July 27, 2009

The Gatesgate tapes have been released to the media.

And apparently, Gates's voice is not heard clearly, so I suppose it will take a while to get a transcript, and that it will be dotted with "[indecipherable]."
What is clear is that the caller, Lucia Whalen, a fundraiser for Harvard Magazine, did not know the race of two men she saw trying to push in the front door of Gates's house.... Crowley did not know the race of the suspects when he answered the call.
And Whalen, through her lawyer, does not appreciate being called a "white woman" either:
"Contrary to published reports that a 'white woman' called 911 and reported seeing 'two black men' trying to gain entry into Mr. Gates home, the woman, who has olive colored skin and is of Portuguese descent, told the 911 operator that she observed 'two men' at the home."

131 comments:

Anonymous said...

Contrary to published reports that a 'white woman' called 911 and reported seeing 'two black men' trying to gain entry into Mr. Gates home, the woman, who has olive colored skin and is of Portuguese descent

Brings back memories of the recent Sotomayor/Cardozo first-Hispanic-Justice controversy.

Peter

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
rhhardin said...

A "while woman" works airport lounges, offering conversation to bored customers.

It's like comfort girls.

There are hard times.

Unknown said...

Actually Ann,

If you read the police report, Whalen mentioned the two black men to Jim Crowley at the scene:

Whalen, who was standing on the sidewalk in front of the residence, held a wireless telephone in her hand and told me that it was she who called. She went on to tell me that she observed what appeared to be two black males with backpacks on the porch Ware Street. She told me that her suspicions where aroused when she observed one of the men wedging this shoulder into the door as if he was trying to force entry.

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2009/0723092gates1.html

traditionalguy said...

Oh no! Not another woman of Portugese descent causing our politicians trouble. The Portugese navigators had the first legal claim to the West African coast where they became the primary reason that West African slaves were sold for export to the New World. And she is still screwing up Professor Gates' world.

qwerty said...

Perhaps Ann, or anyone else could explain to to her readers what police reports are (e.g., when they are written, by whom, the purposes for which they are admissable in court, if at all, etc.). Might save some confusion.

Unknown said...

qwerty,

THIS police report was written on 7/16/09, long before this controversy was a twinkle in Obama's eyes.

If you believe the Cambridge police department have Minority Report type technology foretelling the future and forged a police report to cover themselves, then perhaps you might have your intended point.

Roger J. said...

So all the people involved in this whole silly episode have "lawyed up." Kill the all the lawyers and lets start again

Roger J. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Once written, twice... said...

Althouse Hillbillies come get your afternoon feeding of red meat! Yee-Haw!

(I bet Ann will be able to work in another Palin post before the day's end.)

Ann Althouse said...

"A "while woman" works airport lounges, offering conversation to bored customers."

Typo corrected.

Ann Althouse said...

Joke appreciated...

qwerty said...

Uh, try again, SY. I was only commenting on the comments (today and in regard to earlier posts) that seemed to think that police reports are infallible (or at least comments that seem to express confusion when factual accounts emerge that are in conflict with the police report.) The report was clearly written after the events in Gates' house and porch by Officer Crowley. That's all. I didn't mention the President or attribute to the police the power to foretell the future. Not sure where you got that. Not sure either why I bother reading or posting here. Would rather listen to Mozart. In fact, I will.

Michael said...

SY:

A police report is written after events have occurred, not during and not before. The recording is miraculously conveying what actually transpired at the time. If you listen to the 911 call you will see that there is no mention of race notwithstanding what might have been reported

Kirby Olson said...

"Portuguese" could mean just abuot anything. A lot of people are from the Canary Islands in the Boston, Area. They speak Portuguese, but some are black, and some aren't, and many are mixed race, like Gates himself.

This is turning into a bigger pickle every day.

Someone posted a vid at your site yesterday from CNN showing a black newscaster talking to two black officers who support Crowley, and imply heavily that they will no longer support Obama because they perceive him as a racial bigot:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/07/26/nr.comrade.in.arms.cnn?iref=
videosearch

AllenS said...

Oh, great. What started out as a black and white problem, now has olives involved.

reader_iam said...

To beat a dead horse, on the 911 tape Whalen says she saw two **suitcases** on the porch and states that the people might live there (it's clear she doesn't know either way, and I think she makes it pretty clear that she herself is not certain whether the incident is an actual [criminal] break-in, but perhaps others will disagree). Maybe the dispatcher didn't pass that along.

