Gates, corrupt cop, and Obama
(Thanks, Mo. Pic from here.)
The corrupt cop, Henry Louis Gates, Obama, and Joe Biden met for beer today at the White House. No one has apologized, and they’ve all agreed to move on, which should please racists all the world over. I know I’m in the minority on this opinion among the Portlanders I know, but Obama dropped the ball on this one. He’s turned a “teachable moment” into a non-issue. It’s kind of like when people say that a point is “moot” (debatable) as a means of not debating it. He swept an egregious act of police abuse under the rug.
Speaking of cops who are jerks, thank you Mojorider for sending this. Officer Justin Barrett sent an e-mail insinuating that Gates was a “jungle monkey,” and now he’s losing his job. I don’t know, guys, I’m a bit ambivalent over this. In the past, white cops who mistreated black people were fired (see Rudy Giuliani’s actions over the police in blackface), but after this precedent set by Obama, you would think that Barrett should get a free beer at the White House. Maybe you only get invited if you abuse your badge by falsely arresting a Black man? Maybe simply sending racist e-mails isn’t as exciting as whipping out those handcuffs? We should start a new movement: Beer for Barrett. C’mon, whatever happened to equality?
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I agree with everything you said. About #1…I think...
Obama has made an utter sissy fool of himself with this move. It’s one thing to “let it go.” It’s quite another to invite this bastard to the White House.
Obama is so busy trying to appease whites he’s forgetting his base is black voters.
Oh well, I can’t say this surprises me, though it DOES disgust me.
Obama’s White House beer fest was a photo-op.
It was designed to put a happy face on this incident, and more importantly bury larger issues of American racist profiling and police repression against minorities.
What happened to Skip Gates was just sympomatic of how the US criminal injustice system deals with minorities in general.
C’mon, whatever happened to equality?
It is waiting to be fought for and claimed.
True “change that you can believe in” will always come from below–or it will not come at all.
I agree.
Obama really did lose a chance to address the real problem of racism in this country.
I don’t know whether it’s a missed opportunity or a rejected opportunity.
I think I’d have to know what type of beer it was before I make a decision on this issue of national importance.
here it is from tmz:
Obama — Bud Light
Biden — Bucklers
Gates — Sam Adams Light
Crowley — Blue Moon
from tmz:
Obama — Bud Light
Biden — Bucklers
Gates — Sam Adams Light
Crowley — Blue Moon
I’m probably most like Gates since we drink the same stuff. I’ll drink Bud, but only if there’s nothing else (which certainly isn’t the case at the White House).
Thought some of you might find this funny.
http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/2009/08/analyzing-the-beer-summit.html
“But there’s even more to read into Blue Moon if one were so inclined. Blue Moon is made by Molson Coors beers, a brewery that certainly has conservative roots especially traced to the Coors empire started by Adolf Coors.”
Hahaha…this debate could go on and on and on.
Hey, check this out, the racist cop who implied that Gates is a “jungle monkey” is suing over his termination:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/05/massachusetts.gates.lawsuit/index.html
I think he should sue Obama for a trip to the White House. I still can’t get over how they brushed this under the rug.
By the way, Bob Herbert from the NY Times agrees that the beer fest was not the proper response (though he’s not as critical of Obama as I think he should be):
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/opinion/01herbert.html?_r=1
Bet Obama gives him lunch at the White House.
I wouldn’t give this bastard anything other than the back of my hand. I just wish that other punk was sent packing with him.