Obama on Gates arrest: No regrets

Right. When he says stupid, he doesn't actually mean stupid.

When will our president offer his non-apology to the dangerous tonsil stealing pediatricians of America?

Apparently you folks don’t have a spellchecker. Damn I’d be really embarrassed if I were you, and I don’t even write for a living.

Gates should be thankful that the police questioned him. I’m sure he lives in a very upscale area in Cambridge that is policed often.

Why not read what he actually said, Kathy.
I think it's nice to see a reporter's question given a straight-forward and honest answer. Should we be shocked that African-Americans view police somewhat differently than whites? I don't think so.
There's no good reason to have cuffed and arrested the guy; and probably no good reason for Gates to have behaved as he did.

Why should he have any regrets !! The police acted stupidly and that is that. Now, don't tell me that when one becomes President, he, or she, loses their right to have opinions or free speech !! What is going on with these Rightwing goons ? Have they lost the last vestige of sanity? Anyone, who takes the time to read the details of this story will arrive at the same conclusion: Over-reaction and knee-jerk response to a simple misunderstanding is the only conclusion that I can arrive at and that echoes President Obama's response, with regards to this misunderstanding. It was handled poorly. It could have been handled more professionally and it is my hope, misunderstandings and knee-jerk reactions will be kept at a minimum, in the future.
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

Has anyone actually read the police report? http://www.thebostonchannel.com/download/2009/0720/20120754.pdf
There are plenty of witnesses and I'm sure the truth will come out- The press loves this kind of story- the President encouraged the continuation of the meme (his base) but in the end, as usual, the country as a whole will suffer- This is not a clear cut case- The "average white person" would no doubt have thanked the police for coming instead of being angry that they "invaded" their house with guns- Understandable the reaction on both sides but the officer seems to have been doing his job- He has been a leader in diversity training- Too bad that most of the media reports half truths-omitting major facts-

As I said on the excellent thread below:

Asking Prof. Gates to prove he was lawfully present inside his own house is
rather like:

Asking the President to "prove" he was born in Honolulu, as announced in the Honolulu newspaper at the time and as certified by the Hawaii authorities.

Perhaps this is why the President instinctively sprang to Prof. Gates' defense.

This article should have been titled "How to not win support from police unions".

Way to go BHO! (dolt)

The latent racism of the Right is sickening.

Personally, if the cops showed up after I had to break into my own house, I would be grateful – it means they’re doing their job. You just calmly explain what happened, show them your id, and thank them for looking out for your property.

Now, what would Gates be saying if his neighbor reported two men pushing in his front door, the cops didn’t respond, and he ended up getting robbed? He’d probably claim the cops didn’t show up because they knew he was black…

LOL...Kathy.

I wish someone from the White House press corp would have asked the president to opine on which is a bigger threat to Americans: greedy tonsil stealing doctors or cops performing their duty.

Flo, I did read it. And I heard it. Did you?

Next you'll be telling me he didn't acuse American doctors of butchering little children for profit either.

Please help me!

I now spend my days in fear that an INS official will knock on my door, round up my family, and deport us.

After all... how can I be REALLY, ACTUALLY, TRULY and COMPLETELY sure I'm in the country legally.

Now.....yes, I have a birth certificate that says I was born in Chicago, Illinois and, yes, my parents tell me I was born at Edgewater Hospital and, yes, up until now I've been allowed to live and reside and educate myself and work in the United States of America, but without some law to verify the fact that all the documentation AND my memories AND what my mommy and daddy told me is TRUE who can say for certain I wasn't actually born, well... anywhere.

I might be Sudanese.

Or Chinese.

Or any of a thousand different "ese" I've never thought of.

Hell, I could really be a citizen of IRAN, which would, justifiably put me on a thousand different watch lists and make me ineligible to compete on or watch American Idol!

Now that I think of it... not being an American... how did I even learn to speak or write in English (good GOD can you even READ what I'm writing?).

Have I eaten a hot dog?

Do I know how to play football?

Am I male... caucasian... HUMAN?

I have a diploma... but did I REALLY go to college?

I have a mortgage... but do I own a house? (Help me out here, failed Swamp financial "expert" Terry!)

I have a marriage license... but maybe that never happened either.

Am I ANYTHING my documents say I am or have I always been plotting to impersonate myself?

And see, since I'm quite sure I DID NOT ever apply for, nor was granted, a green card (and don't even mention the process of becoming a naturalized citizen) I might just be an illegal alien hiding in plain sight of myself, while taking the jobs and social services for real Americans (whomever they might be).

