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This is just spinning out of control...I think...
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Gates is not one of my friends and I have read the police report so I can give an unbiased report, unlike the president who without even knowing all the facts (by his own admission) had no problem calling the action stupid...........
Gates is a dumbass. If he had shut up (instead of yelling racially charged threats).......handed over the ID, there would have been no problem. Maybe he should have thanked the cop for being there and protecting his house.
What was the cop supposed to do when he gets a call there is a crime in progress? And when someone becomes disorderly that have to do something.....too bad it was not a cops episode......
Gates is not one of my friends and I have read the police report so I can give an unbiased report, unlike the president who without even knowing all the facts (by his own admission) had no problem calling the action stupid...........
Gates is a dumbass. If he had shut up (instead of yelling racially charged threats).......handed over the ID, there would have been no problem. Maybe he should have thanked the cop for being there and protecting his house.
What was the cop supposed to do when he gets a call there is a crime in progress? And when someone becomes disorderly that have to do something.....too bad it was not a cops episode......
this!
I love it that O's big mouth took all the focus off his insurance crap and focused on this. LOL
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ugh! I agree! An issue is being made out of a non issue. Through Gates own admission of how he responded to questions asked by the cop goes to show he was asking for it. He was fishing to create a situation out of nothing. SOmething tells me if he had simply handed his driver's license over the whole thing would have been done and over with.Gates is not one of my friends and I have read the police report so I can give an unbiased report, unlike the president who without even knowing all the facts (by his own admission) had no problem calling the action stupid...........
Gates is a dumbass. If he had shut up (instead of yelling racially charged threats).......handed over the ID, there would have been no problem. Maybe he should have thanked the cop for being there and protecting his house.
What was the cop supposed to do when he gets a call there is a crime in progress? And when someone becomes disorderly that have to do something.....too bad it was not a cops episode......
And now Gates and his lawyer is looking to sue the dept. This is just ridiculous and abuse of the system. Cases like this undermines good cops and real racial cases.
As for the President making the comment he did...ugh wtf! he needs to concern himself with bigger problems than sucking up and defending his friends from the oval office without getting all the facts straight.
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Prez O had no business chiming in on this matter. Gates sounds like a moron he is lucky he didn't get his butt tased!!
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I don't know what happened. Therefore I have no opinion on the actions of either of the primary participants.
BUT I have an opinion of the Presidents involvement in this. (1) He is a lawyer (2) He is the President of the US. (3) He needs to keep his mouth shut on things he knows little about. He was wrong to say anything other than the process will work its way through the issue. Really dumb on his part to allow this to sidetrack his primary issue of the day. That said, I am glad because I don't think the healthcare issue is being addressed the right way.
Back to Gates and the cop. I have read the following
Gates is a professor and has study racial profiling professionally. He is a potential target of such activity. I would not put it past him to use the opportunity to create a case to advance his own agenda. Sorry, but without other information, that is how I feel. I have seen this type of thing done by members of all races, white included, to advance an issue (not necessarily race related).
The cop has taken anti profiling classes. The cop has taught anti profiling cases. I doubt he did what Gates claimed.
BUT I have an opinion of the Presidents involvement in this. (1) He is a lawyer (2) He is the President of the US. (3) He needs to keep his mouth shut on things he knows little about. He was wrong to say anything other than the process will work its way through the issue. Really dumb on his part to allow this to sidetrack his primary issue of the day. That said, I am glad because I don't think the healthcare issue is being addressed the right way.
Back to Gates and the cop. I have read the following
Gates is a professor and has study racial profiling professionally. He is a potential target of such activity. I would not put it past him to use the opportunity to create a case to advance his own agenda. Sorry, but without other information, that is how I feel. I have seen this type of thing done by members of all races, white included, to advance an issue (not necessarily race related).
The cop has taken anti profiling classes. The cop has taught anti profiling cases. I doubt he did what Gates claimed.
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I imagine it's pretty hard to have an informed judgment unless you've been targeted because of your race. I still think Gates acted unreasonably, but so did the officer. He should've swallowed his pride and left once he got Gates's identification. At that point he knew there wasn't a burglary in progress and it wasn't like Gates was going to burn down the neighborhood if he left him in an agitated state.
As for Obama, I think the internal filter should've kicked in after he said he admittedly didn't know all the facts.
As for Obama, I think the internal filter should've kicked in after he said he admittedly didn't know all the facts.
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I wonder what Obama's reaction would have been if this prominent professor was not a personal friend? If the same scenario happened, only change the races of the parties involved--what would the conclusion be?
Why is this an issue for the president at all! Friend or not, doesn't he have more important things to deal with! Granted I would rather he be dealing with these things then running my country into the ground, but since I'm not getting my way, I would rather he tend to his job!
Not defending him, just pointing out that he was asked the question by a reporter.
No matter where you fall on the issue it's too bad that we are still having this debate in this country in 2009. It makes me very sad.
No debate, all the guy had to do is hand over his ID and shut-up, problem solved. These Police officers were called to his house for a possible robbery. If they had been breaking into the house and the cops did nothing, how would he of felt then! Then he would of said they did nothing because of his color
Ow this makes my brain hurt! Bottom line is it isn't the presidents job to comment on stuff he knows nothing about, oh but I guess he knowns nothing about running banks, car dealerships or health care either, so you are right and I am wrong!
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5,276 Posts
Agreed. Both parties should've acted differently in the situation, unfortunately they did not. What I cannot understand is how one can be arrested for disorderly conduct on their own property. Is that really possible or is that one of the reasons the charges were dropped? Legal folks?
As for the president commenting, he was asked the question by a reporter and replied, it's not like he issued a press release. I think if he had to include the word "stupidly" he would've been better served to attribute it to both sides in the matter.
I think its very telling that the charges were dropped and it was called "regrettable". Unfortunately it is not against the law to be disrespectful to a police officer. I would never do it and wouldn't condone it but it's not against the law.
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My husband is black and when we discussed this, he said he would have shown the officer his ID, thanked them for watching out for his home, and the next day would have gone to the neighbor and thanked him for keeping an eye out for problems.
Of course my husband has no axe to grind, nothing to prove and doesn't say ************ to cops without expecting to get into trouble.
Racial profiling is real, and the number of times my husband gets pulled over just so they can check whether he is the owner of his own car is a good example of that. But it doesn't mean it should be the first conclusion you jump to every time you have a discussion with a cop. You get all froggy with a cop in the middle of the night and it doesn't matter what color you are.
What Obama was thinking by getting involved in this, I have no idea.
Of course my husband has no axe to grind, nothing to prove and doesn't say ************ to cops without expecting to get into trouble.
Racial profiling is real, and the number of times my husband gets pulled over just so they can check whether he is the owner of his own car is a good example of that. But it doesn't mean it should be the first conclusion you jump to every time you have a discussion with a cop. You get all froggy with a cop in the middle of the night and it doesn't matter what color you are.
What Obama was thinking by getting involved in this, I have no idea.
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11,990 Posts
Agree completely. And maybe Gates should get to know some of his neighbors. Maybe they'd be less inclined to call the cops if they recognized him.
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Let me make sure I have this right. So if you're rude to the cops in your own house it's OK if you get arrested? So a ill-considered, but not illegal, decision is adequate cause for an arrest? I just want to make sure I understand the pristine logic at work here.
I think Nick pretty much got it right.
I think Nick pretty much got it right.
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