Cambridge Comments From The President

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"I don't know - not having been there and not seeing all the facts - what role race played in that, but I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two that he Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home,"

"is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don't know all the facts."

"jimmied his way to get into [his own] house."

"There was a report called in to the police station that there might be a burglary taking place - so far so good,"

"I guess this is my house now,"

"Here I'd get shot."

These were Obama's comments on this Gates issue. Without knowing any facts at all Obama jumped the gun and claimed racism as the cause and stupidity as the reason. And here i thought Obama was different but it seems to me that not only does this reassure me of his pick as Supreme Court Justice being just like him but also that he is just like any other Black person who thinks everything that happens to them is because they Black. And this comment is coming from a Latino incase anyone is interested to know.

I think even Obama is vulnerable to the Biden Effect.

It just proves beyond any doubt that Obama was in fact listening to the Reverend "God Damn America" Wright all those years. Its no accident that he sat in those pews of a hatemonger church.  Michelle let on to this in her thesis from Princeton where she bemoaned her treatment by whites as a visitor and guest... there is a long pattern of racial grievance with the Obama's.  Here is Obama finally coming out with it and I hope the people who voted for this dunce are satisfied with what they have done.

~Charles~

That's the thing, I've also wondered about the issue of race when looking at this incident. Was the person that called the police station doing it because it was a break in, or because it was a black man doing the break in? I agree that the race card and all that is tiring, but given that racism still exists, i think the question should be put out there and investigated. If it wasn't the case then it wasn't the case. As much as I'm sure most people would love to do, we can't just sweep an issue like this under the rug and tell everyone to get over it. I don't think it would work, just like that.

Other than that, the points he had in his comments that you provided are pretty fair. I mean, would he not get shot while trying to get into the window of the white house. How many people know what the president looks like from the back side (since he would be climbing in a window)?

(\tongue in cheek)

On a serious note, I agree with him that there are those people that would be angry just like whats his name. Not necessarily because of race, but just...because.

I think Gates is just an angry man with a chip on his shoulder period.  His demeanor and attitude speaks volumes.  Now, he's going to sue.   He's supposed to be a smart man but I'm not seeing it.  I mean Harvard and all? 

Looking at the situation and reading all the accounts of this, backwards and forwards all I can honestly see is an uppitity Harvard Professor incensed that a lowly cop dare question him.  So he pulls the race card out attempting to trump the situation.   

I mean com'on two men (regardless of color) were bashing down a door.  The cops showed up just answering the call.  They were doing their duty. 

Think about how diff this would have turned out, if the Professor thanked the cop for protecting his home from an apparent burglary.  These cops showed up in a timely manner.  This is a good example of tax payer money for a change.  They came when called.  It was their duty. 

I mean com'on what could happen as a result of this if this Professor keeps on with this charade?  Picture this, two black men breaking into another house down the line.  Cops don't show up because they don't want to deal with the backlash?  Or do they have to wait until they can get two black cops to answer the call? 

And as far as Obama, he messed up bigtime on this one.  Showed his colors.   Funny tho, the press will give him a pass unlike what they do whenever Palin opens her mouth. 

I'm curious. Why do you see racism here? Because the man arrested was Black? Is arresting a Black man always a sign of racism? I'm even more curious as to why no body cared to find out the truth but instead just to conclusions and damage a persons life without knowing or even making an effort to find out the truth. Maybe it is true, maybe it was based on racism. Last I checked people are suppose to be innocent till proven guilty, but it would seem this only applies to minorities these days. What is even more shameful is that our President, the who is suppose to uphold the laws of this Nation was the first one to make accusations of racism and called police officers, who wall called to perform a service for the community while at the same time poutting their lives on the line, stupid and why? Because he was Black, a Harvard scholar, a friend and the son of a man who was an activist for Black people. Beyond that Obama himself admited he did not have any other facts.

