Prof. Gates Arrest

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Awesome video from a very smart women expressing her opinion of the Gates arrest:

Uppity Blacks vs Blue Collar Whites: Shame on Prof.Gates - iReport.com

I've never heard of her before now, but I'm quickly becoming a big fan. I think she nailed it.

I realize this could easily turn political, but I see it as a issue of right or wrong - by the police making the arrest... so try not to veer into the political side of it.

Do you think the cops were right or wrong in the arrest?
#off topic forum
  • I think the cops did what they were supposed to do. And im sorry, but racial profiling is required per case.

    If a call comes in about a possible robbery and the person that called in says 'i saw two black men breaking in a house' and the cops show up and there's a black man around the same area, who when asked for id becomes beligerent and argumentative, the police have no choice but to detain him.

    If I were in an area where someone had just called police and reported a robbery in progress by a tall good looking white guy...i would expect to get detained and questioned when the police showed up.

    The cops have to do their job, if they didnt the same people that gripe beacause they are being profiled, would be griping at the cops later for not doing their job when the robbers came back later
  • When anti-racism gets so ridiculous that we are not even allowed to suspect anyone of a crime because of their color, then I'd say our attempt at intergration is a major failure.
    It's time at that point to divide the country up into sections and throw everyone of certain colors in their own section and treat them like separate countries - like Europe was before the EU. We could work together to keep things running - but wouldn't have to deal with all the BS that we are going through - political correctness, etc.

    I'm calling nibs on the NW for us white folk!
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    • Good video Mike.
      I saw an interview with Gates on the Today show the other day.
      They ought to drop the disturbing the peace charge and instead charge him with being an idiot.
    • Especially with their salary and risky situations that they have to perform daily.
  • Ya, I think that whole arrest is being blown out of proportion. Give it to the media to make a mountain over a mole hill.

    I think it is he that is in the wrong, not the cops.
  • Michael Ellis,

    You are WRONG! It could NOT easily become political! IMPOSSIBLE! WHY do I say that? EASY! It STARTED by being political. Obama opened his stupid mouth yet AGAIN to say the officer acted "stupidly"! Gates WANTED this! He probably PLANNED it! He has gone on the talk show circuit, AND is "teaching" it in his "class"! CNN even put him on their black in america 2 special!

    Police have threatened to SHOOT ME for LESS! I would NEVER act as gates did! Not for whites, and CERTAINLY not for blacks!

    Supposedly a PASSER BY reported him as a POSSIBLE breakin because he was having obvious trouble. Was the passer by to RISK HIS LIFE by checking up on things? Was the OFFICER to RISK HIS LIFE by approaching him? The police officer acted according to SOP! REGARDLESS of race! A white officer would have treated ME the same way! A BLACK should have treated HIM the same way.

    They would have arrested ME, so WHY NOT arrest GATES?!?!?!?

    As for that woman? I LOVE IT! She obviously has a good head on her shoulders, and is HONEST! If only OBAMA did as well. The sad part is that she may be making less than Gates is, but is clearly more worthy than he is.

    NOW, let's look at it from the LIBERAL view, and PRO GATES!!!!!!! He CLAIMS a white would NOT have been treated that way. PLEASE, LET'S get a white, and tell him it is OK to STEAL from gates! After all, if a BLACK man should be FREE from suspicion, WHY NOT a WHITE man!?!? OK, gates ends up BROKE!!!!!!! Hey, let's be FAIR! Let's tell a BLACK to steal from gates! Gates said blacks should NOT be suspected! OK, SAME STORY! Gates gets robbed! HELL, why not CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN! Mr. Gates! PLEASE SELL EVERYTHING! Setup a bank account and put ALL money in it! PM me, and I will tell you how to set it up! You can apologize, I can take your money, and all will be forgiven! He should be HAPPY that police are there to PROTECT HIS PROPERTY!

    Some JERK said that Gates DESERVED to be arrested, etc... but STILL, SOMEHOW, has a case, and should sue! ANOTHER said the officer was ARMED, and gates was 50yo and UNARMED, so the police officer had NO right to be afraid. They are TAUGHT to act that way, and gates could have been a 4yo GIRL, and STILL had a GLOCK! WHO KNOWS?

