How much lower can the president go?

[fishbones]

Originally Posted by spence

+1 and a good analysis. I think the officers screwed up, but it was the process and not their judgement that caused it.

-spence

The officer did exactly what he has been trained to do. In fact, he made concessions to this man that would not have been made to you or me. Crowley cuffed Gates in the front because Gates said he has a bad back, and Crowley also went inside to get his cane. He's not required to do either of those things. Gates also got to sit in a room with visitors while he was at the station. He never even saw the inside of a cell.

Where Gates was wrong was that he did not show any proof of address at any time. He showed an ID, but it was his Harvard ID. That doesn't have his address on it. He should have been thanking the officer for doing his job and not pulling the "do you know who I am act" like he's superior to him because he's a scholar at an esteemed university.

Gates is trying to get as much mileage out of this as he can. He's already said that he'll be using this as part of his documentary about racial profiling in the US. Hmmm, seems that the timing for this is perfect for him.

Two years ago, I was leaving my house with my wife and son, when we heard our neighbors home security alarm going off. I knew my neighbors weren't home becaue they were away for a basketball tournament that weekend, so I told my wife I'd check on their house to make sure no one had broken in. I waked over and went up on the back deck and looked inside. Then, I walked around the back towards the front of the house and checked the basement windows. As I got to the front yard, there was a police officer getting out of his car. I said hi and he asked if I lived at the house. I said "no, I live next door. I heard the alarm and came over because they aren't home". He asked me if I could show him some ID because there have been break in's in my neighborhood in the past. I didn't start yelling at him and calling him a racist because he's Asian and I'm white. I didn't say that he was profiling me because I'm white and most arrests in my town are of white people. I simply showed him my license and told him to have a good day.