major interstate highway, you have three squirming kids in the back seat, a sister in the front who is six months pregnant and having early contractions, some wacky driver keeps weaving in and out of your lane as traffic slows down and then creeps almost to a halt. Do you think you might be tempted to want to throw something?

Jessica Hall, 25, of Jacksonville, N.C., was -- and now she is a convicted felon facing two years in prison.

Hall, clearly stressed, decided to veer onto the shoulder of the road and speed up next to the car that had been cutting her off in traffic. And then wham! She tossed a large McDonald's cup filled with ice into the other car. To the locals, it's the "McMissile" case.

No one was injured, but the cup launcher, Jessica Hall, [who] was charged and convicted by a Stafford County jury of maliciously throwing a missile into an occupied vehicle, a felony in Virginia. The instructions given to the jury said that "any physical object can be considered a missile. A missile can be propelled by any force, including throwing."

Hall, a mother of three young children whose husband is serving his third tour in Iraq, has spent more than a month in jail.

The jury sentenced her to two years in prison, the minimum, and a judge will formally impose a sentence Wednesday. Under state law, the judge can only
decrease the jury's sentence.

Even the couple who filed charges think the sentence was wrong.

"I think that this is way too much of a punishment for her actions. This is just to me absolutely ridiculous," Fowle said.

According to court documents Hall is unemployed and with her husband's salary, the couple takes in $30,384 a year. She receives $388 a month in food stamps. (Keep in mind he is on his third tour of duty in Iraq!)

What is going to happen to their three children? What fate is in store for this family? Hall was supposed to start nursing school the day after she was sent to jail. Anyone want to guess what her chances will be to find employment now?

Yes, she made a mistake ... yes, she knows she made a mistake ... but this is simply ridiculous.

"Now people are going to see me as an angry, road rage, convicted felon. And it really upsets me," Hall said. "I must have been wrong . . . but seriously, God. Lesson learned. Lesson learned is one hour in this place."

For more on this, check out Howling Latina.