Unknown said...

Michael,

I am not disputing the 911 call. I am simply pointing out on the police report, Lucia Whalen told Jim Crowley she saw two black men with backpacks.

She apparently made a 911 call and stayed at the scene to further observed two black men with backpack and reported this to Jim Crowley when he got there.

In between then to present day, the media somehow mixed 911 call and two black men together like it was one event initially. This is most logical explanation

reader_iam said...

I wrote what I had to say about police reports in the "wryly suggests" thread. Not sure it's worth taking the time to repost it here.

TitusIsInLove said...

We have a lot of different colors here in Cambridge.

I think white is the minority.

TitusIsInLove said...

Tons of Indians. And Muzzies too.

Chip Ahoy said...

... the woman, who has olive colored skin and is of Portuguese descent ...

Ha ha ha. Olives are green, innit? Or else black. What kind of olive exactly, Manzanilla or Niçoise? Picholine or Kalamata? Gaeta or Lugano? Ponentine or presumably Iberian -- Sevillano!

Some olives are purple.

Mmmm, stuffed with pimiento, anchovy, jalapeño, or almond. Olive penguins.

reader_iam said...

It is true that some luggage looks like backpacks, and vice versa. I've got examples of each, come to think of it. So maybe it's just a semantics thing.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Hahaha- God forbid Ms. Whalen be mistaken for a white person. Jeez Titus even you will hate living there soon enough. It sounds like a town where PC Thinking has gone wild.

DADvocate said...

We need to find an expert, maybe an Ivy League professor, on the history of racism relating to Portuguese in order to better understand this woman's actions. We really need to be taught the history.

Meade said...

I like black olives. Green are good too.

But not Spanish olives.

Never Spanish olives.

Kirby Olson said...

She should at least be invited along for the beer.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Oh great...

Now this lady is offering herself as some sort of olive branch?

Anonymous said...

For anyone interested - Not able to locate a transcript on-line of the 911 call to Cambridge police, I took the time to type it myself: http://vocalminority.typepad.com/blog/2009/07/one-911-call-two-interpretations.html

reader_iam said...

Radley Balko's piece, about larger implications than race, contains some food for thought.

text

Here's a sample (long, but it needs to be in order not to cherry-pick):

This deference to police at the expense of the policed is misplaced. Put a government worker behind a desk and give him the power to regulate, and conservatives will wax at length about public choice theory, bureaucratic pettiness, and the trappings of power. And rightly so. But put a government worker behind a badge, strap a gun to his waist, and give him the power to detain, use force, and kill, and those lessons somehow no longer apply.

Police officers deserve the same courtesy we afford anyone else we encounter in public life—basic respect and civility. If they're investigating a crime, they deserve cooperation as required by law, and beyond that only to the extent to which the person with whom they're speaking is comfortable. Verbally disrespecting a cop may well be rude, but in a free society we can't allow it to become a crime, any more than we can criminalize criticism of the president, a senator, or the city council. There's no excuse for the harassment or arrest of those who merely inquire about their rights, who ask for an explanation of what laws they're breaking, or who photograph or otherwise document police officers on the job.


I realize many will disagree with some or even much of that. But it's worth thinking about, and apart from this particular incident (blown so far out of proportion by President Obama's misguided--IMHO--involvement).

Freeman Hunt said...

Does this make anyone else glad to not live in Cambridge where, it would seem, the exactitudes of skin shading are of extreme importance?

BJM said...

qwerty: Would rather listen to Mozart. In fact, I will.

How wonderfully elite of you.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

And now with this olive wrinkle the seeds doubt are beginning to take root.

And thats the way it is.

Anonymous said...

The Crouch article:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2009/07/27/2009-07-27_henry_louis_gates_15_minutes_robs_nation_of_a_much_longer_dialogue.html

Freeman Hunt said...

But put a government worker behind a badge, strap a gun to his waist, and give him the power to detain, use force, and kill, and those lessons somehow no longer apply.

Isn't that a bit of a canard? I've seen plenty of conservatives arguing the cop shouldn't have arrested him. If I'd been the cop, I don't think I would have arrested him. (Can't say for sure because I wasn't there to assess the situation.)

Chennaul said...

Ha!

It's being reported that Obama, Gates and Crowley all like three different beers-

Red Stripe, Beck's and Blue Moon....

But-they didn't say who liked what....

Which one likes Blue Moon-?

