If you have children please don't let them read this post. There might be a curse word or two--or three--.
I am in a seriously bad mood today, and it started early. First, while driving to my plantation in Mrs. Field's fancy Scandinavian sedan, I noticed the check engine light. Great! I was driving so of course I am stuck with bringing it to the dealer. Mrs. Field should seriously consider buying A-merry-can. It's people like Mrs. Field why a great A-merry-can city (Detroit) is dying.
Then, of course, all I kept hearing on the radio was bad news about everything from Afghanistan to the O man's health care reform plans. Young soldiers are dying in Afghanistan like they did in Iraq and the shit is going to get worse before it gets better. Health care reform is going down because here in A-merry-ca we are too selfish to give a fuck about the lesser among us. So A-merry-cans are against health care reform 50-42. That's no surprise. Everyone of those people against it already have a health care plan, and they think that their taxes are going to have to pay for someone else being able to get access to affordable health care. God forbid that here in A-merry-ca our tax dollars could actually go to help someone else. I mean that would be too much like Socialism.
On my little walk into the office I saw the bum who I usually hook up every morning (I keep saying I am going to get his social security number so that I can claim him on my taxes) on a cell phone. Now I ask you, just what the hell is a bum doing on a fucking cell phone? As usual, he had his little can out, but I told his ass to have whoever he was calling send him the damn money. I bet his ass has access to proper health care, and what's sad is that I am sure he doesn't even take advantage of it. Maybe I should be blaming the bums for A-merry-ca's attitude about health care reform.
Of course, coming home from a long day of slaving on the plantation didn't make my day go any better. I was just watching Hardball with Chris Matthews, and he had a republiklan congressman who is co-sponsoring a bill to have future presidential candidates prove that they are citizens by showing their birth certificates. When Matthews pressed him to tell if he thinks that the 44th elected president of these divided states is an A-merry-can citizen, the guy refused to commit. Imagine that for a minute: A congressman refusing to declare that his legitimately elected president is a citizen. They are calling it the "Birther Movement" or some shit like that. But I have two words for these people: Get. Lives.
And finally, the shit that just totally sent me over the edge tonight is this: Henry Louis Gates, Jr. caved. Yes, that educated Negro, caved.
"'The city of Cambridge issued a statement saying the arrest 'was regrettable and unfortunate,' and police and Gates agreed that dropping the charge was a just resolution.
'This incident should not be viewed as one that demeans the character and reputation of professor Gates or the character of the Cambridge Police Department,' the statement said."
'This incident should not be viewed as one that demeans the character and reputation of professor Gates or the character of the Cambridge Police Department,' the statement said."
Huh? "Police and Gates agreed that dropping the charges was a just resolution"? A "just resolution" for who? A racist ass cop and his house Negro enabler, who I saw (fittingly) standing on the porch? Here is the thing: Henry Louis Gates shouldn't agree to shit with the Cambridge police department. If they want to drop the charges, fine. (Like what the fuck else were they going to do?) But once again there won't be real consequences for the ignorant actions of a knuckle dragging Ustase wannabe. Yeah yeah I know, he is saying he is angry ,and he is going to write about it, talk about it, and blah blah blah. And Jessie is saying what Jessie usually says: blah blah blah and more blah blah blah.. But at the end of the day what's really going to happen? I will tell you what: Not a damn thing!
Now I am going to have some hot chocolate, maybe that will put me in a better mood.
197 comments:
Really beat up situation, but I have to admit that on a purely intellectual level, it was oddly amusing to see the renowned cultural critic suddenly being thrust into the culture he critiques.
I can understand how that "positionality" might be a bit problematic for an academic, though--spend too much time as the victim of racial injustice and suddenly the objectivy of everything you say regarding race could be called into question, despite your scholarly credentials.
"Police and Gates agreed that dropping the charges was a just resolution"?
It was cover your ass mode!
Field, did you really think that Prof. Gates was going to fight the power? A person with not much to lose, perhaps. But, Prof. has too much at stake. Which is interesting, because it is precisely a man like him who has the privilege to make a real impact.
It just occurred to me that Cornel West has been uncharacteristically silent on the matter.
This is a thread jack a bit but Mike Steele might be angling for permanent lawn jockey status.
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=105657278701&h=xnjoR&u=G95Uj
I think Skip's boss a Harvard told him to cut all of the racial stuff or he was gonna end up at Princeton like Cornell or even worse (God forbid) at one of those HBCU's.
Field take a look at that SHOCKED BLACK MAN on the porch with those police officer''s. this man is full of disbelief, you see, it's easy to talk the talk, but, when it hit's home, the talk is different!
Now, in no way am I being critical of the PROFESSOR, no one has any idea, how this could have affected him as a Black Man!!
Mr. Gate's is in FEAR of his life, the charge's may have been dropped but, the memory of what happened to Mr. Gate's will forever be in his thought's, he went from being a BLACK MAN of PRESTIGE, to a BLACK MAN with hand cuff's on being arrested in his own home, now that's pretty deep, PROFESSOR GATE'S can now truly tell it like it is, he has lived it! and thank God he lived through it!!!! all thing's work together for the GOOD, this all happened for a reason!
I am an AFRICAN AMERICAN woman and it's just enough to hear about black men being mistreated by WHITE policemen, but, then to be a BLACK MAN who has to live with being Dehumanized well, now that's a different story all together!!!
The HEALTH BILL will PASS, the PRESIDENT has to go back to the table!!! how in the world, can you get MILLION'S of people to vote you in as the first Black President of AMERICA!!!! but yet, you cannot get a few stubborn folk's to pass a HEALTH BILL!
Wrong link. Here's a better one.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/americandebate/I_dont_do_policy.html?referrer=facebook
"A congressman refusing to declare that his legitimately elected president is a citizen." Gasp! Non-consensus in this country
Stop Drinking the Kool-aid, Field.
It's called "critical analysis".
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=104599
(Geez, he posts one link and think he's on to something!)
Elaborate on the legitimacy. Please. I beg of you, instead of mindlessly parroting the popular assumption that the media innundated the public and disregarding the real issue millions of citizens have in Obama's birth. You better pick up some literature, Field, and stop acting like the ignorant field negroes back in the day who didn't know anything but what was told to them
I am sick and tired of the 96% Essence magazine reader types that think that Obama is peachy keen.
Be critical. Real Black folks deserve no less. It's called the "long form" birth certificate. I am holding mine as I type. Besides the info in it, rest assured I am a direct descent of 'the field'.
Stop supporting the lining up to the trough of government-sponsored anything. As if AFDC really helped the Black man.
real issue millions of citizens have in Obama's birth.
Palin as president? I rather have Arnold.
It has absolutly nothing to do with partisan politics. It's called the Constitution. But, everyone knows Bush called it a "goddamn piece of paper".
(Or does everyone...?)
Even Obama folks in Africa say he was born in Kenya
Damn, you had a shitty day. If youre looking for a chuckle, check out my latest link on my Facebook profile.
I honestly dont know what to say about the Gates thing. I would like the man to press charges against the police, perhaps for depriving him of his civil rights? But what good would that do? What good would anything do? Suing for money, sensitivity training workshops, community centers for the poor, hell, what good would any of that actually do??
Ok, mabye Im a wee bit negative today. Sue me, I dont care.
I read an article in the Wash Post yesterday about a hospital that has cut their budget because they actually ADMIT when they were wrong, and therefore avoid lawsuits. Yes, wronged patients are given apologies and wrongs are made right, thus pissed off patients arent suing the hospital for malpractice, and as a result, they have decreased their costs. Sounds grand, dont it?
I dont know what the hell Im saying. But I honestly dont know what good fighting the police would do in this case, no matter how much Id like to see him do it.
L
S. Cain, just so we are clear; are you telling me and everyone reading this blog, that you DO NOT believe that Barack Obama is a citizen of these divided states?
"I think Skip's boss a Harvard told him to cut all of the racial stuff or he was gonna end up at Princeton like Cornell or even worse (God forbid) at one of those HBCU's."
Now that was funny.
Lola, I am right there with you.
JP, I will check out that link.
I am not telling everyone that Obama is not a citizen. What I am saying is that I REALLY doubt it. I know rumsfeld said "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence", but...I know what a real birth cerifcate looks like and I know what information is supplied on it.
I sincerely have my doubts.
Jeez, Field, kick back and have a Fresca before you throw an Embo...
Kudos on the "Republiklan" and your righteous Wrath against the CellPhone chatting homeless guy...I like to shine the 400,000 Candlepower Spotlight on my Crown Vic in their eyes myself, but you can an "A" for effort...
Think you're the only one besides me who's noticed the Afghanistan fiasco, 188 killed since the first Kenyan, I mean Hawaiian born President took Office...
I mean, WHERE is his friggin Birth Certificate?? I had to have one when I applied to be a citizen...My bet is its something innocuous like his middle name is "Rufus" or something...
Don't be so fast to Hate on my Man Gates... You ever done any REAL Jailtime??? Man like him last about 2 minutes in a REAL prison...
Frank
Fear. I think Gates fears that all he's worked for will be taken away from him through outright lies and innuendo. He hopes this mess will go away, but already some white people, and for all I know some black people too, see this agreement as evidence that things must have gone down the way the white cop said, not seeing that even if it went down that way the cop was still wrong.
I wonder if this incident will cause him to rethink anything about some of his philosophy on life in America.
O.K., enough of that. After reading descriptions of Gates's natural demeanor from his colleagues, I expected this.
I've got to meet Mrs. Field one day and find out how she feels about causing the fall of Detroit. LOL.
Anon10:40
You know Palin looks Inuit to me, are you sure her parents didn't cross the Bering Strait to give birth to her.
Well, the Gates episode didn't last very long, did it? All of that posturing by commenters: "we got your back, Skip"; some called Whites "crackas"; some even talked about the ultimate racial war; some even claimed that they could tell that the police report was fabricated. And some even accused Gates' white neighbor of spiteful racism. All of that bellowing for JUSTICE AND DIGNITY was for nought.
Sickening, isn't it?
Oh, and I forgot, back in December I wrote about these crazy people who continue to question Obama's citizenship. The only way they'll accept a black man as president is if he was born by immaculate conception or in this case be double American.
7 PM
Anonymous S. Cain said...
"A congressman refusing to declare that his legitimately elected president is a citizen." Gasp! Non-consensus in this country
Stop Drinking the Kool-aid, Field.
____________________________
You hate him 'cus he's black, you hate him 'cus he's black, hi-de-ho- a-derry -o ,you hate him 'cus he's black.
He could not have been born in Kenya during the Mau-Mau rebellion.
My father said that you can tell when a black man is doing a good job by how many white people hate him. The President is doing a damn good job.Jesse Jackson was crying at the President's acceptance speech in Chicago because he knows he's hated Negro #1. More white racist hate him more than Farrakhan and Jesse combined.
To quote my favorite movie for you today:
These are the days that the pages of history tell us are best spent in bed.
Have a better day tomorrow, FN!!
HAHAHA! I hate him because he's black. HAHAHA! That's funny!