Interesting although I would have to wonder that as the President, why would he be trying to sneak into the White House? As a regular citizen, why would he be dumb enough to try to sneak into the White house? His comments are not fair, they are not even logical. It was believed that having a Black man as President meant that our society was progressing away from the concept of racism, yet time and again Black people continue to hold on to the notion that a Black man being pulled over, arrested, ticketed, given poor service, ignored, looked at in a weird way, etc is somehow always racially motivated. I tire of this idea and we, as a country, will never get away from racism so long as too many people continue to see racism in everything a Black man is involved in.

When you or anyone else can prove to me that a large number of people get mad everytime someone is arrested then i can take such a comment seriously but again i go back to the same question. Without knowing why it happened, without knowing any facts what so eve, without knowing who the Black person or the White person is; why would anyone be mad about a police officer doing his job? Should we not wait till we know if it was wrong before was say it was wrong?

Do on to others what you would want done to yourself. You would not want to be prejudged, neither would anyone else.

I'm not seeing it, so much as wondering and examing it. You can't deny there is a big stereotype for blacks (and other races). No matter how hard we as a society have tried to work on ridding it...it's there. I'm not claiming the woman that the woman *did* call the police because of that. I'm saying, hypothesizing really....what if?

I agree with you, it should be innocent until proven guilty. However, Innocent until proven guilty is all well and good, in an idealistic society.We may claim such high principles, but the fact is that realistically we do not practice them. Think about it, haven't we had people do things and the public at large already setence them?

Actually, technically the guy did. Then again, I do agree...why would a president do that? Eh, everyone says things they regret. Obama just seems to be catching a case of Biden-ism. Speaking of...where is Biden? I've not heard much about him.

I'm speaking from experience; Sometimes...sometimes you just have those days where your head is not on straight. It seems like you think that everything is all grand common sense and intelligence in our country...but it isn't. People do stupid, stupid....did I mention stupid...shit. Oh, and watch Cops. (Kidding...though it can be educational)

Yes, we (society) should, but...we don't. That's the catch: shoulda, woulda, coulda...

I guess the number of  multi racial cops who came out to support this officer made quite an impact.  After that, President Obama did the right thing in at least attempting to diffuse the situation like he should have in the first place.  But I notice they keep saying on the news Obama came short of an apology in his phone call to the officer in question.   Pretty interesting in lieu of the fact that the Professor Gates was "demanding" an apology ealier from the cop and his precinct. 

All in all tho, the cop came out looking good and this uppity Professor made a fool of himself. 

By the news I'm guessing you mean Fox? Seems like he apologized as is. Yeah yeah, not "officially" and all...pft, whatever. He apologized; people are just nitpicking.

no actually Charlie Gibson last night for one thing.  I don't watch Fox news.  I get it online but on TV it's all liberal based news for me. 

I think it's hard, especially for men via their pride to back down.  Obama went as far as he could.  I applaud his effort although I do think he was out of bounds enough in his initial statement to apologize fully. 

I hope you're joking, lol.

I agree he pulled a stupid with the comments.

no, why do you say so?  You think  Charlie Gibson is a conservative?

Honestly, and admittedly a bit narrow minded, I figured you would listen to fox news mostly. My apologies.

this would be the same president reagan who launched his 1980 campaign with a speech in the very same mississippi county in which three civil rights workers were killed by the klan in 1964 proclaiming his full support for 'state's rights'--codespeak understood very well by his audience to mean a return to mississippi apartheid policies--and a promise to help return control of mississippi's schools to segregationists and white supremecists? 

what he--richard nixon, strom thurmond, lee atwater, karl rove and others who coopted and corrupted that organization which today calls itself the republican party--very clearly "got" was the exact opposite of that "shattering those barriers, not putting them back up" thing for which you so naively or ignorantly credit him.

what they "got" was nd is exactly what they all intended and expected acquiring by pandering to racial hatred and fear--as they and their fellow "southern strategists" openly and without reservation explained to interviewers on countless occasions: lotsa votes. 

in which parallel universe did that occur and how long did it last?

no evidence of anything at all similar happening on this planet.