That's my beer.

{The crowd here is joking that Beck's is the jack booters choice....}

Freeman Hunt said...

If I lived in Cambridge and a Census taker came around, would I mark the box for "peach cream with a slight undertone of yellow?"

Do the Census takers carry paint chips to hold up to faces so that the color can be marked just right?

reader_iam said...

Freeman Hunt: Reading the entire piece, I don't think he was referring to *all* conservatives, but rather specifically to a subset who do appear to demonstrate that disconnect. Perhaps Balko should make that more clear.

He does a tremendous amount of writing on the topic of government power and government overreach balanced against the rights and power of everyday people, so maybe he thinks his particular audience knows that.

Michael said...

Mozart? Lucky Jim said it best: "beastly Mozart."

Freeman Hunt said...

What do the regular people of Cambridge think of all this? Forget the cops and the elitists at war, what about the other people? Do they think all of this color obsession is nuts or is it so widespread that everyone lives and breathes it?

KCFleming said...

"The Gatesgate tapes have been released to the media."

Rose Mary Woods died in 2005.
Plus, it's likely a digital recording.

So "[indecipherable]" will have to replace the accidental erasure while answering the phone trick.

Scott M said...

@L. E. Lee

Althouse Hillbillies come get your afternoon feeding of red meat! Yee-Haw!

I try to give each individual comment and commentator on their own merits (by the content of their character, not the etc, etc).

However, you'll have to explain to me how your comment above isn't overtly and maliciously racist before I'll take anything you have to say from here forth seriously.

Kirby Olson said...

I think they have to take their three favorite beers and mix them together. That's the lesson of this.

That's a joke.

But seriously I think people are beginning to see Obama's strategy. What he tries to do is to mobilize any given crowd through appealing to its prejudices.

He thought that most in SF would hate anybody religious or having guns, so he mocked those who cling to guns and to religion. That worked for that micro-clientele, but not for the nation.

It didn't personally insult anyone, but libelled a larger group, roughly, the hillbillies that the left imagines still sit over stills drunken with religion, while daring a snake to bite them.

It's an ancient stereotype. Like telling a Polish joke.

Now more recently he insults the police and he thought the whole nation would be with him on this, but this time he insulted a specific officer, and a specific department. So he got enormous flak.

Now he's trying to pretend that doctors go into the business of taking care of people and will put a child through surgery to make a buck.

It's a grotesque characterization meant to mobilize a prejudice, but everyone is now aware of his tactics, and we are quite sick of them.

If he has anything else in his magic hat, he might try using it.

Indicating that he is for change, and that anybody who isn't with him is therefore regressive actually worked for one election.

But his tactics of divide and conquer are now see for what they are, and they're pretty dethpicable.

It's just the same thing Hitler did with other clientele thrown under the bus.

I think America deserves to be run on different principles, or by at least someone with some other principles. Meanwhile, we're stuck with this rabid bigot for another three years.

Invisible Man said...

If you believe the Cambridge police department have Minority Report type technology foretelling the future and forged a police report to cover themselves, then perhaps you might have your intended point.

Hide the women 'n children, Gates was about to start the Watts riots out there. I mean clearly he was disturbing the peace of those listening with a high grade microphone.

And, if you think that a cop doesn't have a reason to slant the truth when he's got a pissed off Professor who probably has the money to sue him your just being willfully dumb. Cops slant testimony all the time for two obvious reasons; one to help them with a conviction and two to cover their ass. This appears to be of the CYA variety.

It suck when conservatives heroes keep getting exposed for frauds. 1st you had Sarah, then Joe the Plumber, that whole Carrie Prejean non-sense, Sanford and his downright unfair treatment for going on a "hiking trip". They don't make conservative heroes like they used to.

Kirby Olson said...

Oh, he did it with his Special Olympics comment, too. It's his whole M.O.

TitusIsInLove said...

The cop is not only hot looking his voice is totally hot.

How would you like that voice talking dirty to you?

Yum.

Invisible Man said...

It's just the same thing Hitler did with other clientele thrown under the bus.

The deranged Althouse comment of the day, people!

qwerty said...

Ha, Ha. Lucky Jim. Great book, especially the description of his hangover. After Mozart, I'll pop in the Drive By Truckers.

TitusIsInLove said...

For such a liberal state they talk tough...that's hot.

Bob From Ohio said...

A 100 years ago in America, Italians and others from the Med area were considered by some not to be "white" because they had olive skin. Then, the Italians, Greeks et al. wanted to be "white".