I don't "hate" him! I don't know him well enough, duh! Being a blind hater, now that's just ignorant. I guess you also have telepathic powers so that you can see how brown my skin really in.
He is a citizen, yes, but a nautral born one? That's the 24 trillion dollar question. WHY, oh WHY 'Kid', could it have been an IMPOSSIBILITY for a HUMAN to be BORN during a REBELLION? (Please, I insist, a cogent response)
Folks still get nookie during war, my man.
On my little walk into the office I saw the bum who I usually hook up every morning on a cell phone.
I had to read this a few times..
I think it's more than crazy when people question Obama's citizen ship. I think that would have been part of the documents required to submit on the job application.
Gates Chastises Police Officer and Demands and Apology, per Boston.com. He's invited him to sit through some African-American history lessons.
I agree with anonymous at 10:25p and with Lola Gets. To Cain, if you watch the clip of Chris Matthews and the Rep from Calif, he has a copy of Obama's birth certificate, you can see it for yourself, I don't get your attitude about his birth cert. Field, I have health insurance and survived cancer. Now I am in the pre-existing category. If I wanted to I can't leave my job to relocate anywhere because the premiums charged by insurance would be astronomical. My insurance rate was set in place before the diagnosis of cancer. I hope and pray that there will be a universal health plan for everyone. Most of my family members are not insured and are paying the consequences of unaffordable insurance. Field, I enjoy reading your blog and the comments sent in.
S CAIN, you mean to tell me that, a Black Man would have the Gall, NERVE,AUDACITY to run for PRESIDENT knowing that, every single thing in his life will be an open BOOK!
S CAIN, and you mean to tell me that, WHITE FOLK'S would not check high and low to find out if, this Black Man was truly born in AMERICA? they must be losing their GRIP!!
S CAIN, you mean to tell me that, RACIST WHITE FOLK'S let a BLACK MAN become PRESIDENT of the WHITE MAN'S UNITED STATE'S of AMERICA! without the true proof of where he was BORN?
S CAIN, if this is all true then, white folk's are not as CORRUPT, VICIOUS, DEVIOUS, RACIST, as people say they are!
S CAIN white folk's have looked under every NOOK, CRANNY, CLOSET, BASEMENT, and yet, they come up with NOTHING! oh, and trust me they have spent MILLION'S of dollar's in HAWAII and KENYA trying to locate that so called (BIRTH CERTIFICATE)!!!! don't you know these people by now? these are the same people that put BILL CLINTON through HELL! he would have crashed if HILLARY had turned her back on him!!!! the REP/CON will let a entire country go under to get what they want!!!!!!!
Now if the PRESIDENT has out smarted these PITIFUL FOLK'S! then he has earned the right to OCCUPY the WHITE HOUSE!
Those white liberal Democrats must have gotten to Mr. Gates.
Where are the black panthers when you need them ??They musta been scared those white Democrats woould have went klan on they ass!!!
For crying out loud, the man is ONLY 6.8% Brotha! Stop treating him like he's one of us. You should know better. Look at his family history! The "Black" part of him...is Arabic/ Muslim! He's FIFTY PERCENT BLACK! HE IS RELATED TO BOTH BUSH AND CHENEY! My People, You have the 8th Wonder of the World in the Internet. 200 years ago- 1809- if you were found to be LITERATE in parts of THIS country you would have your TONGUE cut out! This is an OPEN CHALLENGE to all REAL Black folks out there: Prove to me with out a SHADOW of a doubt that this man is a NATURAL BORN citizen- like me and my fathers and his fathers and so on!- and I will do major league soul searching.
I CAMPAIGNED FOR THE MAN! but...I do NOT follow ANY man BLINDLY!
Do you REALLY think these super freak elite White Folks would have anything to do with Obama if he was not certified 'House' Negro' in their own minds? His mom worked for the Rockefellers! RESEARCH! WIELD LITERACY! If you do not, y'all must have lost your collective goddamn mind.
I meant 50% WHITE! Yes, I repeat, he is RELATED to both Bush AND Chney! He's even related to the Queen of England...on his mom's side of course!
Kid-"My father said that you can tell when a black man is doing a good job by how many white people hate him."
You know, Kid I heard that too. But I have since come to realize that whether you have a job or not if you are Black, you will have some white haters.
"The President is doing a damn good job.Jesse Jackson was crying at the President's acceptance speech in Chicago because he knows he's hated Negro #1. More white racist hate him more than Farrakhan and Jesse combined."
Kid, you add 'color' to this blog. Where do you get your knowledge and information from? The Jessie Jackson Watch Tower for Truth?
Field,
Instead of debating semantics, let's see what the law says:
Title 8, United States Code, Chapter 12, Section 1401 (note paragraph d):
The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:
(a) a person born in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof;
(b) a person born in the United States to a member of an Indian, Eskimo, Aleutian, or other aboriginal tribe: Provided, That the granting of citizenship under this subsection shall not in any manner impair or otherwise affect the right of such person to tribal or other property;
(c) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents both of whom are citizens of the United States and one of whom has had a residence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions, prior to the birth of such person;
(d) a person born outside of the United States and its outlying possessions of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of one year prior to the birth of such person, and the other of whom is a national, but not a citizen of the United States;
(e) a person born in an outlying possession of the United States of parents one of whom is a citizen of the United States who has been physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for a continuous period of one year at any time prior to the birth of such person;
So, even if Barack was born in Kenya (and he wasn't - he was born in Hawaii), then he's still a US citizen because his mother was a US citizen.
Unless, of course, the so-called birthers are claiming that Barack's mother was not a US citizen (BTW, she was born in Kansas).
So, let's call this "so-called birther" movement is exactly what it is: ignorant fools who don't like a black man as their president.
NO, MR.R, they are sitting LOW watching RACIST WHITE FOLK'S like you, you see we know you are out there but, we tend to do thing's different nowaday's!!!
The PANTHER'S progressed over the year's, they tend to sit back and STUDY the way's and action's of the RACIST! you ever heard of STRATEGY!!!!
Don't think for a second we are not paying attention to the way you attack little black innocent boy's and girl's, oh we see you MR.R!! you and your kind have taught my people a lesson! you have a track record of trying to destroy people of COLOR!
So the question is where are the KKK? are they out burning CROSS'S! are they out trying to teach their kid's how to burn a CROSS? or are they at their kitchen table teaching their young kid's to HATE any one that, doe's not have their Skin Tone!!'
Oh, and by the way MR.R, you wouldn't know a PANTHER if you saw one!!!!! thing's change!!!!
Article 2, section 1, 4th line of the US. Constitution:
No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.
Has it been amended since? I don't think so.
YES, he is a Citizen of the US. A Natural Born citizen? PROVE IT!
Of course, Dubya said the Constitution was a "goddamn piece of paper", so if a President says it, it must be true.
"Damn, cancel my Acela reservation," said Sharpton, "it was over before I could get there."
Anon: "So, even if Barack was born in Kenya (and he wasn't - he was born in Hawaii), then he's still a US citizen because his mother was a US citizen."
I was about to say the same thing. I find the discussion on the legitimacy of BO's citizenship ridiculous. The man is American, deal with it.
Wasn't McCain born outside of the US? Didn't the fact that his parents were American settle the issue of whether he could run for POTUS? If Barack was born abroad, has had an American parent, so how is his citizenship more questionable than McCains?
You know what is so amazing? That after conspiring with hospitals and newspapers and officials in Hawaii to try and make it seem that Obama was born there, the masterminds that wanted to ensure Obama's election created such a phony looking birth certificate...You'd have thought they would have been more careful so that smart folks like S. Cain wouldn't be identify it as a fake so easily.
S CAIN, you are sounding more and more like a TROLL, why would a BLACK man have all of that information on a BLACK PRESIDENT!
S CAIN, are you trying to convince us that we should turn on the PRESIDENT!
S CAIN, you have taken time out to do research on the PRESIDENT'S HISTORY! so that tell's me that you are not a legitimate AFRICAN AMERICAN! are you a WHITE PERSON pretending to be BLACK?
You can't reason with some people.
The purpose of Title 8, United States Code was to clarify the citizenship guarantee of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. And, yes, the Constitution HAS been amended - 27 times.
Also, if you read line ONE of the 8 USC 1401, it states, "The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth:"
Last time I checked, that's the definition of "a natural born citizen."
Then again, understanding that sentence requires logic and common sense, which is completely missing from the birther movement.
I agree that a McCain presidency wouldn't be legit, either. He was born in the Panama Canal zone.
This is far from a partisan issue, it's about the Constitution itself and the validity we give to it as American citizens. We can make an amendment to alter Art.2 Sec.1, and I think It would be a good Idea. But illegitimacy is illegitimacy, no matter how it's colored. Obama shouldn't be in the White House if he got in through the back door.
That doesn't prove he was actually Born in Hawaii, Cal Soldier. That just says that IF he was, he would be a REGULAR citizen. There is a difference between "natural-born" and "naturalized".
The anonymous post at 12:30am is correct, I believe. This S. Cain is a troll, please people stop playing into his nonsense. He is a troll! Ignore the troll, aka S.Cain.!
Yeah, I'm a 'Troll', being called so by people who don't reveal their identity. Talk about the Pot calling the Kettle...well, you know...At least add some substance to the debate other than blatant ad hominum attacks.
I still have my doubts in the legitimacy even after reading Title 8, Section 1401 of the US code. Looking at part g and can not determine if his mom was in the country long enough.
And While Y'all are at it, Barney Frank isn't qualified either... he's spent time in the Panama Anal Zone....
I care more about Ms Kim being brutally slaughtered than Mr Gates not being treated like royalty by his local police department.
S
President Barack Hussein Obama IS president. You can scream, spit venom, stomp your feet,& beat your chest...it's not going to change a damn thing. If you don't like it...you can always leave. Bye.
You know, I am ambivalent about Mr. Gates because he is intelligent and has made some good documentaries, but on the other hand, he seems to be an elitist and unfortunately, his daughter does not relate to Africans per her own statements.
Given his antics, I am not surprised that he feels that dropping the charges are just-well at least publicly. But then again, we don't know what back door deals he was able to benefit from, and we don't know the types of perks he will be receiving or even an out of court *confidential* settlement. So I am reluctant to criticize his course of action too much until the real truth is known.
It's a damned shame that a high profile man's own neighbors would do that to him. Maybe it was their way of getting back at him for being a dick or something. heheheh
But seriously, all the more reason for us to get to know our neighbors and UNDERSTAND the types of people and the true nature of our neighborhoods.
Since I am not an elitist in any capacity, I've never understood the need to live in exclusive neighborhoods away from people that are your family and friends. That guy was surrounded by evil and he was too blind and too publicly trying to be accepted that he didn't see it.
Too bad.
All I wanted to say Field is I hope you have a better day today.
Suit claims Roethlisberger sexually assaulted woman
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09202/985356-100.stm
Field, this should cheer you up.
North Carolina native and Edmonton (CFL) DB Kitwana Jones chased down a mugger in downtown Edmonton.
