A beer with a disgruntled, racist black Harvard professor and the cop that was forced to arrest him.
Now the press is breathlessly speculating on what beer Obama will choose. ABC News pronounces that Obama's choice of beer could make or break a particular brand.
Puhleeze. Who cares?
One thing's for sure: He won't be choosing Colt 45.Why is Obama taking such a personal interest in this fracas? Because he foolishly opened his mouth (before he knew all the facts) to chide the police for arresting the idiot. Now he's saving face.
And they say racism isn't dead. I agree: Obama is living proof of that.
If the officer had any guts, he'd turn down the invite... whether Obama's serving Colt 45 or champagne.
6 comments:
Spot on!
I'm not going to argue about Gates being a racist, or about how he got all bent out of shape because a white cop dared to harass him, a black Ivy League professor. But do you really want to take the part of a cop who arrested a man at his own home because he didnt like the man's attitude?
While I dont think the public has any right to be rude to the police, neither do I think that the police have any right to arrest them just because they are not shown the level of respect they may think they deserve. Nobody else gets to demand respect in this manner in America, why should police be any different?
Neither party behaved very well in this situation, and I think they've had quite enough exposure. Nobody is being served by this story, especially since it's as much about class difference and abuse of power as it is about race, but the only story being paid attention to here is the racial one.
Yea. The cops show up to investigate a break in call (justified) and end up arresting the homeowner.
Arresting the homeowner? Why?
Is mouthing off to the police illegal? Maybe in North Korea it is, but last time I checked it was not illegal here.
Not the best idea - but not illegal.
Disturbing the peace? What peace? The peace in the man's own home?
Show me a law that says you can not mouth off to the cops and Ill agree the man should have been arrested.
I say spot on. Could the officer let the mouthing off go, sure. However, without knowing all the facts. I would err on the side of the officer. Gates was asked to go out onto the porch. He should have. Why on earth would an officer walk into a home with an unknown situation if he had too. Gate should have cooperated and if he felt in the end there was wrong doing, then he could take his own action. Resisting the officer and mouthing off up front is just a bad idea.
I think there is a difference between lack of respect (mentioned by Dave), mouthing off (mentioned by Lazy) and "Loud and Tumultuous Behavior" listed on the arrest report as the reason behind the Disorderly Conduct that was the official charge later dropped. The professor needed cooling off and that is what he got. That would have been the end of the story but the professor used his elitism and self-absorbtion to make it into a media spectacle.
Ahem...Race, during the incident, as an issue was inserted by one person and one person only...Gates. Later, without prior knowledge of the facts, the President inserted race. Why? Because of friendship and brotherhood?
Fact: The officer was not aware of the race of the suspects when he knocked on the door. Gates flamed that he was being profiled.
Fact: The officer took standard actions when answering a call of this sort.
Fact: The officer answering this call had a dramatic increase in the probability that he would be injured or killed due to the nature of the call. (Officers killed in the line of duty stats)
Fact: Gates was belligerent and uncooperative from the first word. He loudly and with verbal abuse refused to cooperate with the officer’s requests.
Fact: When the officer was leaving the property, Gates followed him out into the public screaming obscenities and making foul references about the officer’s mother.
Fact: Gates failed to stop after repeated warnings that he was disturbing the peace and needed to control himself.
Fact: The officer showed him the handcuffs he would be in if he did not control himself. Gates refused to comply.
Fact: Other officers, including the Harvard Police at the scene verify the officer’s report. Private witnesses verify the officer’s report.
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