In case you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you have otherwise heard about all the racism bru-haha bubbling over the top of the proverbial pot and kettle here in good ole' Beantown. Here at ground zero, it's all over the news. It's on the front page of every news paper. It leads every news story. Every. Single. Day.And it makes me sick.
Then, to make matters worse, our Commander in Chief, had to put his foot into his mouth and step into this hot mess that is at debate. Barry used a bad word and made a freshman mistake.
Big mistake. Huge.
Now he's got to back pedal like a paperboy on his bike riding a flat stretch of street while watching the sunset. Only Barry's not in the clear.
The charges here are serious and the issue has been hotly contested by both parties, leaving a "he said, he did" debate for the ages. The question is, can we move forward, or does this mess send us 500 steps back?
Mother may I take 200 steps forward? Sometimes I wish it were that easy.
Do any of us really think that a brew with Barry at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will make a difference?
It's possible.
It's interesting.
It's unconventional.
It's kind of ridiculous.
It's something, I suppose.
It's a start.
It's a travesty.
Two men, both in positions of power got into it and the rest of the world will suffer. Is this about two peacocks who didn't have enough room for both their tail feathers to spread?
Is it about who was higher on the power chain?
Is it about respect and the lack there of?
We may never find a solution or make peace with this one, but one thing's for sure; a beer with Barry is not the answer.
HERE is why. (click the linky)
Ha! That's great, and so true. Two over-inflated egos in one room is never a good thing for anyone. The unfortunate aspect of this whole disaster is that it took the attention away from healthcare reform; something that is far greater than the egos of those two windbags.
ReplyDeleteGlad I DON'T live in your area, but I HAVE heard about this. Not to the level you're having to suffer through though.
ReplyDeleteI dunno.
ReplyDeleteI've read about the situation and it is a tough one. Especially seeing as how both men are sticking to their stories. My initial reaction is to side with the man in his own home, but you never know.
Sure, President Obama made a silly mistake calling the police stupid, but at least he is willing to sit down with these gentlemen to try to move forward.
Should he have stayed out of it? Probably. But why not stay involved once he slipped up? Better than some politicians who hit and run.
The story is 11 days old. I'm done. Move along folks, nothing to see here...
ReplyDeleteAt first, I agreed with the homeowner, but after further thought and reading I changed my mind. I think by first assuming it was race was the wrong way to go about it. After all, what would he have said if it had been a criminal in the house and the police didn't request identification and just left without further investigation???
ReplyDeleteThe thing is you know exactly what happened here.
ReplyDeleteCops showed up, probably guns drawn. Guy says it's his house and they ask for ID. Guy claims it's his house and I shouldn't have to show you no ID, you're just doing this cause I am a black man and you don't think I should have a house this nice. Hilarity ensues.
As usual, how you perceive this runs along racial lines. My first impression, though I could be totally wrong, when looking at the Professor was "angry black man".
I see this all the time, black and white. If you would just shut the hell up and cooperate, none of this would/have happened.
Wil Harrison.com
i honestly think that its a very small issue, that got blown way out of proportion by the media who love for such things, and the president uncharicaristiaclly put his foot in hit mouth, making it worse..
ReplyDeleteThe confrontation itself is trivial. The big issues are:
ReplyDelete1) The scumminess of the "reporter" who asked the question because White House thug-in-chief David Axelrod ordered her to do so. "Journalism" hits a new low.
2) Obama's really stupid staged answer that ratcheted up hype about an event few outside of Boston would have heard about otherwise.
3) Obama's wasting MY TAXPAYER'S DOLLARs flying the cop and the faux-professor down to D.C.
4) Obama's devious attempt to use the issue to divert attention from the failure of the "stimulus" plan and the absurdity of the proposed health care "final solution" bill.
That's a brilliant political cartoon.
ReplyDeleteThis is kind of reminiscent of the Duke Lacrosse case. Except I doubt as many people will be thrown under the bus in an attempt to "heal the hurt" of the community.
They are all mad! Mad I tell you...
ReplyDeletedon't blame newspapers for putting it on the front page. we are lazy and go for whatever is convenient. it's in our genes.
ReplyDeleteExample: Everything Sarah Palin does.
The bottom line is that when the police tell you to stop and do what they say, you stop and do what they say.
ReplyDeleteCase closed.
Love the cartoon.
ReplyDeleteI'm still with the homeowner on this one.
If I were in my very own home and the police arrived with guns drawn accusing me of being a burglar, I'd be pretty annoyed too, once I got over being terrified for my life.
And although it's easy to say, "just cooperate and everything will be fine," that is not always true for minorities in this country.
And, it is my understanding that the professor did eventually produce ID which clearly showed he lived in the house. If true, there was no reason at all to arrest him, no matter how belligerent or rude he was. Shouldn't we all have the *right* (in this country where we so value freedom and individual rights) to be rude to anyone (including a police officer) who appears in our home uninvited, accusing us of being a burglar? While it may have been a kinder, gentler, less provocative reaction to say, "thanks for checking, I'm glad to know you guys are protecting my home," shouldn't we make an allowance for fear, fatigue, historical discrimination, and any number of other factors that might lead a person to react with anger instead of gratitude when faced with gun-toting police officers in his own home?
Last time I checked, being rude to a police officer is not a crime.
Throwing a punch, yes. Rudeness? No.
Would the professor have been arrested if he were white? Maybe. But given the history in this country of racial discrimination, I don't blame the professor if he thinks race was a factor.
And the attitude that we should all just do whatever the police ask us, politely and cheerfully, and that if we had nothing to hide we'd all just allow ourselves and our homes to be searched, scares the crap out of me. It smacks of a police state, rather than a country founded on the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures (see, Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution).
Just my two cents.
If only Nicolas Cage would take them all hostage, this would be just like that movie "Amos and Andrew."
ReplyDeleteReminds me a bit of the idiots who get shot in Chicago, because they won't put down their cell phones while getting pulled over at night.
ReplyDeleteCop sees you waving something shinny in your hand... you don't comply (because your too damn busy on the phone to deal with the police) and BLAM!
And Barry should have kept his nose out of it. (Barry rant omitted.)
Yeah, I'm with Zibbs on this one. I've had a few run ins with cops and it always pays to be nice to them.
ReplyDeletePerhaps starting another war would be the solution? No wait.. that didn't work for the last fella either.
ReplyDeleteHowsabout a big oul game of Sunday softball to sort the wheat fae the chaff?
How about a "Thank you officer for protecting my property. I know going through a closed door is the most terifying thing a policeman has to do. I live here, here's my ID, have a nice day and thanks again. Can I get you some milk and cookies, sir?"
ReplyDeleteI'm a white guy, so I can't possibly know what it's like to be a black guy in this situation. But I do know that you respect the guy with the gun. And no one knew who Henry Gates was until he got his 15 minutes with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. Just saying...