"You know Palin looks Inuit to me, are you sure her parents didn't cross the Bering Strait to give birth to her."
Naw, she's definitely stupid and vacuous enough to be an American.
Obama does seem a bit too cerebral to be from here, though. Then again he grew up in Indonesia.
BTW...Chris Matthews was hilarious last night in making one of the wingnut "birther" congressman look like a total imbecile.
"Suit claims Roethlisberger sexually assaulted woman"
Given past precedence in matters of NFL players, as long as he didn't hurt any dogs he should be good to go.
@S. Cain:
"For crying out loud, the man is ONLY 6.8% Brotha! Stop treating him like he's one of us."
Now the truth comes out. You don't like him because he's more them than us, as if you give a damn about us...because, if you did, it wouldn't matter what percentage of black made up his family tree.
And do you think I really care if Obama's has the proper citizenship to be president?
His mother was a citizen, and that a fact no one is disputing.
And that's good enough for me: she's a citizen, he's a citizen. I don't care if he was born on the moon, or on mars!
If we're going to force this level of assurance from President Obama, then I want to see the original birth certificate of every president, from Washington to Bush.
If the certification, and the listing in the local newspaper is not enough for you, then I want to see you clamor for the birth certificates of the last 8presidents: that's the only way I'm going to believe in the earnestness of your protestations.
And why is President Obama's birth an issue for you, and not Bush, Clinton, or Reagan?
"This is far from a partisan issue, it's about the Constitution itself and the validity we give to it as American citizens."
Oh, I hate to do this to you: I don't give the Constitution much validity at all.
It's a piece of paper that is used, as the Bible is used, to advance whatever cause that's du jour.
And, more often than not, it's whatever a political party deems appropriate at the moment.
Upon its inception it was a lie. That it is what it is today, is because of the efforts of blacks to make those thriving on the Republic live up to its ideals, and its pronouncements.
Otherwise, it would still be a bigger lie than it is today.
The Constitution is not sacrosanct. It was made for the people, and not the people for it.
We won't have a true Constitutional government until the people step up and take responsibility for its enforcement.
Right now, it's a joke....
The Honolulu Advertiser announced the birth of a son to a Mr. and Mrs. Barack Obama on August 4, 1961which just so happens to be the president's birthday. What explanation do the "birthers" have for this piece of historical newsprint, something that's been preserved on microfiche for years now?
"Monie said...
I think Skip's boss a Harvard told him to cut all of the racial stuff or he was gonna end up at Princeton like Cornell or even worse (God forbid) at one of those HBCU's."
Either he thought about his prestige getting a downgrade if he spoke out or he was told (or more than likely, hinted) that he would find himself at another institution of lesser prestige if he pushed this any farther.
Which is sad, because a man this prominent can affect greater amounts of change than others can. Sadly, prominent tend to say in the background and in silence just because they don't want to lose any prestige.
Amazing how lots of Whites have simply gone off the rails simply because a person who wasn't supposed to gain the most important position of power did just that. Combine that with the hatred from seeing a group of people thought to be inferior to them prove that they are every bit as equal, or superior even, and you have yourself one hell of a hate flow. If Haterade had a stock listing, I'd be a rich man by now.
This isn't gonna stop. As long as Whites see the BLACK MAN as an inferior being that's only good for hard labor, as long as they see the BLACK MAN as a punching bag they can wail on in order to assuage their sore egos, as long as the BLACK MAN is used as a punchline so poor Whites can feel better about themselves, and as long as Whites believe they can still control the BLACK MAN any way they wish as though he was a puppet on strings, you'll never, EVER, see a solution to the race "problem"......unless it starts with a "G" and ends in "CIDE".
I don't want to see that day. Negros in the hood can hold it down until the Govt-sanctioned White men with guns come through.
What did you all want from Gates?
I knew the charges were going to be dropped quickly.... and that Gates probably wouldn't want to have a drag out fight with the local Police department. Who would that benefit?
He's a Harvard Professor, and he's decided to deal with this from his perspective as an academic.
You all suddenly want Gates to become Sharpton and organize a march. But that's not Gates.... never was Gates. He's not an activist...at least not in that sense.
I'm willing to wait and see what more he has to say. He has already stated that he will be focusing more on the issue of profiling. That seems more constructive than a march anyway.
And as far as a lawsuit... well...as bad as the incident was... there was probably not enough there for a good suit...especially since the charges were dropped.
Unfortunately... "Disorderly Conduct" gives police officers quite a bit of leeway...and it's harder to deal with combating it in civil court. "Disorderly Conduct" can be easily misused because of its leeway IMO...and it provides cover to those who misuse it. (I see it overused all the time).
I stated on my blog that it was ironic to see such a prominent scholar on race...someone who examines disparities in treatment...suddenly become the subject.
He fell into the Hell Hole of "The System"....but because of who he is, his situation was quickly and easily resolved. But the average Black man would not have had a way out...and would have been looking at an arrest record...a record that could have had negative consequences for employment, etc (this is one of the underlying factors that is really killing Black males and Black families... these long term consequences of negative Police contact. This is what makes "The System" the socio-economic quicksand that it is today). So I hope he was able to see this situation from the perspective that so many others see it from everyday (no i'm not talking about the urban terrorists who should get the attention from Police.... but those of us who are not involved in criminality who are simply going about our daily routines and are stopped and profiled).
This profiling situation is one of the reasons why I stay sheltered in my apartment. I don't even go out to do the things that I did 5, 10, 15 years ago... a simple movie, a concert, etc. And I avoid certain parts of town altogether.... i'm concerned about urban terrorists....but i'm also concerned about accidentally falling into "The System" through no fault of my own...simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm just as concerned about Police as I am about the urban terrorists who will rob me....and who will shoot me anyway after I comply and hand over my money. Both worry the Hell out of me.
"And why is President Obama's birth an issue for you, and not Bush, Clinton, or Reagan?"
We all know why. Those three were nice, proper White men, even if one was crowned an "Honorary Nigger". Anything to get rid of the "nigger" and put a clean, proper White man (or woman, the way they're angling for Palin) back in the White House. It's called the WHITE HOUSE, for a reason.
Seriously, this shit is starting to piss me off. I'm starting to like how other world governments put a choke hold around certain media outlets. Can't have the dogs barking every hour of the evening, although it helps us by identifying which ones we should steer clear of.
And all this talk from the extremists among us about putting a cap in Barry O -- it needs to be shitcanned. Doing that will do nothing but open up the world's biggest Pandora's Box. And it's never gonna get closed. And there won't be anything of the United States left to put in a To Go box.
"But the average Black man would not have had a way out...and would have been looking at an arrest record...a record that could have had negative consequences for employment, etc (this is one of the underlying factors that is really killing Black males and Black families... these long term consequences of negative Police contact. This is what makes "The System" the socio-economic quicksand that it is today)."
You brought up a good point. But when the situation is explained to others, they don't see the frustrated Black man sitting at the table looking through the jobs section of the classified, or going to interview after interview only to be told that he is overqualified/underqualified/position is filled or get the "File Drawer #13" treatment. No, they only see the "lazy nigger" sitting on the front stoop drinking malt liquor while collecting welfare checks. And people get mad when they see unemployment figures kept afloat by people who have had their job desirability DESTROYED by incarceration records. After all, no one wants to hire a felon, especially not a nigger felon, no matter how many skills or qualifications he's got.
"This profiling situation is one of the reasons why I stay sheltered in my apartment. I don't even go out to do the things that I did 5, 10, 15 years ago... a simple movie, a concert, etc. And I avoid certain parts of town altogether.... i'm concerned about urban terrorists....but i'm also concerned about accidentally falling into "The System" through no fault of my own...simply by being in the wrong place at the wrong time."
It's why when I go out, I feel as though I'm making a conscious effort to make myself "invisible". I fucking hate that feeling and it's one that no one should have to suffer. All because of this black skin. What. The. Fuck.
LOL!
isn't this gates fellow the same one cooing, oohing and aahing about how much white is found in his genetic make up? lol! seriously...folks MUST start paying attention. paying attention will preempt a LOT of needless anger.
OF COURSE, he dropped charges. he like most bmales these days have no fight left in them. just let them marry their ww in peace and they can be counted on to be well adjusted to oppression and the oppression of other bfolks. lol! it really tickles me at this point. if there was ANY real fight, folks would NOT be standing in complicit silence as the mothers and daughters of the black nation are subjugated, degraded and erased. black pride would make folks stand and make noise and change. the deafening silence in the wake of these routine atrocities prohibits ANY expectation that there is ANY real fight left. think about it.
the bw in your side bar that gave her life for her nephew...does ANYONE else wonder where his FATHER, his God given protector and provider was? probably not...well adjusted to oppression AND destruction i say...
yep. i said it. thanks for allowing me to share.
blessings,
focusedpurpose
Skip's already chilling on Martha's Vineyard, & he has a subject for his next PBS special with accompanying New Yorker featured essay. That'll stop racial profiling, right?
OH! you took the black woman down! geesh, you left the misleading, stereotypical pic of his O-ness gazing wistfully and lustfully at the white skinned female up longer.
does anyone want to talk about the black cop in the pic? not so much?
while chasing racism, one would have to acknowledge that wfolks don't oppress by themselves. they NEED other bfolks to assist, always have, and there is NEVER a shortage of negroes willing to assist. anyone able to address that or are we STILL refusing to assign ANY responsibility/accountability to black folks? in particular bm.
folks feel a LOT more comfortable assigning responsibility and accountability to bw/bgs, and we must in some instances, however, it just somehow does NOT extend to bm quite yet. rather odd i say. VERY much a part of the problem as far as i can see.
ok, done cracking myself up. thanks for indulging me. lol! i MUST laugh at the lunacy, it keeps me from being sad or angry.
the incessant bm whining is not a good look. the refusal to acknowledge accountability/responsibility smacks of cowardice. yet another stereotype that comes to life with each passing day. i am not afraid to call it. really...what has one to lose? we are ALL dying with certainty.
blessings all,
focusedpurpose
@focusedpurpose:
"[S]eriously..folks MUST start paying attention. paying attention will preempt a LOT of needless anger.
Okay, I'm paying attention: I don't care if Gates has diluted his blackness, or not, he's still perceived as black by the white society in which he lives, and, therefore, by extension, what happens to him has ramifications for us.
That's why I'm keen on addressing this misuse of a police's authority that put an uppity black man in his place.
Whether he believes he's one of us or not--we have to address this outrage.
By the way, I like your fight, but not all black brothers are as you characterize them: "[H]e like most bmales these days have no fight left in them."
That's not true for me, nor for Field Negro.
And no one can hold a candle to our black women...No One!
I have e-mailed the good professor asking that he reconsider dropping charges against the white officer that treated him so highhandedly:
[Referencing the statement issued by the city of Cambridge], "It seems to suggest that you will not seek a remedy other than the apology that you have received. I urge you to give it further thought, as the pattern of police abuse that we saw in your case, is more prevalent than I wish to acknowledge."