    BTW did you know it is AGAINST THE LAW to cuss to a DMV clerk in California? Why does gates believe that a POLICE OFFICER should be given less respect!?!?!?

    If I were king, I would throw him in jail for treason, misappropriating public funds, inciting riots, disturbing the peace, etc.... I would fine him for not properly teaching a reasonable class, etc.... He CLAIMS that he was a victim because of his color. WRONG! He used it as a WEAPON!

    Steve
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  • The cops did act stupidly. What was the crime? Yelling at a cop? In your own home? Come on. Yelling does not mean disorderly conduct. Charges were dropped because he was wrong. It's as simple as that.

    Was it racial profiling? Probably yes, by the neighbor. No by the cop. The cop just made a bad stupid decision. That doesn't mean he is a bad cop though, just that he acted stupidly as Gates likely did also.
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    • Not quite as simple as that, Tim.

      First, most all disorderly conduct cases are dismissed. Look it up.

      Second, he wasn't just yelling.

      Third, you cannot blatantly disrespect police officers by not doing what they ask (especially when you could be a potential suspect) and calling them and their mother names. You just can't, and it doesn't matter what color your skin is. All the cop asked for was ID.

      And FYI - People committing disorderly conduct aren't usually whispering.

      As I said before, I was hauled in for disorderly conduct because of my loud mouth (even though I DID provide my ID), and I deserved it 100%. Now, maybe the cop didn't like husky guys, and maybe I missed my chance to write a book about it... but come on!

      The crazy part is, the cop was there because someone saw a black male trying to open a window with a bar... and yet, it turns out there WAS a black male that did just that! How is the cop so wrong for asking him to show some ID??? How could the homeowner get so furious at someone trying to protect HIS home?!?

      And for the racial profiling of the neighbor? Yea, he should have just lied and said that he saw white male breaking in the window. It's a completely wrong statement that could have confused the cops and Gates and anyone else looking into the situation, but at least he would have dodged the racial profiling accusation... better yet, the neighbor should have just ignored it. That's the neighborly thing to do.

      I stand by the smart lady in the video in my OP... she sums it up much more intelligently than I can.
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    • It was NOT his own home as far as SOP and the cop were concerned! The police do NOT have 100% up to date records of all places in the US, and certainly do NOT have the cameras, software, spy equipment, etc... necessary to determine it was gates and, even if they DID, they could NEVER trust it 100%! Does ANYONE!?!?!?!? I mean THINK ABOUT IT! Even the top of the line software needs to see certain features, and lock on. It would be illegal and just STUPID! Also, a talk show host brought up a GOOD point! Maybe gates WAS there and the robbers had him try to deter the cops so THEY wouldn't be arrested.

      They were trying to break in, as far as ANYONE was concerned, so there was NO real profiling, PERIOD!!!!!! He followed the law, and did his job. HEY, I would have been upset ALSO! At least *I* would not consider it RACIST! EVEN if the officer were black, I would wait until he or she actually DID something racist!

      Steve
    • 1. Gates followed the cop outside yelling at him. Thats when it became disturbing the peace.

      2. How is it racial profiling? The call was '2 black men were kicking in the door to a house'. Its racial profiling to give a detailed description of who is committing the crime?


      Now Gates says he wants to let bygones be bygones, obama has invited them both to the whitehouse for a beer.

      What that really means is that obama's people have told him he is digging himself into a hole, and gates has probably seen/heard the tapes and knows he doesnt have a leg to stand on. I would say that if there was any hint of racism in this, gates and people like rev. jackson and al sharpton would be on tv 24/7 crying about the in justices of the last 400 years on the poor harvard professor. But now that they see they cant get blood out of this stone, you'll notice you havent heard a damn thing out of either one of them on this matter.

      Now, whats good for the goose is good for the gander...i distinctly remember not too long ago that don imus was all but crucified and lost his job over a 'minor' comment. Well, sounds like its time for the prof to start packing and the pres to start apologizing.
  • I just wonder why he still got arrested AFTER he showed his ID. Weird. The cops should have left at that point. I don't blame them for showing up because they had to respond, but no matter how rude someone is once they prove the own the house - just leave. Even if the house owner is a pompous ass.

