D.C. Councilmember Marion Barry may be smiling pretty for all the cameras transfixed on the unfolding Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. But today his unchecked rage about District statehood spectacularly boiled over onto his Twitter feed.

“Yes, I am a Democrat. Always have been. But it’s time for Democrats to support the 600K disenfranchised US CITIZENS in DC. It is time!!” Barry declared in the opening salvo of what turned out to be an afternoon-long rant against voter suppression, horse trading and, rather unexpectedly, the Middle East.

Our favorite broadsides include:

• We’ve been bullied by Congress for too long; ignored by the Supreme Court too long; taken for granted by peers, for too long. It is time!

• How can we tell others how to transition to democracy when every year we deny nearly a million people from voting in our own capital????

• Retweet if you have NOT been brainwashed into believing you are a 2nd class citizen to all other Americans under any circumstance or excuse!

• Why is @washingtonpost silent on voter suppression in DC? Makes you wonder if owners actually support it. Waiting 4 “the right time”?

• During slavery, some chose to stay on the plantation. Some chose freedom. What do you choose? Plantation days in DC are numbered. It is time.

Way to make use of the 21st-century soapbox, your honor.