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The Gates Affair... and Giuliani
Aug. 4th, 2009 02:10 pmOne problem with the whole Henry Louis Gates affair was that Gates came to the incident with an agenda on racial profiling. He assumed he was a victim of it when the police showed up at his house, but there's no strong evidence that the police were practicing it. Nevertheless, the officer's response -- arresting Gates when he got uppity -- was disgraceful. So I was dismayed to see Gates' statement after the infamous "beer summit": "It is incumbent upon Sergeant Crowley and me to utilize the great opportunity that fate has given us to foster greater sympathy among the American public for the daily perils of policing on the one hand, and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand."
Look, I'm not a cop-hater. I sympathize with their job. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter if Crowley was racial profiling or not. Cops do not have the right, and should not have the right, to arrest people in their own homes just for being rude. Contempt of Cop is not a crime, and treating it as such in a man's own goddamn house is despicable. "We should all be nicer to cops" is a fine sentiment, but it's absolutely the worst "message" to get from this incident.
As always, the Republicans used the brouhaha to behave despicably. Rudy Giuliani's take on these events? "Here's the lesson: Shut up." I'm sorry, but if a "conservative" responds in this fashion, and then talks about promoting "freedom" or "less government," he's a hypocrite, a demagogue and a liar. This is what the "conservative movement" has turned into: Nothing but a hatred of taxes and a fondness for thuggery. I can accept the first, but the second makes it a threat to the Republic.
Look, I'm not a cop-hater. I sympathize with their job. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter if Crowley was racial profiling or not. Cops do not have the right, and should not have the right, to arrest people in their own homes just for being rude. Contempt of Cop is not a crime, and treating it as such in a man's own goddamn house is despicable. "We should all be nicer to cops" is a fine sentiment, but it's absolutely the worst "message" to get from this incident.
As always, the Republicans used the brouhaha to behave despicably. Rudy Giuliani's take on these events? "Here's the lesson: Shut up." I'm sorry, but if a "conservative" responds in this fashion, and then talks about promoting "freedom" or "less government," he's a hypocrite, a demagogue and a liar. This is what the "conservative movement" has turned into: Nothing but a hatred of taxes and a fondness for thuggery. I can accept the first, but the second makes it a threat to the Republic.