Now some (at least Lucia Whalen)do not want to be white but a "woman of color".

Is this progres or just sad?

Skyler said...

As a Portuguese-American, I take great offense in our people being referred to as "olive" instead of white. Portugal is on the Iberian Peninsula and is most decidedly European and its people "white," whatever that means.

I'm not sure anyone can give a good definition of what "race" means, anyway. Even B. Hussein is white, but many people think he is black. Or maybe he is black. If his mom is considered white and his dad is considered black, why would he be considered black instead of white? Is there a way to measure this? Aren't there old, discredited laws attempting to make these measurements?

It's a very dangerous game to go around labeling people based on what some people consider "race." Nothing good comes of it. Ever.

Anonymous said...

"Portuguese" could mean just abuot anything. A lot of people are from the Canary Islands in the Boston Area. They speak Portuguese, but some are black, and some aren't, and many are mixed race, like Gates himself.

You mean Cape Verde, not the Canary Islands.

Peter

Unknown said...

And, if you think that a cop doesn't have a reason to slant the truth when he's got a pissed off Professor who probably has the money to sue him your just being willfully dumb. Cops slant testimony all the time for two obvious reasons; one to help them with a conviction and two to cover their ass. This appears to be of the CYA variety.

It suck when conservatives heroes keep getting exposed for frauds. 1st you had Sarah, then Joe the Plumber, that whole Carrie Prejean non-sense, Sanford and his downright unfair treatment for going on a "hiking trip". They don't make conservative heroes like they used to.


And the alleged criminals don't slant their views to get better results? In this case, I rather believe a police cop that has an excellent history of racial tolerance than an uppity Harvard professor with a racial profiling chip on his shoulder. Never mind the fact that he is involved in a shady charity scheme that is about to be unraveled.

Conservative heroes exposed as frauds? Was Sarah or Joe the Plumber a fraud? Was Sanford a hero? Where are the criminal convictions? Ever heard of William Jefferson, Alcee Hastings, and Marion Barry? They actually got convicted. How about your sexual All-Star team John Edwards, Barney Frank, Jim McGreevey, and MVP(most valuable pervert) Bill Clinton?

Chennaul said...

Titus-

Are you not familiar with the Boston Race Riots...

Boston is known for riots-

Boston Bread Riot

Boston Brothel Riot

Knowles Riot

Boston Massacre

Boston Anti-Loyalist Riot

The voice so hot, not.

Scott M said...

@Skyler

Likewise Holly Berry becoming the first "black" actress to win an Oscar. She's in the same boat as Obama.

Michael said...

qwerty: Drive by Truckers. Much better. I could never shake that comment from Lucky Jim and never felt the same about Amadeus after reading it. I can picture the scene now, 40 years or more after reading it, of walking into that cocktail party of academics with beastly Mozart playing. I never hear Mozart without thinking or uttering that beautiful line.

Now Carl Perkins is an entirely different matter.

Kirby Olson said...

Peter, you're right: Cape Verde.

Is there a beer from there?

I think the president and his two customers should drink that beer, in honor of the woman who brought them together.

TitusIsInLove said...

I want to do the officer.

I went out last night for drinks and there was a gay Boston cop at the lounge we were at. He was drunk, really loud and teaching the gays how to salute properly. I am not making that up.

Chennaul said...

It's all in the wrist...

Chennaul said...

wait...

maybe the elbow.

TitusIsInLove said...

He was a good saluter. He is very butch.

The other gays on the other hand were awful saluters. Talk about seeing something sad...a gay trying to salute and stand at attention.

We were listening to Peaches at the lounge last night...from my friends Ipod. Peaches is fierce. Oh and the gay anthem this summer is a song by one of Kelly something from Destiny's Child.

Chennaul said...

OK

Now Obama is going to have a Bud.

It would take a real man to drink the kinda girlie Blue Moon...

And, hell Bud got sold off to the Frenchies or Belgians...

Blue Moon is owned by Coors-American.

TitusIsInLove said...

It's all in the elbow. There is no break of the wrist while saluting.

Chennaul said...

Ya so that could be the problem.

Maybe you could wear a wrist guard, hot or not?

Invisible Man said...

In this case, I rather believe a police cop that has an excellent history of racial tolerance than an uppity Harvard professor with a racial profiling chip on his shoulder.

The race baiting is strong with this one!

