Kids will be Kids

. . . and rioters too. Riots throughout Belfast the past three nights have included kids as young as 9 years old, fighting for the nationalists against the loyalists and police. The pre-teens have been seen by a priest throwing rocks at police, "Recreational rioting is the term that's used, but it was a bit like a Euro Disney theme park for rioting. It was ludicrous." Recreational rioting? Even more troubling, young girls are lining up on the streets in their best dresses to watch along and then, when the young rioters go home, they are posting pictures on Facebook or videos on You Tube (http://slatest.slate.com/id/2260550/?wpisrc=newsletter). While the nationalists see it as a proud moment in their long-running struggle for independence, the President was less sanguine, and one wonders what will happen if one of these young tikes is actually hurt. Technology brings these moments to us in a way that the press often refuses to, but one wonders if some aren't on the streets just to add to their online constructed identities.