    In the hate crime thread you were all saying that we can't legislate thought. So you can share your prejudice thoughts while beating down someone - but you can't share your thoughts when Cops are mistakenly investigating you?

    We live in a world where you can't disagree with the police? Worse yet you get arrested for daring to question an officer who is making a mistake?

    I don't even care about the alleged racial bias here - I don't believe there was any. It's the fact that we do not live in a police state. You see the ID - get out of there - your job is done. Luckily his superiors knew he was wrong as well and apologized and dropped the charges.

    Cambridge police are well known to be tools so this is no surprise. Instead of superfluous charges on young college kids though - they mistakenly arrested a tenured professor who happens to be friends with the President - makes for a pretty funny story.
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    • While I am not a huge proponent of many police department, I would suggest in this case you read the submitted police report:

      Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Police Report - July 23, 2009

      While I understand that this report is in the viewpoint of the officer, it is in my opinion that even though the arrest may have been an over reaction, I would hardly say that what the officer did was wrong. Gates had only to show his ID when asked the first time and my guess is the officers would have simply said "have a nice day, Sir" and left.

      Gates was way out of line. It was not a simple case of "disagreeing with the police". I have disagreed with police officers many times over the years, but there's a difference between stating your case and simply shouting and calling the officer a racist. The man acted like some indignant school kid instead of a professor of an ivy league college.

      It's a simple case of being decent to a fellow person and Gates did not.

      Was the arrest necessary? In my view, no. But me - or you - were not there. So it's not for us to say. Only speculate.

      And I agree - Obama should have stayed out of it. The way he runs his mouth, he will talk himself out of re-election.

      Mike
    • There was NO mistaking the investigation. Had Gates cooperated, he could have THEN done all he wanted!

      There was NO disagreement! He was NOT disagreeing with the cop! He NEVER claimed to! He did NOT give the officer information needed to provide him the ability to make a decision. The officer did NOT make a mistake! PERIOD!

      He was NEVER shown the ID when he asked! His "superiors" said he acted CORRECTLY! They did NOT apologize! In fact, the entire UNION was looking for GATES to apologize!

      Funny, I never heard that. I consider the fact that he was friends with the president to be suspicious though!!!!!!!
  • No...that behaviour is exactly how I would expect a tenured professor at an ivy league school to act

    But yeah I have read the police report and heard Gates version - he doesn't shy away from admitting he was a pompous ass. And I wouldn't defend him...I just don't think it should have led to him being arrested. And either did his superiors apparently.

    Seems to me the cop was trying to save face in front of his fellow officers and he got over sensitive and whoops, arrested the wrong guy.
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    • I had heard someone say that something like 75% of disorderly conduct charges get dropped. Seems to me they get used merely as a tool to show who the boss is. I wouldn't let the fact that it was dropped in this case make you think that it was for any other reason. Not because the cop was "wrong" - but more because that's the way these charges normally go.

      But I suspect that this same professor would be the first to bitch if someone actually DID break into his home and the police took longer than 5 minutes to respond - he would probably say that the reason they were so slow is because he's a black man in America. You can never do the right thing in the eyes of people with his attitude.

      Arrest necessary or not - the man brought it on himself. The cop was doing what he was supposed to do.

      Mike

      By the way - funny comment on the behavior of ivy league professors - LOL!
    • Arrested the wrong guy? Do you mean there was ANOTHER guy there and Gates place WAS robbed? If so, it would hurt Gates case all the more, given what he has been saying. You ARE funny! 8-)

      Steve
  • Didn't you mention in another post or thread that you are a big fan of Fox News?

    TL
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    • Awesome contribution to the thread! Keep up the good work. LOL
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  • Isn't it obvious this is just a case of three people over-reacting just a bit? Gates, the cop and Obama all could have handled it a little better, and each of them have said so. They are all HUMAN, and they all made MINOR mistakes, nothing that will have a lasting impact on anyone else.