Scott M said...

There is absolutely nothing "girlie" about Blue Moon...not even with an orange slice in it. Likewise for the amber beers. Depending on where I'm at, I try to get

1) Killians
2) Blue Moon
3) Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat

There's nothing intrinsically manly about drinking see-through piss water.

Anonymous said...

Does this make anyone else glad to not live in Cambridge where, it would seem, the exactitudes of skin shading are of extreme importance?

Yes. But trust me, there are plenty of other reasons to be glad not to be living in Cambridge, too.

Scott M said...

@invisibleman

The race baiting is strong with this one!

LOL. That hit me just right. For some reason, I've been using the "...is strong with this one" lately in general conversation.

Fixed the garbage disposal and, to the wife's glee for not having to call a plumber, "the plumbing is strong with this one," etc...

This strikes me as odd, even to myself, as I've long since given up (right around Ep I) of anything good ever coming out of the SW francise. That is, until I saw the trailer for next year's mmo SW:KotOR.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Freeman Hunt:

Your comment about the census taker equipped with the paint chip samples to judge race precisely was hilarious.

But please don't give Obama any more ideas like this.

Chennaul said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chennaul said...

Scott M

Well then I'm going to have to try Sam Adams Cherry Wheat.

Speaking of beer if you're ever in Cali you might like Sierra Nevada beers.

Unknown said...

"It's being reported that Obama, Gates and Crowley all like three different beers-

Red Stripe, Beck's and Blue Moon...."

Isn't there a beer with "white" in the name? They've got red and blue covered. It's this close to being the American flag.

Invisible Man said...

That is, until I saw the trailer for next year's mmo SW:KotOR.

I about lost my bit seeing that trailer with them fighting in the Jedi Temple. I thoroughly enjoyed the original KOTOR and can't help myself from adding to George Lucas's cynical largese. Hopefully he's finally decide to cease the murdering of my childhood with bantha poodo-games and movies.

/Yes, I'm a Star Wars geek and damn proud

Alex said...

Meanwhile Barry's poll numbers keep diving! I hope he doubles-down on health-care, tax increases and racial wars!

KCFleming said...

I think we should be judged for everything according to the amount of white blood tainting your system.

We can reprise the terms mulatto, quadroon, and octoroon, according to the fraction of undesirable white (**spit**) blood that persists.

And transfusions from non-whites won't count.

Scott M said...

@Invisible Man

...if only the people charged with making that trailer had made all three new movies...sigh. I've told my kids since they were young that I can't wait for George to kick the bucket so his family can sell off the rights to someone that wants to do a proper remake of the original movies in about 10 years.

If you would like to have your childhood un-murdered, check out the very recently released HD trailer for Disney's (gasp...evil), sequel to Tron.

Flynn Lives!

Chennaul said...

Marcia-

Maybe whitey will be drinkin' Beck's...

qwerty said...

@ Michael - My favorite passage from Lucky Jim is where he wakes up with a hangover and says that his mouth felt as if a small rodent had used it for a toilet and then a mausoleum. As a medievalist, I have to love that book.

After Drive By Truckers - went to Dire Straights. God, they were good. After that, back to Mozart, Amis' proscriptions, notwithstanding.

Kirby Olson said...

Coral is apparently the name of a light lager manufactured in the Cape Verde islands.

At any rate, they're not just going to drink beers. They will almost certainly have dinner, too.

What should be on the menu?

Will that all be a seafood extravaganza from Cape Verde, too?

Or some Portuguese style muffins?

Something from Hawaii?

Ireland?

The food should have SOME symbolic significance!

Perhaps there should be a lot of pork dishes to refer to the fact that the two cop-haters are dining with a pig!

qwerty said...

Great Lakes Brewery makes some very good beers. Burning River is perhaps the best of them. I like Fat Tire, too. Have always been partial to Anchor Steam. In a pinch - I will drink Coors if there is no beer on hand.

Invisible Man said...

If you would like to have your childhood un-murdered, check out the very recently released HD trailer for Disney's (gasp...evil), sequel to Tron.

Man that's nice! Definitely on the to see list. But boy do I feel old now.

Invisible Man said...

Meanwhile Barry's poll numbers keep diving! I hope he doubles-down on health-care, tax increases and racial wars!

If you believe Rassmussen, I have a "President John McCain" t-shirt to sell ya.

garage mahal said...