President Obama, like his pastor and the KKK, belong to a group of people the world has tried to leave behind for over a century: people who believe that black and white are fundamentally different.

It doesn't matter whether one believes that whites are the superior race or that blacks are. The error lies already in assuming that they are different, that there is a "one" that could be better than the "other".

We haven't had a US president of that mindset for some time until the election of Barack Obama. It will take time for all those people to have died out.

In the mean time we can just accept that the President believes that white and black are different and that conclusions can be drawn from skin colour, ignore whatever the idiot has to say on the subject, and hope that he is not equally ignorant and bigoted when it comes to other subjects.

When I first knew of Obama's pastor it was clear to me that I wouldn't have voted for Obama. But for some reason the number of Americans who either don't care about racism or are in favour of it in some form was too large. This is one change I was hoping I would never see, having grown up in a time when racism was already on its way out in polite society.

If Obama had used his racism only while trying to get votes, I would have thought he was an opportunist. But if he continues this as elected President, I'm afraid he probably really does believe the crap.

He can (but shouldn't) say whatever stupid thing he wants.

But I have a problem with the mindset that made him believe, without knowing any details, that it MUST have been the white guy who acted stupidly.

He should replace his mindset, not just watch his words. I don't think the American public really wanted a racist bigot as President so he should better try not to be one.

(Gee, Obama's most vocal supporters called George Bush a racist. But what the heck did George Bush ever do or say that indicated in any way that he even recognised a difference between "races"?)

No evidence?  Are you sure?   In Acts 8:4-25 you'll see this later reconciliation I was referring to.  Here's just two scriptures, the first and the last from that account by Luke:

"Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John"  v14

"And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans."  v25

These Jews who once wouldn't be caught dead talking to a Samaritan are now fellowshipping with them in the name of Christ. 

I can't tell you how long it lasted.  I don't know that. 

That's what I saw as well.  I thought he was way too quick on the draw and the mistake was obvous almost from the moment it dripped from his mouth. 

I'm just glad he did fess up.  I also hope he learns a lesson in all this.  

I also don't like to read any news reports that kind of gloss this all over by saying there was mistakes on both sides.  So far, it looks like the cop went by the book.  Gates way over reacted immediately by the looks of things. 

Yup, Mississippi's no better than pre-Mandela South Africa.

pre-mandela south africa was just that until mandela was released, just as mississippi in 1980--when reagan made that speech--is different from mississippi 2009

before you invest too much credence in any politician's vanity website, you might wanna catch freeman morgan's hbo documentary (i think the title is "mississippi prom").  old hatreds die hard, a number of locations and communities have a long, enduring and dismayingly recent history of politicians pandering to racists as an election strategy. pretending things are all girlscoutcookiecalenderish instead of the way they really are is dangerously naive.

the samaritans are, at this moment, very rapidly about to disappear into the past.   it's a race between them and a few remnant original nation populations in amazonia.

Well, it was either codespeak or it wasn't.

Hover you mouse over my link in #20.

as can you (as the reply from which this statement was quoted proves so well).

1. obama is very familiar with professor gates (as are more than a few people who don't live in cambridge).

2. professor gates was returning from a trip and had luggage with him.  how many older middle-age burglars carry luggage when capering?

3. gimme an example of a white acedemic of professor gates' stature who's had a similar experience  

4. the call that set this whole thing in motion was made by one of gates' neighbors--a white woman. i don't know how long either has lived on that block but i can tell you that ware street is one block long.   i live in the capital city of neighborly ignorance (i live in one 12 unit building for over 15 years and there were only four other tenants with whom anything more than 'mornin' or 'nite' was ever exchanged) but cambridge ain't la so i'm not too sure how she'd managed never to see him previously.

What despicable, utter nonsense.

Lots of people were 'very familiar' with Officer Crowley, but they didn't have a nationally televised press conference at their disposal.

You've never heard of luggage being used to haul booty?

#3 is just too assinine a strawman, not to mention racist, to respond to.

The 'white woman' did what I would hope one of my neighbors would do if they thought a break-in was occurring at my home.