Furthermore, my wife (if she really IS my wife), Mary, might not be a natural or naturalized citizen and though my children have birth certificates CLAIMING they were born in Dekalb, IL... my youngest son on THIS day seven years ago... and I'm pretty sure I remember being on domestic soil when he came out all purple and goopy, without a law to reconfirm and redocument what previously been confirmed and documented on driver's licenses and passports and loan documentations, how can I know what is TOTALLY, ABSOLUTELY, VERIFIABLY, CROSS-MY-HEART-AND-STICK-A-NEEDLE-IN-MY-EYE true?

(And by true, I mean "the earth is 6000 years old" true not "fakey-fakey evolution" true.)

Dear God, please, oh Pete, let congress pass the Republican sponsered and Godly blessed HR-1503 bill, so that I can one day hold my head high, knowing that I am who 45 years of paperwork, memories, and endless documentation says I--.....gulp.

(Oh, God. There's someone at the door. This is it! This is the end. PLEASE KNOW... I LOVED YOU BEST!!)

(Never mind... just a pizza. Mmmm, pepperoni.)
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt3dz9KX3UE
.

I read the report....Gates wasn't threatening anyone with violence (see the definition of tumultuous), so the police officer's observation was in error.
Gates had no foundation to claim racism. His observation was in error.
Was there even a hint of empathy registered by the officer. Empathy is a well know tool used to quell anger during situations of confrontation. Police are trained in this as are most people who deal with the public on a daily basis.
Gates was angry. Probably more at himself than at anyone else. He was probably also embaressed. The office did absolutely nothing to difuse the situation. From the reports it appears the officer served more to heighten the tension. This is bad police work.
Both Gates and the officer were guilty of ignorant (read stupid) behaviour. If both are calm and reasonable men they should be able to face each other and apologize.
Doubt that will happen though.....

I watched it, Kathy; butchering? I guess we hear what we want to hear.Nice try at changing the subject.

Ah....there is nothing like a story about race to bring out the poor discriminated against whites to come out in force. The religious can believe that this still happens...after all...didn't they just leave 2 cans of beans and franks and an old can of tuna fish for the poor at church last Sunday? These poor white folk who squawk about that poor white firefighter and have never had to taste REAL discrimination. The caring religious who don't have the brains to see how blacks make about 1/10 of the wealth a white man does. They get all pissy when they hear a story.....but never had to live that story. Don't worry...put an extra buck in the offering plate and you will feel better about yourselves.

@Posted by: Republican birther sociopath

Hard to tell what your point is, but if it is supposed to be a commentary on Obama's refusal to prove his citizenship, it is worth noting that, unlike the citizenship of the President, your status is probably of no consequence to anyone else.

It's impossible to keep track of how the Republicon party inferiorizes the scary black people.

Thankfully, we now have an easy to follow flow chart guide to keep us up to date on the latest dog whistle phrases the Republicon party uses to fire up what's left of their low IQ base:

1955 - They are an inferior race

1965 - They are lazy workers

1975 - They make old white customers uncomfortable

1985 - Affirmative action means their diplomas are bogus

1995 - They are a litigation risk for discrimination

2009 - They are racists who discriminate against white people

Sergeant Crowley Does His Job and Is Vilified for It!

A policeman’s lot is not a happy one.
Police.
Ah!
Sergeant & Police.
When constabulary duty’s to be done, to be done,
A policeman’s lot is not a happy one, happy one.

(Pirates of Penzance)

Gilbert and Sullivan could have told Sgt. James Crowley of the Cambridge, MA, Police Department that his “lot is not a happy one,” but Crowley probably already knew that. He certainly knew it after properly investigating a suspected burglary on the afternoon of July 16th.

Acting on a report of a witness who saw ”two black males with backpacks” apparently breaking and entering a private home on Ware Street, Crowley did his assigned duty and sought to question one of the men. It ended up with his arresting the suspect for disorderly conduct.

The rest, as they say, is history, one more incident involving a black man, a white cop, and charges of racism against the cop for simply doing what he gets paid to do. This particular incident has taken on the trappings of a major brouhaha since the suspect turned out to be “renowned black scholar,” Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates.

Adding to the farce, black comedian Bill Cosby felt it incumbent to throw in his two cents, at first expressing his shock that the black president of the United States saw fit to jump into the fray during a health care news conference. (Cosby later retracted his shock.)

One must assume the matter somehow qualified as a health care issue.