Didn't know Coors made Blue Moon, or were even capable of it frankly. BM is a decent citrusy white ale with a hint of coriander and spicy finish, but the skunkiness screams MACRO!. A good gateway beer for finer Witbiers though.

bagoh20 said...

These comments have cold sparkling beer running through my head. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale will be visiting me tonight. Is preference for "Pale" Ale racist? I prefer colored beer which it is, so don't be hatin'.

Kirby Olson said...

Victor Hanson Davis has weighed in:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZTRlNDM5YTIxMGUzMjdiM2I5MWFjZDAzZTM3Nzg5N2U=&w=MA==

Though he hasn't tried to pick out the beer and food, yet. Leave that to us hillbillies!

Kirby Olson said...

Maybe they should roast a pig on the White House lawn.

Alex said...

BTW to those dead-enders insisting the Rasmussen poll is a horribly biased & right-wing, if you look at all the polls over the last 2 months, they have Barry dropping like a rock:

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president_obama_job_approval-1044.html#polls

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

If you believe Rassmussen, I have a "President John McCain" t-shirt to sell ya.

Um, in the last two presidential election cycles, Rasmussen was ranked the most accurate poll.

Do you put your foot in your mouth often?

Alex said...

BTW I heard the same nonsense from Ed Shultz deriding the Rasmussen poll, using ad hominem attacks on Scott Rasmussen. But of course all objective studies conclusively prove it's the most accurate poll the last 5 years. If you lefties want to live in a carefully constructed bubble of non-reality, go right ahead!

Kirk Parker said...

Freeman,

"What do the regular people of Cambridge think of all this?"

I think you should restate that as: IF there ARE any regular people in Cambridge, what do they think of all this?

:-)

Roger J. said...

IM: two choices here: (1) you are not very well informed about polling accuracy are you; or (2)you are being deliberately obtuse.

As to Rasmussen accuracy: What part of Rasmussen being the most accurate pollster of the 2008 election didnt you get?

And since you have some appearance of having a brain, I am led to the second conclusion: You are being obtuse

But by all means: rave on

Alex said...

Roger - it's called cognitive dissonance. When reality intrudes on your entire self-constructed worldview, dismiss reality. Thus, the Rasmussen poll must be dismissed as it goes against the construct of "Obama is wildly popular".

Shanna said...

Someone posted a vid at your site yesterday from CNN showing a black newscaster talking to two black officers who support Crowley, and imply heavily that they will no longer support Obama because they perceive him as a racial bigot:

Is that Crowley that hugged the lady cop on the video? Because that more than anything put me on a side. He looked so touched by her speech and quite frankly he looked like a man wronged. That's nothing to do with the facts of course, but he came off very sympathetic to me, without saying a thing.

Shanna said...

Oh, and tonight I think I'll crack open one of those blue moon beers I have sitting in the fridge.

10ksnooker said...

A decent president would have said 'I don't know the facts' next question --- ... Instead the teaching moment tells us more about the President and Rev wright's church than we ever probably wanted to know.

Chennaul said...

Shanna-

Thanks for mentioning that link.

Boy is she impressive.

Here is the link for anyone else that wants to take a look.

Kelly King should run for something...

video

Kirby Olson said...

Yes, Shanna, that was Crowley who hugged the female police officer in the video. I think it's an authentic and lovely moment, and would teach Obama everything he needs to know and should have learned in Sunday School (skip through the first 30 second commercial):

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/07/26/nr.comrade.in.arms.cnn?iref=
videosearch

Chennaul said...

Kirby -

That video is powerful maybe that is what stopped Gates and Obama .

Man that gal is brave.

Gary Rosen said...

"If you believe Rassmussen, I have a "President John McCain" t-shirt to sell ya."

Axelrod has been sending out clowns like Invisible to 'turf Rasmussen ever since RR noticed BO's polls going down but Rasmussen called the election right on the money:

http://tinyurl.com/kkulvb

The only thing "Invisible" about Invisible Man is his IQ. But the astroturf is plain for everyone to see.

jayne_cobb said...

If you believe Rassmussen, I have a "President John McCain" t-shirt to sell ya

If I'm not mistaken, didn't Rasumussen have Obama beating McCain with the results almost exactly right?

Unknown said...

I haz blue moon in my hand. Plz forgive me. thnx.

Kansas City said...

Rassmussen has an outsanding record. He got Bush/Kerry right, and I think he got both Bush/Gore and Obama/McCain correct.

