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- Gates said: "it's time to move on". Yeah...because he knows he lied and the pressure is building. Along with the racist disorderly conduct that will be pointed out on the tapes, he's also worried about his messiah friend that came out and showed his true racist colors and his true hatred for white America. I bet Rev. Wright is soooooo proud!
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- There is no "teachable moment" in this incident, only what is becoming a reverse discrimination in America; the moment something goes wrong and it is white vs. African American it is immediately perceived as racial discrimination. The facts here were simple: an African-American racist agitator ala Rev Wright,Rev. Sharpton, with a chip on his shoulder, disobeyed a police officer, was hostile and unruly. When arrested it became a "racial issue", a "Teaching Moment". Than the President put his two cents in- the only teaching moment was making us understand how he could sit for twenty years in Rev. Wright church and listen to his sermons. (Than throw him under the train at the first sign of trouble)
Most Whites and African-Americans are decent people, long past the divides they once had. Only the skinheads and a few old-line haters cling to the past. On the other hand African-Americans, fueld by the agitators who make a good living on race- mongering are becoming more and more like the skinheads with a different color. Make no mistake, Obama is one of them.His instinct was immediately to side with the wrong-doer and blame whites. Maybe when the African-Americans realize that discrimination goes both ways we will have a different USA. - Reply to this comment
- just wanna say as an outsider that this insight is perfect - why concentrate on the negatives anyway..
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- Excellent editorial....
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- Gates over reacted. Not every time a black person is approached by a police officer is it because they are black. It was wrong for him to act the way he did. The neighbors may have acted out of racism. They owe everyone involved an apology. I have had to break into my own home on occasion. If the police had shown up I would have said, here is my id, and no you may not come in, and I am not coming out of my house to speak with you. Gates' behavior was inappropriate, and it is wrong to claim racism as the motive for the police officers actions. But Gates did establish that he lived there. At that point no matter what he said, it was inappropriate for the police officer to arrest him. It doesn't undermine their authority to back away from a situation that has been resolved. As a matter of fact it undermines their credibility to arrest some one just because they are being belligerent, but have not committed a crime. Every time the police act out of arrogance they lose a little respect from the average person. I would have had a greater respect for officer Crowley and his department if he had walked away. Then the only jerk in the situation would be the professor. And all of you anti pcers out there could crow about the professor who cried wolf.
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- Now is the time to move on from this incident. Let's talk about health care, fixing the economy, and putting people back to work.
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- When, in the name of the First and Fourth Amendments to the US Constitution is one vulnerable to arrest for objecting to the police's undue presence, after producing ID in one's own home? When did our homes cease to be castles that deserve to be protected? Whether or not this was racial profiling, and I believe race was an issue as no one would argue that a white male faculty member of Harvard would have experienced such treatment, I am even more troubled by the abusive reactions of Sgt. Crowley to the verbal taunts from the Professor. Is this a police state? Why didn't the Sgt. simply leave when he verified the residence? Was he empowered to make such a damaging and humiliating example of the professor?
This is intolerable in a civil and just society. This is not a police state. Not only should these tactics be investigated and disciplinary action taken but there needs to be a public forum so we citizens can understand our vulnerability when the police come to our homes. - Reply to this comment
- Wow, if you are not a white Christian, I would be surprize. You are so wise and just.
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- A number of years ago when we first moved to Central Texas we were in a store parking lot when someone claimed that we hit his car (which we had not). He was quite insistent and belligerent; hence, we used our cell phone to call 911. After giving a brief description of what was happening, to our surprise and dismay, the dispatcher first asked if the person who had claimed that we hit his car was "black" or "Hispanic." We merely repeated that the person was belligerent and threatening. When we advised the other person that the police were coming, that person took off. Later when the police arrived, we merely retold the story, and, yes, had to describe the individual, his vehicle, and license plate. It was a very unpleasant introduction to our new community.
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- Did the officer identify himself, and clearly inform the professor that he was responding to a call reporting a break-in? If the professor was upset, did he remain calm and repeat the information that he was investigating a reported break-in. (I won't go into speculation about what he would have done if he had encountered an agitated, elderly white man. Did he ask the professor if he had heard anything in the house, or some such positive question that did not seem to demand immediately that the home owner (and lawful resident) produce id? There was plenty of time to establish identity AFTER being sure that the person in the house understood why the police were in his homw. Why did it take more than 24 hours before anything on the police side was publicized, IF this kind of approach had been taken? And even when they did say something, it avoided the questions I just mentioned. "He was concerned about his own security." Oh, and later, he added that he was concerned about the resident's security. Perhaps the police need new protocols. (Anybody ever hear of criminals gaining entry into a house by wearing police uniforms?)
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