If others here would like to do more than complain, drop Professor Gates an e-mail expressing your concerns:
hgates@fas.harvard.edu
@focusedpurpose:
"[T]he refusal to acknowledge accountability/responsibility smacks of cowardice."
I have no problem addressing it. In a perfect world, I would hope that the cop would have stood up for the professor, but...
in this imperfect world, I would understand his unwillingness to speak up for fear of the "blue code of silence," losing the respect of his fellow officers, and the possibility that they won't have his back at a crucial moment.
I agree that that could be seen as cowardice, but then I try really hard to refrain from judging, because things are never what they seem.
It's my hope that the black officer will, at some point, address this within the scope of his job, and seek an amelioration of police practice when they interact with people, especially black people.
Whether he will or not, will obviously depend on many factors, not the least of those being job security, a family to feed, and shelter.
"[W]hile chasing racism, one would have to acknowledge that wfolks don't oppress by themselves. they NEED other bfolks to assist...."
Unfortunately, you're right on all counts. I wish it were otherwise. But, I've learned over many years, that if you can imagine it, someone, some place, have made it a reality--and that goes for blacks that sellout blacks for money, for the white man's pat on the head, or for a host of other goodies in the white man's grab bag.
But, I'm also happy to say, not all black men fit that profile. Many of us are willing, able, and ready to stand up for what we believe--with more than words--but with actions that could get us killed.
We fought, using a million cuts that eventually brought down, or diminished dramatically, the harshest of segregation.
We did it, not by cowering, but by going where we weren't allowed to go, doing what we weren't allowed to do, and being that which would get a black man hung--being a man, instead of a boy.
I agree: "incessant bm whining is not a good look."
That's why I always urge action, rather than quiet indulgence.
That's why I say highlight racism wherever it appears, and resist the notion that it's not fashionable, or the Rights insistence (especially black conservatives) that we're oversensitive to it's existence, when in fact it's probably not racism, but the daily crap that all must contend with whether they're black or not.
I don't believe that we can be that dismissive of racist slights, simply because we wish to give white's a pass, or the benefit of the doubt.
The burden of proof should be on them and not us. Racism is their monstrous creation, their Frankenstein monster--and they should be the one to destroy it, and convince us that it's dead.
"[W]e are ALL dying with certainty." To be sure, but we ALL can live with the certainty with which we will surely die.
And use our impending death as cause to live out the days of life as though each may be our last, and in a way that will allow us to die with dignity, and with the assurance that we'll die well, because we lived well--we did what added to our stature, rather than to our shame.
"Field take a look at that SHOCKED BLACK MAN on the porch with those police officer''s. this man is full of disbelief, you see, it's easy to talk the talk, but, when it hit's home, the talk is different!"
Yeah I think that Negro was having one of those "welcome to the real world" moments. :)
"Okay, I'm paying attention: I don't care if Gates has diluted his blackness, or not, he's still perceived as black by the white society in which he lives, and, therefore, by extension, what happens to him has ramifications for us."
I am paying attention as well, and I agree with the above statement by BD 110% percent.
Ahhhhh, I am feeling so much better today.
Field, you of all people should know better than to listen to the statement made... NOT BY GATES!... but from the Police Department, on the resolution. You should be listening to that with a civil litigant's ear!!! You know damn well that suits are not crafted overnight (they JUST dropped the charges) and for all we know, his lawyers are negotiating with the city for some kind of police misconduct training/review..... So, this is one of those times when I think, wait.
As for the polls on health care. GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!!! Right now, the forces of the Health Care FOR PROFIT industry are lying, fighting dirty, buying as many congress people as they can.... to stop what 72% of Americans DO WANT! Obama is right on on this. He is up against the biggest lobbying group in this country. PEOPLE DO NOT BELIEVE THE LIE!!! And, if you want health care reform, CALL OR WRITE YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TODAY! That means both Senators and your Congressional Rep. They need to hear from you NOW!
Ok... stepping down from soap box and walking away.
I saw part of Gates' interview on GMA before heading out to work. He is demanding an apology. (Some spokeswoman for the Cambridge police said both parties were at fault. WTF?) He also indicated that this incident has inspired him to do a documentary on racial profiling.
One other thing, Gates denied he hated whites and explained, in percentages yet, how part-white he and his kids were, in addition to being married to a white woman.
LOL, Day-um y'all poach monkeys crack me up with your obsession with skin tone... Almost got me on Professor Gate's side now, I mean, he's at least as Black as our Kenyan President... What's he supposed to do, go to a White Owned Tanning Salon and get a Spray-On Cafe au Lait?? Thats where I hang out alot by the way, one place you can be pretty sure you won't bump into any FINs...
Frank
"So, even if Barack was born in Kenya (and he wasn't - he was born in Hawaii), then he's still a US citizen because his mother was a US citizen.
Unless, of course, the so-called birthers are claiming that Barack's mother was not a US citizen (BTW, she was born in Kansas).
So, let's call this "so-called birther" movement is exactly what it is: ignorant fools who don't like a black man as their president."-CalSoldier
Consider the so-called "birther" movement closed. Good job!
ditto fn!
i am not surprised by skip's insane and instant forgiveness...it was mighty white of him...and typical euro evasion...
i would sue and donate the cash easily won to charity in the nearest hood!
obama can instantly kill all of the noise about his kenyan? birth certificate/college transcripts/medical records etc...
all he has to do is immediately present OFFICIAL documents and this drama would definitively end...
so, WHY is he ALLOWING it to linger???
obama is gwb 2.0/warmonger 2.0...we have seen nothing yet!
you may want to buy that hot chocolate in bulk!...
How about a little dar skin vs redbone action?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Q6elCuI-UVY/SmarkrA0HuI/AAAAAAAAEKE/mBUnKLUmJmI/s1600-h/fuckery1.jpg
I hope the "Birthers" win. Obama's already in office (for what it's worth) and it may keep Arnold from the presidency (my personal nightmare) after the great job he's done in California.
As for Skip, I'm not a big fan, but it's conventional wisdom (on this blog at least) that no black gets away unscathed by racism. Skip has certainly seen his share before this incident, just like everyone else. Maybe he just decided to get on with his life. Or maybe he did say some embarassing things he'd rather not be public. None of us were there.
WTF was the press doing there at the arrest? Who called them, the neighbor?
Since I don't partake of MSM I don't know the whole story. The local paper did cover the story but not with a pic of the arrest.
He looked pretty angry, probably the result of getting cuffs put on him, like he was some kinda gangsta.
As for the homeless, many shelters are giving cell phones to the homeless, and so are a few police departments. I guess as a sort of citizen's patrol sort of thing. I found out about it from one of my homeless friends named Chicago. He's got one and has been able to report crime to the police with it.
So, there you go. You just never can tell, can you?
Bet y'all didn't see the pic circulating (among the white racists mostly) of a homeless black guy in a soup kitchen taking a pic of the Mrs. O with his cell phone. I fired off a nasty gram to the person who sent it to me because of what Chicago told me.
There are military brats who are born all over the world to American-born paretns serving their country at various foreign outposts. And those children certainly are American citizens, so is Obama, whether he was born in Kenya or not. (He was, as any sane person knows, in any case, born in Hawaii.
sharon:
obama's rabid fans are responsible for his media coddling and his EXCEPTIONAL vetting as prez...
he has languished via GOLDEN rules in all arenas since he ran for prez!!!
when and if obama presents the VERY SAME ORIGINAL DOCS aforementioned that all other presidents have provided, then this birther fire will pass...
until he does so, his sinister reticence and curious reluctance will only be akin to oxygen in that raging birther fire...
obama is now sharing the delusion and denial of his blinded fans to his OWN detriment
and in the end, just as with escalating wars/poverty/lies/homeless/jobless/broken promises/
endless bilking of the poor etc...he will soon be forced to blame ONLY himself....
ie
re obamacare:
do econ 101
supply/demand/cost/choice
i want medical care for all
but i am happy with what i have
i am certain govt healthcare will undersell and UNDERSERVE all
all employers will rush to join
obama's cheaper and infereior govt healthcare...not to help the poor...but to save cash and LESSEN care...
this is why even DEM obama fans are against this sham obamacare bs!
fyi
AB you know at this point any records, transcripts or birth certificates Obama presented would be pronounced insufficient or forgeries.
Nothing Obama presents to the "birthers" will ever satisfy these people. According to their reasoning anyone who does not have access to their long form birth certificate is suspect as a citizen of this country.
What they are insinuating is a grand conspiracy of both political parties and each one’s opponents, the state of Hawaii, various courts and judges, the State Department, and the Secret Service. Honestly, it ranks a little less believable than 9/11 conspiracy theories.
This issue is becoming a political liability for the GOP. Hell, most reasonable wingnuts wish these idiots would just go away so they can attack Obama on the issues not conspiracy theories.
Their end game is not to validate his citizenship but to plant the seeds of doubt and possible insurrection in the minds of the wingnuts in this country. You know those "real Americans" the Repubs keep talking about.
So what would be the point, what would Obama have to gain?
i disagree
all they want are the official documents
and as the obama care shame heats up, obama breaks MORE promises re transparency?
guess why?...
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-healthcare-talks22-2009jul22,0,7434392.story?track=rss
re
grand conspiracies
i agree...the grand conspiracy began in 2000 when gwb stole the election...he has stolen a third term via obama...and i expect pbama/gwb 2.0 to pull the exact same miracle/theft in 2012 that gwb pulled 2004....
watch and see
First of all, I do not see how Prof. Gates could have agreed to drop the charges considering he was the person who was arrested. That is not a logically statement to put forth onto the public. However, it does not stop Gates from doing something else about it. He could very well discussed his experience with the Cambridge police unless he agreed to squash the matter at the request of the University.
S. Cain:
As the matter of President Obama's birthplace. The man was born in this country. Unless, there was some conspirarcy between the hospital where he was born and the newspaper who printed the birth announcement in 1961. There is an underline tinge of racism. John McCain is a U.S citizen as well because the Panama Canal Zone was under US control so it operated under the constitution of the US. McCain only needed at least one of his parents to be a US citizen. Therfore, your argument does not hold water.
I can understand that you had fundmental policy and political philosophies that opposes the views of the President, and you should express those views, but to question his status as a US citizen is something completely different. You have taken to a personally level. That is like me having a debate with a friend about re-zoning, and my friend turns around with a retort saying, but you are mean. You are entitled to your opinion, but not the facts. Besides, if we worked on your premise, then we would have to question everyone's birth certificate because it's apparent that the raised seal is not enough for you. Are you a US citizen S. Cain, and how do we know that for sure? Hmmmmm.
I don't know how this subject was changed to a discussion of wingnuts' suspicions that Obama is not an American citizen.
His MOTHER was born in Kansas. She wass an American citizen. In this country, if your mother is American, you are as well.
So, this is much ado about nothing and nonesense.
I think BHOs just hidin that he's not even really Black... You ever see a pic of his supposed Daddy?? Doesn't pass the Jerry Springer test,,and just look at the evidence...