At to the tapes, they are a disappointment, in that they reveal little about Gates' behavior, other than a report from the outset that he is uncooperative. I think what probably happened is that Gates made a mistake at the outset, not knowing about the 911 call, and misinterpreting the situation as one where a copy came up to his house to hassle him. In hindsight, Sgt. Crowley perhaps could have avoided Gates' misperception by explaining at the outset that the police had received a 911 call, but I assume that would not be the logical first thing for a police officer to say and that the officer said the right first thing in asking Gates to step out on the porch and whether someone esle was in the house.

It will be interesting to see how Obama spins this after the White House for a beer. I assume he will be able to move both Gates and Crowley to each taking responsibility. I hope Crowley drives a hard bargain, but in reality, how could one expect him to resist pressure or persuasion from Obama. Gates may be the harder sell to acknowledge some fault on his side..

Invisible Man said...

Axelrod has been sending out clowns like Invisible to 'turf Rasmussen ever since RR noticed BO's polls going down but Rasmussen called the election right on the money:

You got me. Axelrod, Acorn and I have set up a dummy corp to begin infiltrating the Althouse blog. You've foiled my plot to destroy the poll that stand in utter contrast to every other legit polling operation and moonlights as a Fox contributor.

The only thing "Invisible" about Invisible Man is his IQ.

What are you 12? I'm guessing that you'll accuse me of having cooties next.

Gary Rosen said...

Noted that IM completely fails to admit he was dead wrong about Rasmussen, thanks.

jayne_cobb said...

I imagine that this Coors conference will go down as well as Obama's previous hot dog diplomacy.

Unknown said...

Holmes...

I haz vodka in mine. Works faster.
The teaching moment is be nice to cops of any olive type if they are in your vodka.

Anonymous said...

I've made these penguins before but not from this particular "recipe".

Actually, I was inspired by James Lileks' book "The Gallery of Regretable Food" about recipes from the '50s and '60s. It was for a '50s party/lunch. I wouldn't be exaggerating too much to say they were wildly popular. The taste, however...eh.

Kirby Olson said...

Yes, Madawaskan, it is powerful. I didn't find it. Somebody named Beasley or something found it yesterday on another thread here. It's AMAZING, isn't it.

It should be on a constant tape loop on Fox, but maybe because CNN owns it, they scuttled it.

It basically shows a black police woman who says that she's no longer for Obama, and will never ever be again. Showing that would be the end of Obama worldwide, I should think.

Conserve Liberty said...

It's just the same thing Hitler did with other clientele thrown under the bus.

The deranged Althouse comment of the day, people!

Ah, so it's OK to write, "BusHitler," but not to make a temptingly valid comparison to an historical political figure who rose to power in disturbingly similar economic conditions using disturbingly similar polemic speech?

Anonymous said...

Freeman Hunt:

Your comment about the census taker equipped with the paint chip samples to judge race precisely was hilarious.

But please don't give Obama any more ideas like this.



In the very near future, each American will be assigned a specific Pantone color code.

Freeman Hunt said...

Well, as long as we're expected to know our exact colors, I think government workers should be assigned to tell us our seasons too.

Color Us Beautiful, Obama!

William said...

Olives are an educated taste. That's why she moved to Cambridge.

TitusIsInLove said...

I think the theme of this story is really Cambridge is very bad because it is liberal and votes democrat and because it has elite universities.

Unlike, say Arkansas, Cambridge is definitely not real America.

What is the matter with Cambridge?

Unknown said...

Ok.

1. "There is absolutely nothing "girlie" about Blue Moon...not even with an orange slice in it."

Man Law: Do not fruit your beer.

Don't make me go get Burt Reynolds.

2. I don't necessarily defer to cops but I do watch what I do and say. Why? Because being a cop on duty can suck. It's dangerous and you can never tell when or where the danger is coming from. Plus cops have to deal with some really crazy stuff.

So if I don't go out of my way to make a cops life miserable, I don't see that as a bad thing.

Unknown said...

Well.

Considering that Gates:

Lives in a country with a black President.

Lives in a state with a black Govenor.

Lives in a city with a black mayor.

The racism thing is a bit over the top.

Meade said...

"TitusIsInLove..."

I think I like him better when TitusIsNotInLove.

bagoh20 said...

"Because being a cop on duty can suck. It's dangerous and you can never tell when or where the danger is coming from. Plus cops have to deal with some really crazy stuff."