    And in the end, everything is fine. I don't understand why this is still such a big story.
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    • I'm sure your question was rhetorical, BUT...

      Some people just WANT to cause dissention, etc...

      Some people WANT to be able to use this as a weapon...

      In such cases, they don't WANT to hear anything different!

      The media is FILLED with such people and, of course, "dog bites man" is NOT news.

      Look at "the liberator"(do justice a favor, TL, and GET A NEW NAME)! S/he will take offense if you say s/he is not interested in the truth, but will READILY state a NON-sequitor with the OBVIOUS intent of denigrating an entire group in the same way!

      Steve
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    • No Kurt, I think it could have a lasting impact...
      The problem is people use the term 'racist' as a weapon far too often nowadays. And once that label is applied to you, whether right or wrong, your reputation is impacted negatively.

      Here you have a good cop that did what most of the people polled believe was the right thing to do, yet he was called a racist for it.

      AND...

      As far as having 3 people (Cop, Gates and Obama) agreeing that things could have been handled differently, that isn't the situation today. Currently, we have Obama and the cop saying things could have been done differently on all sides, but Gates is still insisting his arrest was racially motivated. He even said he's willing to meet with Obama and the cop to use this situation as a "racial learning experience" for country. Complete BS.

      The cop is delusional. He acted WAY out of line and threw out the race card when the cop didn't allow him to trample all over him. Good for the cop.
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  • wikipedia info
    # Total population: 299 million
    # White alone: 74% or 221.3 million

    * Not including the 23.2 million White Hispanic and Latino Americans: 66% or 198.1 million

    # Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, of any race: 14.8% or about 44.3 million
    # Black or African American alone: 13.4% or 40.9 million
    # Some other race alone: 6.5% or 19 million
    # Asian alone: 4.4% or 13.1 million

    so ....I am a little worn out about the minority issue to tell the truth ...the black s represent less than 14% of the population and we whites get passed over for different 'contract breaks' ..give me a break ..no ONE is a natural here except for the American Indians

    I agree with the description ...a good looking white guy with a wonderful attitude and a mess of good looking white women chasing him was seen breaking into a local mansion ...then I would expect to be arrested ..he heh

    ps...what tickled me most was the black guys comment about "this is how you treat POOR black men"...while he is knocking down big bux at the (state supported university) and living in a nice big house . poor black ...sure

    and finally , I am soooooo happy that the economy is great, evryone has a good job, no health coverage problems, no cost of high gasoline, no devalued dollar, no mortgage on my childrens' futures that Obama has time and efforts to contribute to this cause...and have balls enough to invite them to the White House ? jeez ...sure I am happy everything is OK...
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  • Kurt,

    Frankly, I could care less about the politics of this debate. You are more than welcome to respond to anything.

    My comment was strictly and only regarding this statement:

    "And, the real reason this is even a story is because the right wing, including you and Fox news, picked up on a little comment by Obama that said the cops acted stupidly, distracting people from the other 98% of the press conference, which was about health care. Obama has said he chose his words poorly. This is nothing but a political move by Rep. to try to control the news cycle for as long as they can. Pure politics."
    Note the deliberate omission of any other news media outlet and/or the Dems in your statement. That is typical of both parties - point the finger at the other one.

    You may agree with the right in this case - all well and good. But my point was not about that or the Gates incident.

    As for politics of this thread - well, sooner or later this thread will get deleted. It's gotten too political.

    At the end of the daay though Kurt, it doesn't mean we can't all be friends.

    Good night all. Bed time for me.

    Mike
  • Its funny to see Obama running around all over the world apologizing to all these nut jobs then rips his own police force with out even having all the facts.

    Sounds very anti-american, and for everything america has ever stood for.

    He has to be by far the weakest president ever.
  • I am the FIRST to say cops often over react. One said he almost shot me for getting out of a car late at night! ONE almost pulled me in because a hispanic driving a different car SUPPOSEDLY has the same license plates. I could give even worse examples. Still, lately about 1/2 of the policepeople I ran into lately were fairly nice.