1: OK, beating a dead horse, but who loses their Birth Certificate?, its not like he was born in a Kentucky Log Cabin in 1809....
2: He doesn't talk like any Negro I've ever heard...
3: Hoops Skills??? Ronald Reagan had more game.
4: 3 years I've watched him on the National Stage and not a single "NOME SANE????"
Face it, his Daddy was Inspector Steve McGarrett from Hawaii 5-O...
Frank
the extreme mysteries of obama have moved from political mystique to political suicide
as wars escalate, more soldiers will become birthers too!
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=89837
why IS obama allowing these toxic
issues to mushroom?????
ONLY obama can do triage by REVEALING ALL DOCUMENTS NOW!
http://www.nysun.com/new-york/obamas-years-at-columbia-are-a-mystery/85015/
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=81550
sharon:
attacking those who have valid and persistent questions about obama's extensive and UNPRECEDENTED secrets
does NOTHING to make him appear more honest/legitimate
insulting questioners does nothing to answer valid questions
fyi
Sharon:
I do not know how the subject changed from Skip Gates and Field being angry to whether the President is a US citizen. I think there is something delusionally distrubing about it. Frank has been living under rock because I have seen photos of the President's father with his mother and with him as a 13 year-old boy. It find it amazing that we are having this discussion.
mystery = mandatory for a manchurian candidate like obama!
see classic details here:
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_hassett&sid=amhpOT5rlR1Y
"Health care reform is going down because here in A-merry-ca we are too selfish to give a fuck about the lesser among us."
THIS - Mr. Field, you have boiled it down to the essence of why we will not get true health care reform in this country.
"His MOTHER was born in Kansas. She was an American citizen. In this country, if your mother is American, you are as well."
THIS, Ms. Sharon - I don't know why more people aren't pointing out this FACT when confronting the birthers (like Frank) (what the hell are these people, part-time midwives or something?), if they won't believe he was born in Hawaii.
sharon:
fyi
FN began this discussion with:
"I was just watching Hardball with Chris Matthews, and he had a republiklan congressman who is co-sponsoring a bill to have future presidential candidates prove that they are citizens by showing their birth certificates. When Matthews pressed him to tell if he thinks that the 44th elected president of these divided states is an A-merry-can citizen, the guy refused to commit. Imagine that for a minute: A congressman refusing to declare that his legitimately elected president is a citizen. They are calling it the "Birther Movement" or some shit like that. But I have two words for these people: Get. Lives."
how did you miss possibly this???
just as you missed entire segments of obama's bio??????...
shame
at least one of his parents to be a US citizen. <<
I was wondering about that when I wrote my last post. If your dad is a U.S. citizen, you also are too, even if mom is foreign-born. Thanks for clearing that up. :-)
AB: FU
@ab
all they want are the official documents
Stop using "they", might as well use the all inclusive "we".
as wars escalate, more soldiers will become birthers too!
So would you like insurrection in the ranks; soldiers defying the chain of command because of their political beliefs, ignoring their oath, betraying their country and their fellow soldiers?
ONLY obama can do triage by REVEALING ALL DOCUMENTS NOW!
That's bullshit and you know it. Why would the President of the United States of America yield to the likes of Dr. Orly Taitz, Phil Berg, Lisa Liberi and Alan Keyes.
But keep going down that yellow brick road to whatever truth you might find.
sharon:
you continue to reveal your true unapologetic and illiterate self
___
all heavens:
i am not a "wingnut" as fn described..so i did not use we
but WE COLORBLIND AFRO SCHOLARS AND BLACK REBELS WHO NEVER DRANK OBAMA'S GRAY KOOL-AID ARE VERY PROUD TO CLAIM ALL!!!...
thanks!
i find it increasingly amazing and appalling that those who refuse to attack obama's flagrant failures and fiascos have no problem swiftly attacking those who simply point them out...
even as MILLIONS of people are jobless and homeless...10% and climbing rapidly!!!!
if only the obama nazis could get as angry about obama's sins as they do those who call him out...we might all get to see a proverbial OZ!
unlike obama, maybe the wizard can actually make "stimulus bills" work!!!!
allheavens:
i am not instructing any soldier to rebel...
i am only instructing you that their rebellions have only just begun
fyi
@All Heavens,
It's like reasoning with a drunk.
you continue to reveal your true unapologetic and illiterate self<<
And your ranting and raving reveals the true wingnut that you are. I wouldn't be surprised if you were wearing a tin foil hat as you write your hysterical(!!!) posts.
sharon:
funny you should reference inebriation with your nominal literacy/retention
nothing is as potent as the swill that obama nazis have been guzzling since 2006!
obama's fatal drunken driving of america into the pits of hell evinces itself more each day...
keep burping!
sharon:
maybe your own tin foil hat slipped over your eyes as you only partially read fn's post herein this am?...
You really love those exclamation points, don't you? Just for the sake of amusement, I am going to start tallying them. LOL. :-)
sharon:
i hope said tallying is FAR more accurate than your typical reading comprehension!!!
It seems someone always have a camera these days. lol. watch out family someone is always watching...
First of all, the man has only been in office for six months. I do not know, but perhaps him getting what he wants to do will take some time and the reality is that he will not get every. In addition, he is a part of one branch of the government and there are checks and balances. I will would question those blue dog and conservative democrats will not side with the President on every issue because they have their political careers to think about as 2010 is fast approaching. I knew Pres Obama when came into office, that he would have to make some compromises and it is a part of life. When you negotiate, ask for everyting and you may get half. Things like heathcare and the close of gitmo are complex issues that the average person does not understand because people have a difficult time with the possibility of shades of gray. Most people see things in black and white, and frankly life is not that simple for it was was, we would have figured out how to eradicate poverty in the world. Most people do not see beyond themselves, and like to thing of them as that 4 year old who says how she or he went to church, but professes that God was not there as he or she believe that God is Father James because the thinking of four year old does not grasp the abstract.
I voted for Obama because I believe he is capable of doing the job. I do not agree with him on every issue, but still believe he is capable. The question will be, can he get a healthcare reform bill passed and if so, then he may get other things done as well. We have to wait and see.
Field,
Thank you for your post. I've written here only once before, but given the tone of some comments here, I felt compelled to do so. I think some black commenters here need to hang their class rivalries on the door before discussing anything related to this incident. So the f-ck what if the man vacations at Martha's Vineyard? What does that have to do with you? The tone I get from some of these comments is that, perhaps, Dr. Gates somehow "forgot" he was black and thought he was above this kind of treatment. Maybe some of you should consider that his anger probably would have been similar had he not been "Harvard's Henry Louis Gates." How dare any of you presume that you'd act differently in this situation. The point is you don't know. And how do you really know if Gates is just "rolling over" this calmly, judging solely from the offending POLICE DEPARTMENT'S STATEMENT.
One thing a smart friend taught me years ago is bad boys move in silence. You don't *always* have to be outside marching and singing to get what you want, and you sure as hell aren't required to let everybody know exactly what you did, at least at first. The outcome should be our concern. Let's all hope that whatever Gates does, either behind the scenes or in public, makes the aggressor think thrice before sanctioning this kind of b.s. again, especially against students of color, who've also had run-ins. And yeah, I'm aware of the department's history in the area. For all we know, this may be the ultimate tipping point that gets them to back up.
I will say this: How many of you have passed over some co-worker's racist comments directed at you or somebody else? How would you feel if somebody who looks like you called you a "Tom" for "taking it," when perhaps you used the incident to your advantage later, and perhaps opened doors for others? This man is a distinguished professor. The disrespect you're showing here to his contributions to black folks' history saddens me. "Skip" is the name that friends, family, and colleagues call him. "Dr. Gates" is the title he worked for. We all should give this man the benefit of the doubt. He's earned it.
*And I don't believe that Gates mouthed "yo' mama" one bit. That -ish sounds like something out of "Good Times," or hell, something I'd say! They need to do better than that.
@AB
Excuse me, but I happen to be one of those millions of jobless people. But I lost my job BEFORE Obama was elected.
Almost 30 years of trickle down economics, corporate greed combined with 18 years of NAFTA, two costly and disastrous wars (I guess we as a country didn't get the memo, the economic conditions of WWI and WWII do not exist today, wars are a DRAIN on the economy) is not going to be corrected in six months no matter who is sitting in the White House.
Unfortunately, AB you are not colorblind, hence GRAY KOOL-AID or grayish President which you use quite often in your assessment of Obama. Whether he is authentically Black enough is another conversation for another day. However make no mistake he IS a bi-racial Black man.
And I have not "attacked" you, that is a complete fabrication used by you to deflect the conservation from any true resolution other than what you perceive to be the sins and failures of Obama.
"Obama nazi" and "drinking the Kool-Aid" tired clichés. Shouldn't there be a some sort of shelf life for these phrases? Damn Hilter died in 1945 and the Jonestown massacre occurred in 1978.
Hey, AB next time use some of that right brain function and craft an argument that comes close to being creative and interesting.
There is some very ridiculous posting and counter posting going on here. The point about a birth certificate is moot. He was born in the USA so therefore he is a US citizen. Anyone born here is a US Citizen. That's why Mexicans come across the border to drop their babies. And, don't go getting all het up over that statement, it is simply the truth.
So, what are we arguing about here?
Besides, the real point to Field's blog is about someone just laying down and taking it from the white massas. I don't understand why he is not House Negro of the day.
He should have had a press conference and had the Cambridge Chief of Po-lice to apologize to him in person or something.
Sojourner:
Thanks for educating the folkses. That needed to be said.
I think incidents like this will continue and/or increase. You know the power elite has got to maintain their dominance. But there's an old saying:
"They got the guns, but we got the numbers."
When are we gonna collectively realize that we don't have to take this mess-- ever again.
sojourner@12:33p,
Thanks for your comment, you hit the nail on the head. It's funny how people who have never been in high positions KNOW what that person should do, and how he should act. It's as if there is some manual they wrote for Blacks to do. That's the trouble with 'some' Blacks, they know everything and consequently cannot learn anything new.
ah:
i am very sorry that you lost your job
i pray daily that i do not lose any of mine
but i am even sorrier that you are blind as to how the blackish obama is complicit in the loss of far more jobs and that you lack any empathy for your newest peers!
i will never select my vocab per your whims/preferences nor will i ever ask you to do so per mine...
we agree to disagree
but unlike millions of blacks, i will never diss obama's white SOLO mom nor pretend that bi-racial people are black
so be it...fyi
ps ah:
my definition of colorblind is also proudly different from your own:
i see obama's gray color and judge him just as i did gwb or just as i would any other person of any other hue
most blacks see obama as a black man and then simply proceed to give him a free pass on every action and WHITE wash his every deed
never me
never that
fyi
"I wouldn't be surprised if you were wearing a tin foil hat as you write your hysterical(!!!) posts."
lololol- Sharon that was good.
about Gates, probably he was told to let it go or else, or some other kind of deal.
as far as President Obama's citizenship status, i agree so much that nobody ever cared about the previous 43, plus personally i wouldn't care if he was born in another country, i wouldn't care if he was born to immigrant parents, what i care about is that he is the best person for the job, he worked hard for that job.
ab are u sure you aren't rupert murdock or some fake news anchor?
ab-"most blacks see obama as a black man and then simply proceed to give him a free pass on every action and WHITE wash his every deed"
Good point, ab. But don't you know there is a different standard for Blacks? Obviously you haven't read the manual.
yes kx:
i am sure i am a black female with 2 black parents who refuses to dismiss any truth just because white men you dislike happen to be telling them...
and i find it equally revealing that those who excuse obama for his gray vapid silences dare to question my own racial loyalty
better to attack black truths by a black female than expose the white lies of a blackish president?
newsflash:
millions of blacks despise obama
for the very same reasons we despised gwb
that does not make us republikkkans/toms/traitors/treasonists etc....
it makes us COLORBLIND CONSISTENT POLITICAL CRITICS!!!
deal with that as you watch millions more become unemployed and homeless of all races
George Washington, Adams and others weren't born here. So, what's the diff?
