Megan Williams was in Washington, D.C., this week, the featured guest at a press conference held by an outspoken Texas congresswoman, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Next week, she'll appear on the dais at another Charleston street protest, standing arm-and-arm with the one-and-only Rev. Al Sharpton of New York City.
After the holidays, Williams will head to the Big Apple herself for an appearance on the Montel Williams show.
How this publicity portends to speed the healing for Ms. Williams, the 20 year-old who was allegedly assaulted, raped and tortured in September by six Logan County miscreants, we couldn't say.
But it's crystal clear why Rep. Lee, Rev. Sharpton and Montel would be drawn to Williams and her story: its good for them. Attaching themselves to the remarkable drama and despair of her plight furthers their own self-interests.
To be sure, as hard as it has been to understand the tragedy of Megan Williams, it's proven easy as pie to exploit it.
Of course, we've come to expect nothing less from low-life race-baiters like Lee, Sharpton and his caricature of a wannabe protege, Paris Lewis a.k.a. Malik Zulu Shabazz.
Rep. Lee is best known for chastising the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for giving hurricanes "white" names ("All racial groups should be represented ...").
Rev. Sharpton made his name demagoguing for Tawana Brawley, who fabricated a story that she was assaulted and raped by six men, including a policeman, in a small town in upstate New York. The hoax was exposed and Sharpton was successfully sued for slander, ordered to pay $345,000 in damages.
Shabazz was once the spokesman for Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry, who resigned after famously getting caught smoking crack cocaine on a FBI surveillance camera. And that's been the highlight of his professional career, which currently centers around his stirring pots for the Chicago-based black supremacist group Nation of Islam.
None of these bigots deserve an ounce of standing here in West Virginia.
Ms. Williams may naively offer herself up as a means to the ends of others. But West Virginia's own elected officials should be above taking the bait, resisting the temptation to give in and turn the Megan Williams case into something it is not.
The consequences of hanging the actions of a few depraved meth heads on the entire people of this state would not be insignificant.
This is West Virginia's problem, and we should trust West Virginia's judgment and its institutions to solve it -- with all the emphasis upon delivering justice, not maximizing the moment for political opportunists.
Armed with the courage of his own convictions, we're confident Logan County Prosecutor Brian Abraham will rise to the occasion.