    But gates WAS bad, DID act like a brat, etc... And it turns out that NOBODY said they were black! There was NO profiling! Initial reports were UNKNOWN race, and one might be hispanic. Still, the police like to have a description, and one thing given/asked for is RACE!!!!!! They asked the race, and got UNKNOWN, one might be hispanic.

    I think the cop here acted CORRECTLY! How could ANYONE dispute that he did!?

    Steve
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    • Easy, they have an agenda they have to shove down other people's throats through liberal grandstanding.

      See. Simple answer.

      ~Michael

      p.s. To be fair, the same could be said of MANY issues on ALL sides.

      p.p.s. Notice I dodn't say BOTH sides. The prevelant idea that there are only two sides is one of the most dangerous ones we have.
    • Well, there's really only 2 people furiously disputing that in this thread. And remember, these are the same 2 people that would throw the race card at you for purchasing a white dog.
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    • I can dispute that easily. He should have walked away from Gates. Cops do that all the time once they know a crime has not been commited. I've seen them let people go who have commited crimes.

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  • BLACK DOG LOVERS!! dirty bastiches!!

    wont someone please think of the children?
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    • Hrm...The Simpsons?
      Every time I hear this line I think of the Preacher's Wife.
  • Actually, try ANY joke and see how funny he thinks it is.
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    • Well, once I was being arrested and I said "Take my wife. Please!" That didn't work either. Apparently the cop wasn't a Henny Youngman fan.

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    • Since I don't watch TV, I hadn't heard about this incident until last night, when a friend sent me this article: A post-racial president?

      Since I prefer to stay out of heated discussions, I think that's all I'm going to say.

      Phil
  • Gee, it is almost a pity "TL" left! Thomas Sowell, a BLACK echoed many things I did, right down to the hipocrisy, wright, Sotomayor, and barack's statement about the police! And the ONLY connection we have is a conservative bent!

    Steve
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    • Steve, here's an article by a WHITE, who echoed my view on this issue and the only connection we have is he has a non conservative bent! Oh, and he is also white! A white guy and he agrees with me!

      Have I ever mentioned Steve, that some of my best friends are white? I have no problem with being friends with them as long as they agree with me. I am open minded afterall. I have also known whites who were smart. So, there goes those stereotypes of whites being dumb asses.

      Viewpoint: The Stupidity of the Henry Louis Gates Arrest - TIME

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  • I think it's safe to say that no SANE person would think the professor was in the right, or that the officers acted out of line. The end.


  • I am so glad that we are banned from discussing politics.

    Otherwise, well, who knows what would happen. Maybe people would grow hair on their palms.

    This stupid, idiotic issue does not deserve the attention it is getting. The cop did his job. The perp, homeowner or not WAS AND IS OUT OF LINE. IT'S NOT a "black and white issue' (except to those exploiting it as such)

    It is only one step away on the PANDERING machine to which politician cheated on his wife.

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    • MY POINT EXACTLY! And I bet more politicians, of either party, cheated than didn't cheat. Frankly, I wouldn't cheat. But even those that didn't might be suspected of cheating. Oh well.....

      OK, what is the weather like where YOU are? This afternoon, and even morning, in Boston it was SO hot and humid that my eyeglasses fogged up! That tends to remind me of the metro in Wash DC since one station was called "foggy bottom"! Sounds like I am making it up, but I'm not!

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foggy_B...ashington,_D.C.

      Hey, my palms are one place I DON'T have hair growing, and don't want any. 8-)

      Steve
  • Hi Steve. It is nice and cool and breezy here, thank heaven. It actually seemed like it would rain all morning - perfect gray sky, gray water. Beautiful. Now the gray is gone and it is a pale blue sky with evidence that there is still a sun. Still nice and breezy.

    I heard Oregon and Washington just above me had "all time record" heat - above 100 degrees F - I think it was yesterday. Thank heaven it passed Northern California by.

    Other happenings of note here, I had a great day at the endodonist Tuesday - root canal and 2 hours of nitrous oxide. Stellar. I think I am the only one in the world that has a great time at the dentist. As soon as my mouth would move I had a chocolate covered biscotti. The only real pain is that I just spent $3500 to save 1 'dead' tooth. How sick is that?

    No hairy palms here, either.

    Take care!

    PaX
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    • Well HEY, I, and my insurance, spent over $200,000 to put something in me that looks like JUNK! If I could somehow meld machine with biological, and I could operate on MYSELF, I could just replace the whole blasted heart, etc... with something better! Teeth are the same way! 8-( It would be nice if you could fashion an entire jaw, teeth and all, out of titanium, replace it, and NEVER have to worry about your jaw ever again. GO FIGURE. TODAY, like with my heart, they have a COMPROMISE! "dental implants". They use a titanium fiting that they insert into the jaw, and have a fake tooth that screws into it. THAT would probably have cost AT LEAST that $3500! Of course, that is a compromise. Bacteria can still degrade the jaw around the implant and affect other teeth. 8-(

      Oh well, I'm glad you had such a nice time, and great weather.

      Steve
  • Actually they claim that having the implants will impede the degradation of the jaw.
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    • They may SLOW IT DOWN a bit, but it can still happen.
  • Well there is always the alternative...
  • Implants are way more expensive than root canals. The $3500 was for a crown $1500, $500 for post and core, and for the root canal itself $1500. Cash (credit) NO insurance for 5 years.

    There was no infection, it way a dying tooth (now dead, RIP) and it was giving off sparks when I chewed. (hella celebration of his life)

    When it comes to the choice of implant or false teeth I will spend my last dime for implants.
  • All things willing ours is the last generation that will even need dentures. Dental care has had major strides in the last decade or so.
    While we all are discussing national health care , dental is usually forgotten in those discussions.
    Those are costs that should be reasonable too.
  • Absolutely, Kim - many don't realize how fast an infected tooth can kill you. Real close to the brain, wot!

    It's no laughing matter to ignore dental health - they are even linking diseased gums, etc to strokes, heart attacks, etc.
  • I read recently where dementia is diagnosed more frequently in people with 8 teeth or less.
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    • No worries I have at least 9.

      just kidding I have all, but minus 4...




      (cute cop!) but looks like he might not be enjoying the railroad.


  • This is just getting plain silly. I wonder how much of U.S. taxpayers' money have been wasted as a result of this spat. It looks like that it had turned out to be the most important summit Obama has done so far. Why does he have to bring Biden along, why can't he handle it along. If anything Obama is more dependent on his VP than Bush on Cheney.
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    • Look at the photo - think about it - balanced photo op, politically correct, carefully planned. Wonder if the cop was ordered to show up - most likely.
      Hope he was getting paid for the time.

      The whole thing was ridiculous from start to finish - on both sides.

      kay
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    • One person seemed to think I was wrong when I said that if crowley were black, he would be called an uncle tom. Well, I was proven RIGHT, again! What I didn't know was a black police officer "leon K lashley" WAS there! He DID support crowley! Guess what! YEP! He is being called an uncle tom! The accusation hit him HARD!

      HELL, why wasn't leon K lashley invited to the "summit". THAT idiot "OBAMA" got the media to CLAIM that he is DOWNPLAYING this! That is BULL! If he wanted to downplay it, he wouldn't have talked about it, and nobody would know how he felt!!!!! Perhaps THOUSANDS, maybe HUNDREDS of thousands, maybe MILLIONS have things like this EVERY DAY! Nobody talks about THEM.

      Anyway, I think it is APPALING! Crowley was FORCED to sit with those jerks! And WHY!?!?!? I mean he could NOT refuse, because everyone would consider him guilty, the others would possibly speak against him, etc....

      And Obama said these were just three people shooting the breeze after work. WRONG!!!!!! The white house is in ANOTHER STATE! Maybe Obama should have spent ONLY HIS MONEY and gone to Boston and PUBLICALLY APOLOGIZED!

      Obama is in a situation that is really problematic. He WON the presidency, his constituents claim that racism is the only reason he didn't win by more, and NOW he makes a STUPID RACIST COMMENT and invites a white stranger with a fellow black friend. Frankly, if I were in his position I wouldn't have even ATTEMPTED that garbage. If I made the stupid racist comment, I probably would have said.....

      "Yesterday I made a stupid comment about Mr. Crowley acting 'stupidly'. Since I have seen racism in the past, and a black friend of mine was involved, I overreacted without hearing all the facts. I hope everyone will accept my apology, and gratitude that the police were trying to protect Mr. Gates home. They acted according to Standard Operating Procedure, treated Mr. Gates exactly like they would treat anyone else, and it was unfortunate that Mr. Gates was so Irate and acted inappropriately."

      If Crowley asked to meet with me, I would do it PRIVATELY. If he wanted it public, I would apologize. And Gates should NOT have been there in ANY case!

      HEY, why didn't Obama invite ALL US citizens there!?!?!? I mean WE were subjected to this ALSO!

      Steve
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  • I wonder if the cop belched. I would have if i were the cop. Make me come all the way to washington to have a beer with this guy because he got his nose out of joint because I was doing my job. Probably not even good beer.
  • Facts Matter. He was arrested AFTER his identity had been established. Being rude is not against the law, and he was agitated. My husband was a cop for 30 years and let me tell you, he would not have lived that long had he given in to his own ego and anger, which is what this cop did.

    When you're in the house of a resident, you are the intruder and should exercise great caution and diplomacy when there is no apparent threat. I do agree that taking the Professor to the porch to continue the discussion might be safer for the police, but once he had given ID, they needed to be exercising their diffusing anger skills and back out, thank him, move on.

    They both got mad, the cop is paid not to get mad. I hope we all learn that cops are people too, and make mistakes. The officer should say, "I could have handled this in a manner that might have helped the Professor calm down and not feel so invaded while we did our job."

    However, I do think the nation needs to move on, and let these two people have their lives and get over this. They can grow from it, the nation seems to be beating it to death. Or the media.
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    • Police do not have to put up with verbal abuse. The officer was leaving and gates followed him OUT the door while verbally abusing the officer. I dont care what your color is or what the circustances are, if you follow a cop and verbally abuse him you're likely to get put in jail.

      He was in the house of this man because he was called for a possible break in, thats what cops are paid to do.

      The cop is paid to do a job, he is not paid to take the mouth of a verbally abusive racist. The only reason gates isn't on your television right now screaming about how the man is holding him down is because that officer had his mic opened and the entire exchange was caught on recording. You'll notice that you dont see jesse jackson or al sharpton or the naacp screaming for that cops head right now, but they were warming up in the bullpen before the recordings were released.

      The cop did his job. The professor tried to play the race card and it backfired on him.
      • [1] reply
    • Excellent post Marisue. Coming from a wife of a 30 year cop it carries a lot of weight.

      Thank you.

  • It's not racist to call an act made by someone "acting stupidly" -- because they are white and Obama is white/black he's a racist?? He was acting as an advisor and said nothing even remotely racist, like Rush and Crazy Glen Beck do everyday of their life. They incite hatred, anger, rebellion, racism, and discouragement as well as a disrespect for differences. In My Opinion, but I think Rush and Beck have a wide reputation for being "angry" individuals. $$$$ all the way to the bank cuz apparently enough people "acting stupidly" like to hear their angry rhetoric.

    It's interesting that Rush and Beck both have addiction issues and call themselves an authority on so many subjects. I'm surprised they both aren't in jail.
    • [1] reply

    • Care to post facts or use rationality or are going by what your buddies at Media Matters, the DailyKos, etc. tell you?

      Or are facts and the use of rationality and common sense as waste of your time?
      • [1] reply
  • Omg... is that true?
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
    • [1] reply
    • You are certainly right USUALLY, but that wasn't the caase here.
  • Prof. Gates overreacted in my opinion
  • Tim, Steve - even the people involved in this debate put it behind them.

    Why not simply agree to disagree now. Because you are both starting to nitpick each others words and not really accomplishing much.

    Of course, that's just my own opinion...

    "Can't we all just get along?"
    • [1] reply
    • Wow, pretty hot debate.

      I agree with Mike
      • [1] reply
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