Does it say somewhere in the Constitution of the United States of Amurdica that one has to be born here to be POTIS? Is it an Amendment?
If not, WTF? Educate me on this one.
AB, why don't you just ignore this stuff and take a time out. No sense arguing when no one is taking you seriously. You just provide fodder.
wb:
1. the disrespect is mutual
2. no one on this blog can speak for all lurkers
3. warriors who take time out while their enemies never slumber = suicidal
fyi
Yes, one has to be a natural born citizen of this country to be eligible for the presidency.
http://www.presidentsusa.net/qualifications.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_citi.html
why does she always have to put fyi at the end of every frickit post? i don't want her information.
ps:
langston hughes is obama's newest casualty
literally!
see more:
http://aliciabanks.blogspot.com/
Hey Alicia,
I, of all people, was not being disrespectful, so I hope that you were not directing that comment at me.
I just see that folks are good at baiting other folks just for fun, and there's no sense in biting the bait off of every hook.
We're buddies, remember? We agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
Whitney
why does she always have to put fyi at the end of every frickit post? i don't want her information. <<
It makes her feel important.
Why in the heck did it go anonymous? I have it on my name, dang nabbit!
wb:
i was speaking of the serial lying flagrantly unapologetic hateful incessantly offensive gnats herein aka sharon et al...
no biggie!...
____
sharon:
you do not have to remind me that illiterate house negroes like you have an aversion to all real info
it is why so much of the truth about obama is hidden in books...they very best hiding places from most anti-intellectual blacks like you...
fyi
ab, i said "fox news anchor", that doesn't challenge your color.
i remember pre-election sites challenged President Obama's citizenship, hate sites like stop-obama were attempting to apply immigration law to disqualify the President, i do research, i don't just vote blindly, his mother is a US citizen, he was born in Hawaii, end. i suppose u also believe lying larry the nutcase on youtube.
ab how can something in a book be hidden, that makes no sense. if it's in a book we can all read, it's not hidden.
You must be in love.
kx:
it is simply untrue and unfair to label anyone who questions anything about obama a racist/hater/sean hannity clone etc
fox news is the only netwk that is not obama tv
i will continue to watch it selectively as i do all...
i research all for myself
and if you mean larry sinclair?
yes
obama's bi-sexuality/rock hudsonish father lust is very old news in chicago...
but his sex life is irrelevant to me
my only concern is his screwing of my own bank acct/assets
kx:
it is hidden by:
1. the fact that most blacks/morons of all races have an aversion to academic/political literary fare
2. most blacks/morons of all races who do read have the very same severe comprehension and retention skills that sharon so proudly and brazenly displays herein
as a teacher
i was shocked to find that many of my young children lived in homes with 0 books/mags...but 2-3 tvs and playstations
Alicia,
Read that article about Langston Hughes' house. I wish I had known because I could have bought it outright. I am a huge fan and have his books, one of which was autographed to my grandmother by him, plus he penned her a little poem on one of his note cards. He was a guest at my grandparent's house many times.
I hope a historian bought it so it won't be knocked down. The place looks really nice.
Damn! I am mad!
Thanks for the info, but it is a bitter sweet thank you.
Whit
My God, people trust you around children? I hope you are saner in the classroom than you are here.
sharon:
never fret
i would never teach your kids
as
garbage in
garbage out
fyi:
i am a nationally awarded educator who had a waiting list for my class every yr!
and i still have a waiting losts for adult students!
http://www.geocities.com/ambwww/schools.htm
Whos Who in American Education - 2007-2008
Who's Who Among Americas Teachers - 2005-2006
wb:
yes it is indeed tragic
another reason i love and admire jews:
that would never happen to anne frank's estate etc!
sharon:
yet another reason to never fret:
if your child kin read as you do,
they would be in special ed
i am not a special ed teacher
fyi
ab, lol, i thought you said you taught high school math or something like that.
if it is in a book for all to read, it's not hidden. that's like trying to demand that someone prove they are not a facist, same logic.
see, i guessed right, u believe that toothless crackhead from a mental hospital, that is another LOL.
People the issue is not the Birth Certificate, we need to read between the line's!
What these people are truly saying is(if you are not WHITE you are not a true AMERICAN) the President can provide all the proof they say they need, and he will still be considered UN/AMERICAN!
To be a TRUE AMERICAN you must be WHITE! and if you are not then you are considered a not EQUAL in the mindset of the WHITE RACIST.
Pat Buchanan said it best, and I quote(his belief was that, the WHITE MAN build AMERICA! and he dismissed all the other RACE'S contribution's! and do you think PAT BUCHANAN is alone in this MINDSET!!
Black's and other minority's will forever be considered as (not welcome in AMERICA)the truth is, WHITE AMERICA want's us out of their so called COUNTRY! and the sooner the better!
Alicia Bank's, you can come on this BLOG and support the BIRTHER'S but, just remember, you may have a so called Certified Birth certificate but, as long as you are black you will be UN/ CERTIFIED to be an AMERICAN, in the mindset of the WHITE MAN!
kx:
a book that is never read/understood is nonexistent...
say what you will about larry sinclair, he has had a national press conference in DC to which there was no reply from obama and his camp...
and calling larry names will never bring back obama's special dead bgm pal donald young...
see more:
http://www.rense.com/general81/enq.htm
http://www.theroot.com/views/skip-gates-speaks?auto=true
There's the interview from Gates. Excerpts:
Now it’s clear that he had a narrative in his head: A black man was inside someone’s house, probably a white person’s house, and this black man had broken and entered, and this black man was me.
The police report says I was engaged in loud and tumultuous behavior. That’s a joke. Because I have a severe bronchial infection which I contracted in China and for which I was treated and have a doctor’s report from the Peninsula hotel in Beijing. So I couldn’t have yelled. I can’t yell even today, I’m not fully cured.
They took my belt; they took my wallet, they took my keys, some change; they counted my money. And I knew that because they said, ‘We’re going to release you upon your own recognizance, and the fine is $40, and we know you can pay it because we went through your wallet.’
I’ll be meeting with my legal team, and we will be deciding what kind of legal action I should take. I haven’t made the decision yet. But I am determined that this experience, my experience, as horrendous as it was and as outrageous as it was, be used for the larger good of the black community.
more on donald young:
http://www.eurweb.com/printable.cfm?id=39624
http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/donald-young-murder-obama-larry-sinclair-allegations-chicago-police-murder-investigation-phone-numbers-citizenwells-poll-does-obama-have-knowledge-of-youngs-murder/
i will never let anyone pull a race card on me for the blackish obama...especially someone who is cowardly posting as assnon
his white puppets and white deeds trump all such plays!
FN was up early today and feeling better--that's good.
I take the same line of thinking as some other posters above that we should wait to see what happens with Gates. There is no roadmap for a situation like this--it could take all kinds of twists and turns.
Biracial people often make a choice. O describes himself as a 'black' man. That's good enough for me b/c I really do not want to make that decision for all the biracial folks on the planet.
AB I've been reading FN for a long time but don't post often, nevertheless I wonder why you get into these tit-for-tats with other posters so often? Your feelings about O are clear, but why do people who feel differently than you have to be "drinking the Kool-Aid"?
I voted for him to be POTUS not God Emperor of the World you know what I mean? He's a human being--he'll do somethings right, somethings wrong, and he'll be shaky sometimes but really he does not control the universe and most reasonable, clear-headed folks understand that. I'm just saying.
rl:
i agree...
i call obama fans kool-aid drinkers for the VERY same reason that they call all of us who are NOT fans: "wingnuts/republikkkans/toms/race-traitors"...
i have not seen anything that he has done right yet that affects my assets? have you?
ps:
i voted for obama because hillary lost
and because gwb exclusively helped rich people for 8 yrs...
i am dejected that i BRIEFLY believed obama might actually "change" that and help the poor...
obama has hurt poor people even more than gwb in more arenas...and is hurting the poor more each day...and this is petrifying and infuriating to me!...
Hey Alicia,
Wells Fargo plans on putting the house back on the market. I may be able to buy it but I think they should give it to a group that wants it to turn it into a shrine or foundation.
I can see it now. The Hughes Foundation for... A place where at risk high school students could come and experience culture, art and writing.
Maybe I can get it together.
Whit
wb:
wow
you are my shero!
i wish i could do the same....
but i am struggling with 2 of my own hms!
best wishes
Hey Obama,where are the jobs?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xsqldG1huw&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fgatewaypundit%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F&feature=player_embedded
fn:
seen this philly news?
http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/news/articles/cop_lawsuit_for_racist_website
Mr. R,
According to Reuters on Monday, leading indicators
are up three months in a row. That means recovery for
the economy, one which was destroyed under shrub.
President Obama has only been in office for six months,
when the economy gets more healthy, as the indicators
seem to be pointing to, then there will be jobs.
4 PM
Blogger alicia banks said...
more on donald young:
http://www.eurweb.com/printable.cfm?id=39624
http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/donald-young-murder-obama-larry-sinclair-allegations-chicago-police-murder-investigation-phone-numbers-citizenwells-poll-does-obama-have-knowledge-of-youngs-murder/
___________________________________
Alicia when did you start working for Larry C. Johnson and the rogue elements of the CIA ?
What the hell did the President did to you?
Why for a so called militant sister do you think that FOX is fair and balanced, no matter how racist they are. No matter how many dog whistles they put out for someone to assassinate him.
Why do you have a bug up your ass about black men? Why do you hate them. Why did you take Frank Drackman side on a topic ( an avowed racist)one day and call him a gentleman?
Why did you one day make disparaging remarks about my father, who was murdered when I was 13 years old.I don't talk about your family.Where are your radio broadcast if you were a broadcaster.What class is your FCC license? My brother has one, do you.Do you imagine all of these things you speak of?Is your IQ still 330?We should have put you in the White House instead(OK, snark off).
kidding:
when did you ever see or meet a black man????
why/how do you see the blackish obama as repping all black men?
Kid, u forget the 5.0 grade point average, lol.
ab, i see you just ignored Kid's questions while continuing to insult him.