The president admitted he didn’t know all the facts yet nevertheless saw fit to condemn the Cambridge P.D. and, by inference, Sgt. Crowley, for acting “stupidly” in performing their duty.

He then launched into a mini-diatribe on race relations, saying, “There’s a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That’s just a fact:” http://bit.ly/PFluz. (That link includes a video featuring Crowley.)

After it all hit the fan, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs semi-retracted Obama’s “stupidly” comment by saying, “Let me be clear, he was not calling the officer stupid.”

Of course not! It’s just the Cambridge P.D. he was calling stupid. That, too, is a fact.

Now, far be it from me to impugn the chief executive’s motives in calling anyone stupid. Nor would I dare question his manufacturing charges of racial profiling from a minor incident about which he knew next to nothing; he has a penchant for such things.

It struck me, though, that with all the problems on the nation’s plate right now, Obama still felt the need to stupidly and baselessly lambaste some cops.

The fact the matter involved a black may have played a part.

Anyway, the outraged Prof. Gates, who had noisily and verbally abused Sgt. Crowley and who . . .

(Read the rest at http://genelalor.com)

You know what's more ridiculous than the Righteous Religious Right White Devil Who Donates To Charity, the Righteous Religious Left White Devil Who Runs the Charity; they know the 'struggle' better. To a rational thinking person: THIS case was NOT the best case for A National Highlight on Racial-Profiling and Discrimination as much as People in High Palaces Throw Caution to the Wind and Stick Up for their Friends in High Places. Nice to see Obama take so much interest in local policing. Even more tickled that Obama chose to speak before an investigation happened blatantly implicating the cop as a racist in his musings; nationally exposing him to be a racist. Really, this case was not as clear cut as maybe Obama's clear cut alliance. Surely, Gates did not do anything to deserve the ride to prescient. Surely, the cop did everything wrong.
Verbally accosting an officer should only be reserved for cases of drunks and street skunks. Preferably, involving white cocaine/heroin addicts and tasers.

Just possibly racism might take a back seat if we were all labeled Americans and not Africian Americans (who have never been to Africa), Mexican Americans (that one's a difficult one) and so on and so forth.
Why all the hyphenated Americans??

Well Flo, he did say stupid, didn't he? We've all heard the replay about 300 times today.

And removing a healthy organ for profit would be butchery. Perhaps you prefer a different word. I think mine works just fine. What would you like to call what Obama accused the doctors of doing?

Comeasyouare,

1964 - Cast a higher % of votes for the Civil Rights Act then the democrats.

The very same angry old rich white guys who run the GOP, the one's who have been cultivating their followers to follow their base instincts such as race baiting xenophobia, war mongering, promoting enhanced interrogation techniques, and giving the wealthy continuous socialistic support, now want us to believe that a Black guy is a racist against White guys? Ha Ha Ha!

This is a perfect example of the difference between Democrats and Republicans in 2009:

Democrats are debating how to tackle health care and whether a public option works best and how best to get costs under control........Meanwhile, the Republican party has become fixated on the idea that Barack Obama's family faked his birth certificate 47 years ago, knowing he would run for President eventually and need a cover story.

I find it amazing that the average Republican minion in 2009 can even dress themself in the morning without getting instructions from Rush and Sean Hannity first.

It's stupid to arrest anyone for Disturbing the Police.

Sgt. CYA says he could have been making a training film in Police Courtesy and Professionalism - Gates says he was tricked into the old DOC/Resist/BatteryLEO Friday Night Special. (but he missed the main event).

If nothing else, complicit Black cops are making the thin blue line "diverse" and there is one pissed off negro with the President's ear.

Read 414 US 14

Don Fitzgerald is right. "It was handled poorly. It could have been handled more professionally" Gates should have produced identification proving who he was and telling the cop the house was clear of intruders. Instead he rants and raves about the "race injustice" and refusing to ID himself.
Can't wait to read Gate's new bestseller!

It is interesting to read all the insults being slung back and forth on the blog. It's also easy to decipher the educated from the ignorant (those unlearned in the areas of racism, religion and politics) as well.

One thing is fact, white America has accepted black Americans but herein lies the problem. Black America (not as a whole, but in general, those who have understand, albiet, they are labeled "Uncle Tom" by their brothers who do not understand) has refused to embrace that acceptance? Why? Because acceptance means equality, which means responsibility, which in turn means active participation in citizenship. It is far easier to throw the "race card" in the face of White America (as with Gates) than to comply with the laws and rules that dictate acceptable behavior in a productive society.

Until we see this embracing of accpetance, there will always be the media hype to follow the diatribe of Black America against "the racists white regime".