I agree. I can imagine what it is like to get up every morning knowing that there are people you will encounter today who may want to kill you because, they hate your uniform, don't want to be caught or are just nuts. Your job is to go find them and confront them. If you survive, you get to get up again tomorrow and do it again. Of course many of the people you protect by doing this hate you because of some thing another cop did one time to them or someone they know.

This is why I always treat them respectfully, despite the fact that they make errors just like anyone else.

kentuckyliz said...

I think they should drink Black Dog ale.
http://beerme.com/brewery.php?6596

It's really good! Drank it frequently when I was doing a summer season out west in the great recession of 93.

Then dinner should be fried chicken, greens, chitlins, and watermelon.

jk

proud hillbilly here
juss bein provocative

Unknown said...

Marcia,

There are plenty of good Wit beers out there to fill the White role in your Beerflag. I'd suggest the Sam Adams White, although the Dogfish Head Red and White is a better brew and would allow Gates to stick with a white wine spritzer.

Anonymous said...

The purpose of this whole incident and many others like it is to promote chaos and render this country ungovernable. Once chaos has taken hold, the marxists know how to exploit it. I've become convinced this is deliberate on Obama's part.

America's melting pot is/was America's strength. Now, with the help of the left, the various races and ethnicities (that a word?) have become our Achille's heel. There is no way to ever resolve all this wrangling over race.

Ohhhh, maybe there is one way. We could try, "Next one who uses the word 'race' gets shot". Sorry NASCAR.

Anonymous said...

Just trying to offer a simple solution to this, folks. The complicated ones sure haven't worked.

Freeman Hunt said...

I think the theme of this story is really certain elements of Cambridge [are] race obsessed, including many within the elite universities.

Fixed.

Anonymous said...

"Well, as long as we're expected to know our exact colors, I think government workers should be assigned to tell us our seasons too."

And how are people to use that information properly? Well, the answer is obvious in ObamaLand. I think government workers should be assigned to come to our houses and help us pick out our clothes for the day.

They would be employed by the ISAC (Independent Sartorial Advisory Commission) and would choose our clothes for us based on the latest peer-reviewed research, evidenced-based standards, and (importantly) which lobbyists slipped them the most cash. Since they would be answerable to no one and will be smarter than we are, we are guaranteed to look fabulous each and every day, whether we're a winter, spring, summer or fall.

Let me just say that I, for one, stand ready to welcome our new fashion overlords.

Pastafarian said...

True story, kcom: Before the election, a Democratic activist acquaintance of mine (really a friend of a friend) took in a boarder: ACORN and the DNC sent some shady character up to Ohio from Louisiana, to "get out the vote" (that is, bribe winos and crack-whores to vote Democrat; register and vote for as many dead people as possible; etc.)

This young woman was expected to put this strange guy up in her home, charging him nothing; she provided him with food, etc., all for the good of The Party.

After the election, he went home, but after a few months, they sent him back.

He now (I shit you not) gives her a list of things to do every day; has given her a diet that she's to follow; and I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did pick out her clothes for her every morning.

Creepy, but not surprising, that the same people that want to control every facet of everyone's lives would be this controlling on the micro level as well.

Once written, twice... said...

Kentuckyliz wrote
"Then dinner should be fried chicken, greens, chitlins, and watermelon."

Wow, you are making Ann Althouse proud! You are a good little Althouse Hillbilly.

Unknown said...

Ummm.

"He now (I shit you not) gives her a list of things to do every day; has given her a diet that she's to follow; and I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did pick out her clothes for her every morning."

She needs an intervention. That sounds really creepy.

Shanna said...

Let me just say that I, for one, stand ready to welcome our new fashion overlords.

This post brought to you by the Toast marketing board.

Anonymous said...

"He now (I shit you not) gives her a list of things to do every day; has given her a diet that she's to follow; and I wouldn't be surprised if he actually did pick out her clothes for her every morning."

That is pretty creepy. She might be the very definition of "sheeple".

Kirby Olson said...

It's funny to me that now the best arguments of the leftists here amount to name-calling.

"You are a hillbilly."

It would be more fun if the leftists here would get some other kinds of arguments, including ones with a formal claim, followed by evidence that pertains to that claim.

Oy vey.

Alex said...

Kirby - in Auschwitz I guarantee you that camp guards didn't have to present evidence either. I know, Godwin won again! But that's the mentality of the leftist - they think they've won and they're gloating like the proverbial camp guard over his victim.