Hey Kid, I was thinking Larry Johnson too, lol
"questions" v. "rants" are selctive
and stop hating on my 5.0 gpa et al at uiuc in 1984!
kid is retarded and i will not entertain him
i do find it amusing and revealing that he has so many cheerleaders herein in his rabid ignorance
ie
why are people who are so visibly uneducated always daring to contest the education of others???
well, ab, i have to admit, you can be entertaining:)in an odd sort of way.
rah rah rah, yes i am just a silly uneducated cheerleader:)))
Damn, Alicia. You manage to piss off more people than a Klansman at a Black Panther Party picnic.
apoi:
that means i am doing something right huh?
it has always worked for me
why mess with perfection?
all of my heros pissed everyone off from harriet to malcolm to jesus
fyi
4:41 PM
Blogger alicia banks said...
kidding:
when did you ever see or meet a black man????
why/how do you see the blackish obama as repping all black men?
4:49 PM
__________________________________
I meet black men all the time, do you? why do you have a bias against mixed race blacks. Most black people in America are mixed race.
W.E.B. DuBois use to have Walter F White go to lynchings and document them.Now I extremely dark skinned , Walter White look like my Uncle, except Walter White had blond hair and blue eyes.That's how he was able to go to riots and document them.That took cajones.Stop with the crab s in a barrel bull.Attack the real enemy, Pat Buchanan,Jeff Sessions,and AIR-BODY on FOX.
kidding?
did i miss an election?
when did those you lised oust the blackish obama as prez????
4 PM
alicia banks said...
and stop hating on my 5.0 gpa et al at uiuc in 1984!
kid is retarded and i will not entertain him.
___________________________________
You show your ignorance every time you speak. You claim to work around kids, you would be fired immediately calling someone retarded.
Whitney B:
I live in Cleveland and haven't heard about Langston's home. Most of his work is stored in Cleveland at the Karamu Play House. Hadn't heard about it on the news.Do you have the link?
kiddo:
what do you know about educating children or anyone?
who miserably failed at teaching you to scan blogs?
kiddie:
what makes you dare to presume that i would ever slur a student/child as i do a stranger/adult moron like you?
Whitney B:
Maybe you're referring to a home he had in New York ?
ab-"i wish i could do the same....
but i am struggling with 2 of my own hms!"
Dear ab, it's good to know that you have two homes. Would you help a brotha out and put me up for a short short while?
Luv, your republican brotha,
Smitty
alicia banks said...
kiddie:
what makes you dare to presume that i would ever slur a student/child as i do a stranger/adult moron like you?
6:01 PM
_____________________________
When they teach teachers and other people how to behave, the first thing they're taught is respect.People with degrees don't run around insulting people.It's like a nurse having a "bed side" manner. You don't go around slapping patients.
My background is business and the first thing we were taught were ethics.People can smell a phoney.Why do you continue to bring up Larry Sinclair a person that tried to smear the Clintons?Sinclair works for Larry C.Johnson the guy that ran No Quarter and started the fake ass PUMA sites that Sugar your friend post on. Stormfront quotes her.Why spread a homophobic lie around if you are Gay yourself ?Why do post on Fields site but no one can post on yours?You're welcome on Pirate Satellite any time.
Here is the link about Langston Hughes house in Cleveland, sold for 16 thousand dollars.
Kid-"..Is your IQ still 330?"
FYI. ab never claimed to have an IQ 330. It was 250. Come on, Kid, let's be reasonable.
Thanks kAthY-xyb
Anonymous: I sorry I forgot about that.I was thinking of my I.Q. 330 and 1/2.
Hey there!
I am not hardly surprised that Gates didn't follow through on his lawsuit... this happens with black folks all the time... they are blatantly discriminated against and they decide to "negotiate"...
*shaking my head*
I am tired...
When are the brothas going to start kicking _____ and taking names when they are disregarded??!
Clearly, Gates is not a Que! Hmmmmph.
Peace, blessings and DUNAMIS!
Lisa
Lisa,
Please don't say Skip is A -phi-A.
Apologizes to anyone above who's already addressed it (no time to read through 163 comments! DAMN, People!)... but if it makes you feel better Field, Gates hasn't ruled out a lawsuit.
There are so many different accounts of what actually happened from the moment the cop made his presence known until he slapped cuffs on Gates that I just have to sigh and wait until the dust settles. What else can you do? I can speculate all I want but in the end I'm only drawing conclusions, slapping on my own feelings and experiences and passing judgment.
I think Alicia Banks has a right to believe what she wants. I am not a person who thinks ALL black people need to agree on everything, but I am curious as to what has shaped your views socially and politically. I am sure life has,but what kind of life have you lived? You have very strong opposing opinions. I also don't think you hate black men just because you don't care for Obama or Gates. Would you say that McCain could have come in and done better? I don't agree with everything Obama is doing right now, but I do want to give him time to see what happens. It's been 7 months.I don't think he could do any worse than Bush has done. Personally I think Bush has turned this country into his own personal toilet.
And this is why Black Women should not be wearing those protest T shits. Black men in higher positions appear to have no interest in the advancement of the community unless their involvement is directly and substantially beneficial to them as individuals. Gates is a classic case.
My sympathy for Black men being squeezed by the system continues to dwindle every passing day.
anon.7:34, of course ab got a right to her belief, but what about her insults and slurs, asians rule the world, nasty jews, granny is stupid, kid is a retard,sharon can't read, i try to like ab, i actually feel sorry for U ab sometimes, then other times no, then when u make fun of Kid's father who was murder, i knew that part, that made me feel so angry, why ab, do u say such shit?
"When are the brothas going to start kicking _____ and taking names when they are disregarded??!"
What do you care? No matter what a brotha does, the bw will find something wrong with him. It's been that way since slavery.
@Grata, since you have said many times how pitiful the black man is, why don't you find yourself a strong and powerful man outside of the black race? That way, we can stop hearing your whining bs on this blog. One thing for sure, no brotha is going to want your fault-finding non-supportive bitching ass. Don't wear the t-shirt, You never did anyway-so who cares?
Go find yourself a white boy so you can STFU.
For anyone who is barking at Dr. Gates for not going Mau-Mau on the Cambridge PD, remember he's a respected Harvard history professor and not a professional activist/pundit. He's not Cornell West or Micheal Eric Dyson.
On all the important points, Gates won. He's not going to lose his job, his name was cleared and the Cambridge Police look like a bunch of race baiting rednecks too stupid to read a driver's license. So why bother to carry it on further?
Should he go out like Cynthia McKinney and try to fight the police? Not his style and he would do more harm than good.
I feel you brother. At the end of the night, seems like we catch the short end of the stick. But I believe in karma, and when it comes back to these ignorant racists, only God will be able to draw enough fire to bake those souls!!
The President in his speech gave Skip (his friend) a shout out and CRITICIZED the Cambridge police force.Then he talk about racial profiling.Pat Buchanan is spinning in his grave right now (I know he's alive, but this will kill him).
Here is an interesting article to think about for those who see Gates as a brotha who the cops treated as just another poor bm.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32085686/?GT1=43001
The real BARACK OBAMA, came forth at the end of that conference! good, I knew he was a FIELD NEGRO! I never had any doubt!! he called the policeman STUPID! now the WHITE RACIST are really going to come after him!!! and I will be willing to bet you that, he told LYNN SWEET to ask him that question at the end of the conference!!! LAUGHING OUT LOUD!!!!!!!!!!
It is people like you that keep racism alive and thriving. Gates shouldn't have been arrogant, the police officer should have accepted his Harvard Photo ID.
Why do you always have to pull the race card out? Oh well I guess it just shows your ignorance and narrow mindness.
By the way I didn't live during the civil war, I did not participate in the civil war. At some point and time most races have experienced being slaves. Get over it. You can never move forward as long as you hold on to the hatred.
Anonymous said...
Here is an interesting article to think about for those who see Gates as a brotha who the cops treated as just another poor bm.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32085686/?GT1=43001
9:12 PM
___________________________________
I seen that article by Dr. Boyce Watkins and I know where he's coming from.He stood up for black people and Oreilly sent his haters after him and got him fired.He earned the right to criticize Dr. Gates.Dr.Gates got a big wake up call, he found out he's black. He's not special like he thought.Maybe he can wake his bougie brothers up and let them know that black people go through this bull every day.I think it's long due time for Clarence Thomas to get the Dr. Gates treatment.
Anonymous said...
It is people like you that keep racism alive and thriving. Gates shouldn't have been arrogant, the police officer should have accepted his Harvard Photo ID.
Why do you always have to pull the race card out? Oh well I guess it just shows your ignorance and narrow mindness.
By the way I didn't live during the civil war, I did not participate in the civil war. At some point and time most races have experienced being slaves. Get over it. You can never move forward as long as you hold on to the hatred.
9:45 PM
_________________________________
Did you know that Jews in Germany got the right to vote before blacks in America. They also got their civil right before blacks did in America.Now on the news you hear about a post racial America and reverse racism, things that do not exist.
Rat Buchanan said whites only built America, whites only fought all the wars.Now whites only get all the benefits of America.Pitting poor blacks against poor whites don't work anymore. The enemy is the corporations and the rich that perpetuates this.America is not black and white, it's rich, white men versus everyone else .It's time to pay the piper and pipers don't come cheap.
To the anon who thinks we are always playing the race card. You fucking crackas are the ones who dealt the fucking hand. That is what gets me. Don't be mad because you are getting the backlash of all your ill treatment of minorities. What did you think would happen?You thought we would shuffle and jive and sing you a lil ditty and thank ya fo not beatin us. Kiss my black ass. The biggest victims in the land. I am sure some house nigga will speak up for you and give you a break. It's always some watermelon eating cotton pickin nigga around to pick up your spirits and make you feel better about hating and mistreating blacks and other minorities.
Hey Kathy I agree. I don't think the name calling is called for. I think it's immature. I just wanted to know why she feels the way she felt about things she protest about. I guess it being America and all people are gonna say what they feel needs to be said. I don't care for the nastiness at all.
Where is the birth certificate??
Anonymous said...
"Where is the birth certificate??"
It's up your...ahem...your nose!
it is really a shame that cowards and haters are allowed post bs in my name herein...
i refuse to respond to things i have not even posted
kid:
respect begets respect
and
silly queries beget silly queries
your incesssant lies amuse me
bon soir fou
The "birthers" upset me a whole lot more than the Gates arrest does. In the Gates situation, there is reason to think that both Gates and the cop acted badly, but the "birthers" are racists who are trying to brand Obama an alien. They disgust me.
From the accounts of Gates's arrest, the professor was yelling at the cop and generally being a pain in the ass. The cop had good reason to be checking out the situation, and Gates was throwing a can of gasoline onto the embers. It was foolish. Even I, white as the proverbial driven snow, wouldn't argue with a police officer in that situation. I'd have been thanking the guy for being there, and been eager to show my identification and assure him that I was the rightful owner.
That much said, the cop never should have arrested Gates. He should have given Gates his name and badge number, then turned around and left.