The point of why this is so stupid, is that if the professor was truly acting in the fashion that the officer claims, then he should've given the professor a ticket on the spot and walked away. The fact that he chose to handcuff him and process him at the station is not only a waste of taxpayer money, but is proof that the POLICE OFFICER is the one with the chip on his shoulder and acted strangely. This blatent waste of tax dollars should just outrage the pugs, right?

So amazing how the Liberals can fault a police officer for just doing his job and following a protocol. The "audacity" that the police officer would have for wanting to be able to see his kids at the end of his work day. Can a Harvard professor not "think" his way through this? Liberalism has a near perfect track record for the weird, the surreal, and the strange.

Doug Reader @ 8:05 a.m., I think that u are dead solid perfect on this. Unfortunately, that will, no doubt, make u and I to be the racists. democrats rule, this is their illogical world, but u have nailed this and I am not white.

Predictable: Obama says something idiotic. The news media covers it, and millions of television viewers witness it. He should issue an apology, but instead, he is blaming the media for keeping the controversy alive.

Thanks obamatrons!

People, read the POLICE REPORT! http://www.thebostonchannel.com/download/2009/0720/20120754.pdf

If after reading this, you are still convinced that this man should not have been arrested, then I pity your complete lack of judgment and understanding of the law.

If you find it hard to believe that Gates made the statements the report claims he made, well first of all there are multiple witnesses, and second of all, given his position, it is not at all surprising he would have a chip on his shoulder regarding these events. Not that it is justified at all!
Anyone who insults a cops mother, whether black, white, brown or yellow should be arrested.

READ THE REPORT http://www.thebostonchannel.com/download/2009/0720/20120754.pdf
before you comment.

And Doug Reeder, at 8.05, well said!

Will the real America, please stand up? I cannot believe what is going on in our country. In a short 6 months after President Obama's election, we may be on the verge of having government-micro-managed health care "hurriedly shoved down our throats". Mr. President is continuously apologizing for our efforts overseas that are obviously helping other nations to live free and enjoy a better life style, one of their own choosing. Mr. President is now jumping into local issues telling local police that they acted stupidly. I believe it is obvious that "the personal friend" of Mr. President Obama, Professor Henry Gates has a chip on his shoulder. Once when I was a young college student, I shook hands with a black professor with a "thumb grasp" type of hand shake. He very quickly, and very loudly told me the only reason I shook hands with him in this manner was because he was black. He was wrong! That put a quick end to the relationship, possibly that was his goal. Who is really prejudiced here? Is it possible some true colors are starting to show through! Are they still red, white and blue?

Does ANYONE in here think that Obama would have commented on this incident AT ALL if the Harvard Professor was WHITE?...
Doesn't he have BETTER things to concern himself with?...
OBAMA IS A RACIST.

Truthhrts @ 9:04 PM

I DO think that Obama would have commented on this incident, regardless. That is because he is Mustapha Mond, the alpha World Leader, and Mustapha Mond comments on everything. That’s what an alpha World Leader does.

When Mark Buehrle was notching his perfect game no-hitter, I knew that a communicade from Mustapha would soon follow. His worshiping throng would have to be addressed. "This is whom they have been waiting for".

Wow!! I never thought that this will be such a big news. It went from Gates arrest to Obama apalogy. This has become more interesting than what I thought. So, I collected all the sites or articles (more than 250 sites or articles) related to this hot topic "Cambridge Police Unit Demands Apology from Obama". If you are interested take a look at news, video coverage, people views and reviews on this topic at the below link.
http://markthispage.blogspot.com/2009/07/all-about-cambridge-police-unit-demands.html

This is interesting from both a sociological and psychological perspective. This song that is generating so much buzz and airplay was written a couple of weeks ago by yours truly and may provide some answers:

White Lies about White Guys
Dr BLT and Rockwell
words and music by Dr BLT copyright 2009
http://www.drblt.net/music/whiteDemom.mp3

It's been released on the CD, From Buck Owens Blvd. to Merle Haggard Drive:
http://www.drblt.net (hit music link to find CD)

Bruce L. Thiessen, Ph.D., aka Dr BLT

Shouldn't the president have backed the police officer? The police officer was doing his job. Mr. Gates was irrational and making a scene. I do think there is a law about disorderly conduct. I don't think I would be allowed to yell and scream all night in my neighborhood without the police being called and arresting me if I didn't stop. Thank you Mr. President for your support of YOUR officers. According to the Whitehouse website the President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet.