Sometimes, it takes a crisis to reveal someone's true character and principles. Other times, it's the routine that exposes ugly truths.

In Berkeley, California, Code Pink founder and head whackjob Medea Benjamin has been leading the charge in protesting the Marines' recruiting station, engaging in such activities as putting mock bloody handprints on their windows, blocking their entrances, using their free parking spot and free noise permit to harangue the Marines, those who might want to hear about joining the Marines, and those unfortunate to live, work, or simply pass by near the office.

Well, the other day some Code Stink people found themselves confronted by other people who don't realize that only the Pinkos have the right to protest, assemble, speak, and whatnot, and it got a smidgen unpleasant. In fact, Medea Benjamin actually felt physically threatened at one point.

So, what did she do? Did she try to sit down and negotiate with her adversaries? Did she invoke the power of Mother Gaea to bring about peace and harmony? Did she call upon the Berkeley police to set aside their carefully-crafted "neutrality' and keep the peace? Did she demand that the world unite and rise up and stop the aggression?

Nope. She immediately turned to the bloodthirsty, genocidal war machine that she and her fellow asylum escapees are struggling so hard to confront: the United States Marine Corps.

Meanwhile, in England, we're seeing the natural end result of cultural diversity and tolerance of others' customs and beliefs: Muslim medical students (female) who are finding that the demands of medicine requires them to scrub thoroughly before treating patients. Such thorough efforts would involve rolling up their sleeves and removing arm coverings, and that would be immodest.

The concerns of spreading contagion, infecting patients, and possibly killing people has to take a back seat to obeying the rules that women are innately evil and corrupting and unclean, and must remain wrapped in the equivalent of a trash bag at all times lest the hint of female flesh drive a man into uncontrollable lusts. You see, by these Muslim standards, men aren't responsible for their conduct and choices and actions; it's the women's fault for provoking them.

I find myself reminded of the classic wife-beater defense: "see what you made me do?" It's the same principle. And as I find those men utterly contemptible and want to beat them even more thoroughly than they beat their women.

In both cases, we have a conflict between stated principles and simple common sense. In Berkeley, common sense prevailed and Medea Benjamin's hypocrisy was made clear for all to see. In England, it's still to be seen, but I wonder how loudly the cries of racism (never mind that "Islam" is not a race) when the first patient says "no Muslims unless they've scrubbed thoroughly beforehand."

In a way, I kind of wish it was happening here in the US. The inevitable lawsuits, pitting personal-injury and malpractice lawyers against the civil rights and Islamic apologists, would be tremendously entertaining.