Frankly, from what I've read I think that Gates's position probably played in his favor. If an ordinary person, black or white, gave a cop that kind of shit, it wouldn't surprise me if he wound up with a crease in his cranium. Stupid and illegal, but it's the real world. You don't yell at cops.
All things considered, I think discretion on both sides was the better part of valor.
Back to the birthers, their shit is truly beyond the pale. This is a very old story, and it's ugly as hell. The Republicans who are pushing this are a pack of racist creeps.
I need to explain my "discretion was the better part of valor" comment, because it was incomplete. That referred to the agreement to drop the charges in return for Gates dropping his complaint. That strikes me as the right way to handle it.
I read another post referring to an interview that Gates gave in which he said he had a bronchial infection and wasn't capable of yelling. The police report says Gate's yelling could be heard from the sidewalk. The discrepancy seems easy to track down.
"...The police report says Gate's yelling could be heard from the sidewalk. The discrepancy seems easy to track down."
Of course, it's easy to check out, since half the neighborhood noticed the commotion. I wonder what he was apologizing to his neighbor for? Acting a 44% black ass? Or was it 56% white ass? This Black and White racial composition shit can get complicated when the police show up. You damn near need to have a PhD to figure it out.
Hmm, I just read the interview with Gates. His story is sharply at variance with the police report. Seeing as how the police report cites witnesses on the sidewalk, I really think it should be investigated.
Black Diaspora-
i can appreciate your respectful discourse. i must respectfully disagree.
the reminder to gates that his honorary first class citizen card may be revoked at any time has nothing to do with other black folks that are not ever allowed this illusion/delusion. nothing at all. i am REALLY clear on this fact. the irony of his predicament is nothing short of hilarious to me.
in true well adjusted to oppresion fashion he promptly dropped charges and started to play patty cake when he needed to wage war in the interest of self respect and defending his manhood. if he chooses not to be outraged, why in the world would i choose to be? he has a ww (this is america, he should have one if he wants one. i do not begrudge him, just merely note it---no hateration here folks! i support the swirl and urge more bw to get on board! after all, people are just people. lol!) and a job at an ivy league institution (and we know those are bastions of equality and love/respect for all colors of humanity...not) he has "made it" and will do NOTHING to topple his apple cart. fighting for a little thing like justice, if not for his personal sake, but for those that suffer injustice daily, is an inconvenience with which he cannot be bothered...and one expects ME to be OUTRAGED?
i have dropped the black woman trickbag and put a reasonable distance between me and it. for those that don't know, that trickbag entails bw being "outraged", in fight mode, and on the frontlines, while the men reap the benefits, collect white/whiter flesh as a symbol of their success, reciprocate nothing to the bw footsoldiers and continue to whine about circumstances/injustices they are NOT prepared to fight to change as MEN. no.thank.you. it is TRULY someone else's turn for THAT!
BD, you were careful to inform me that ALL bm are not relevant to my original point(s). i encounter this often. if you go back to my comments, you will surely see that at NO time did i use the word "all". i really meant "quite a few" and that's why i carefully selected and used those words. i recognize full well that ALL bm do not fall into what i am saying. i also recognize and am not afraid to admit, those that do not fall into that category are OUTNUMBERED and VERY quiet, refusing to "judge" or regulate the lunacy they are seeing around them. cowardice reigns. far be it from me NOT to call it.
i for one will not become outraged on behalf of those that are too much of cowards to become outraged for themselves. paying attention has helped me reach this place of common sense. i pray more and more bw will get it soon. it will save their lives AND dignity on a global scale.
history bears witness that as we are "outraged" crimes against us (especially at the hands of bm who commit the bulk of them against bw/bg) will receive NO outrage. what's THAT about? what sane person continues to give where there are NO returns? consideration? respect? protection? provision?
i forget who cautioned in this thread "not to judge". i reject this. our refusal to assign decency to ANYTHING and calling it a refusal to "judge" is why there is such rampant depravity among bfolks. i have YET to encounter a "brotha" that will just point blank say that the mcnair negro was wrong? church going ones included! lol! everyone except me has fully digested the "don't judge" memo which also means ANYTHING GOES. i REFUSE to condone this and don't really care who takes offense. i refuse to discard my common sense in order to be a part of the new school destructive rationale. i don't do trends.
i feel as sorry for gates as i did for o.j. and as sorry as i am prepared to feel should clarence thomas' neck find its way under a police officer's boot anytime soon...not.at.all. i have been paying attention and think the whole spectacle poetic justice and quite laughable.
AB---nothing but love for ya sis. hold it down...powerfully...where you are the threads are hella interesting! lol!
thanks for the respectful exchange BD and FN for allowing me to share.
blessings all,
focusedpurpose
as for the police officer with a family to feed. yes. this excuse if often offered on behalf of minstrelling(sp:-) "rappers", "entertainers", buckdancing politicians, and others. i personally hope they choke.
it is always a good day to advance the interests of black folks. bfolks will do well to cease and desist with pushing the interests of individuals over the collective. other nations get this and prosper as a direct result.
as i think of it, i am inclined to believe that judas iscariot had a family to feed, as well. i mean, he NEEDED that silver. lol!
point of agreement:
bw/bgs rock! we have consistently demonstrated that we will stand and bend under circumstances that will cause others to break.
that being said, i think it imperative that bw swiftly free ourselves from being under circumstances that prevent us from fully enjoying the blessing of womanhood. we must refuse to accept less and seek boldly to only spend time in places of provision and protection. we must do this in greater numbers without apology.
blessings,
focusedpurpose
Sharon frm WI-"AB: FU"
Wow. I didn't know black Jewish folks in WI cursed, even though ab deserved it. You must live in Milwaukee.
focusedpurpose "our refusal to assign decency to ANYTHING and calling it a refusal to "judge" is why there is such rampant depravity among bfolks. i have YET to encounter a "brotha" that will just point blank say that the mcnair negro was wrong?"
As a bm I agree with your above statement. Lack of moral decency is a MAJOR problem among our folks. I don't think there will be any change anytime soon. Too many folks are in denial about that. I am beginning to believe Farrakhan. He mentioned in a video that Black America may be on its deathbed. We need to change our ways and thinking or we headed for extinction.
McNair's behavior was wrong. His affair was a violation of his marriage vows and a betrayal to his wife and kids. No one condones that.
You people crack me up......all this poor,poor negro crap!
Did you ever stop and look at the freaking picture?
First of all you can see the ghetto coming out in your homie....LOL
He’s yelling like one of those black guys you see on “Cops”....LOL(have you ever noticed HOW many black guys get busted on cops?it’s like they got to be the dumbest criminals in the world!)
The White Officer standing next to him is telling to shut his freaking mouth and stop acting like a 2 year old!!!! Everyone’s staring at you!!!!
Then to just top everything off the guy in the front is a Sergeant! That’s right my friends a freaking black guy’s in charge......so your “professor” MUST have pissed him off to!?!?!
If the poor White Officer was in the wrong why is his sergeant is standing right there!!!!
DUH
If you READ the police report, Gates was absolutely in the wrong here & the cop did exactly what he would have done to anyone acting as Gates was. He should be charged!
grinder-"Seeing as how the police report cites witnesses on the sidewalk, I really think it should be investigated."
I agree, but I bet it won't be investigated. So much for justice and doing the right thing, eh?
He's lucky they didn't beat him down. If he thinks they should have recognized him from his PBS gigs, forget it. Not everybody watches public TV. All I can say....Stop yelling and acting belligerent towards the cops. They are only doing their job plus it will protect you from the one's who don't have your best interest in mind. Just last month I saw video of a white cop beating down a 62 year old white grandma who wouldn't comply with his command. So, that "stick" they carry has equal opportunity written all over it. It doesn't discriminate. Now, this advice is from a former field negro of Watts, Ca.,who should knows a thang or two about police brutality. Now, for a shameless plug. Check out my web series called "A Week With My Father" at aweekwithmyfather.com
This is interesting commentary. Seems like a new crew of posters on this thread compared to the ones on the previous post. On the previous post there were certain people who KNEW the policeman had doctored up his report and the neighbor was wrong because she had to know it was Gates in his house, but called the police anyway because she was a racist. They degraded the cop and degraded the neighbor. Now, those know-it-all folks have gone silent. LOL Some folks ought to quit.
"[H]e has "made it" and will do NOTHING to topple his apple cart."
Maybe. Maybe not. Currenlty, he's on the cable news circuit talking up his experience, and empathizing with black men who undergo this kind of treatment regularly.
"If it can happen to me, it can happen to any black man."
Perhaps the biggest gain is his wake-up call--his coming of age regarding the place of blacks in this society.
He now knows: Not even his advanced degrees will protect him from the ugly racism in our midst.
"[I]t is TRULY someone else's turn for THAT!"
I'll pick up your burden, sista. Not to worry. I have ways of fighting back
"BD, you were careful to inform me that ALL bm are not relevant to my original point...."
You're right. I merely sought to reinforce your position, but I can see how I gave the wrong impression.
"I for one will not become outraged on behalf of those that are too much of cowards to become outraged for themselves."
I see your point. But don't do it for them. Do it for those generations yet to come. Those that are just being born and will be born in the years ahead.
Do it for posterity. Establish the groundwork now, and know that what those in this generation are failing to do, they--those that will come after us--will accomplish because of us, because we were here.
"[I] have YET to encounter a 'brotha' that will just point blank say that the mcnair negro was wrong?"
He was wrong! If he wanted to be true to his marriage vows, and faithful to his wife, then he was wrong.
If he wanted to be true to himself, and the integrity of his soul, then he was wrong.
If he wanted to deal honestly and transparently with the people in his life, then he was wrong.
But honestly, I'm wondering why you should care if McNair is right or wrong. His actions didn't impact you, nor did they reflect on all black men.
For his decisions, he's paid the ultimate price: the loss of his life.
As far as condemnation goes: he's condemned himself far more than I ever could. Life is the ultimate arbiter: Its rulings are fair, and sometimes irreversible.
"[I] feel as sorry for gates as i did for o.j."
I can understand O.J., but what do you have against Professor Gates? I feel sorry, and regretful a lot, but not for the reasons you would suspect.
We humans are playing out a drama that has long run its course.
The curtains are drawn, but the players are still on stage acting out their many parts, believing that they must perform for an audience that has long deserted the theater.
"i personally hope they choke."
If you believe that, then what you condemn will one day condemn you.
We're not all prepared to sacrifice to the same degree as another--yet, what may appear to be a small sacrifice to one, may be a huge sacrifice to another.
We're living in a relative world. We can't always assign an absolute to all actions, because we don't always know where the absolute begins and ends in all situations.
Judge if you must. By such you define yourself. But I've always been inclined to let other do the same--define themselves by their own actions.
"i am inclined to believe that judas iscariot had a family to feed, as well."
In some narratives, Judas is seen as the hero and not the villain. I try not to call a thing a tragedy or a blessing, until I see how it is used.
Without Judas: We would have no crucified Jesus, resurrected and ascended.
"thanks for the respectful exchange BD and FN for allowing me to share."
And I, you....
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