"Hello Officer Timson, how are ya? Going bowling this evening?"

Men in authority will always think that criticism of their policies is dangerous. They will always equate their policies with patriotism, and find criticism subversive.

---Henry Steele Commager

There are two things all police officers hate: 1) having to chase anyone, and 2) having their authority questioned by a black person.

The length and energy exerted by the police when chasing a suspect is directly proportionate to the severity of the beat down the suspect will suffer upon being apprehended. Everyone knows this. Just do a google search of police chases and thousands of examples are sure to come up where you will see an overweight, out-of-breath officer with a mustache beat the living hell out of an unconcious suspect who was thrown from his car at the end of the chase. What is rarely seen on a google search are the instances when a police officer has his authority (almost always a male officer) questioned by a black person. In these instances, the black man (almost always involves a black male) is described by any of the following adjectives: angry, combative, violent, belligerent, unruly, threatening, out of control, suspicious, insulting, disrespectful, dishonest, arrogant, condascending, and everyone's favorite excuse for police brutality, resisting arrest.

As Richard Pryor once said during one of his performances, "White people always say, 'what is this thing about police brutality, those black people are just resisting arrest', that's cuz the cops live in your neighborhood...and you know him as Officer Timson."

In the case of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. we have what is commonly known as, "The Irreverent Negro Who Forgot How Lucky He Is". Harvard University Professor Gates was returning home after a long trip to China. While attempting to enter his own home through the back door, a home which he has paid for with real money, he was forced to literally "break-in" because his front door tends to stick in the summer humidity. A neighbor spotted him doing this and most likely came to the logical conclusion that Professor Gates had reverted back to his old negro habits of home invasion and grand theft auto. The neighbor called the police quickly because in these instances black people tend to multiply rapidly.

When the police arrived with the information "multiple black males attempting to break into a home" the mindset is pretty clear. They are now searching for ANY black male and when they spot him he will be questioned more rigorously than if they were searching for a white male. Because, you see, when a black male is reported to be involved in a crime, the police search for ANY black male. When it involves a white male the description tends to be as precise as an E-Harmony.com single's profile and therefore, the need to stop every white male tends to be an unnecessary hassle for the common hard-working taxpayer.

During the arrest, as if there were going to be any other conclusion to this story but an arrest, the police discovered that Gates, despite being very black, did in fact own the home he was standing in. Despite several attempts to disprove that ridiculous achievement the police were set to leave Professor Gates' residence feeling rather dejected and disappointed. Gates added quite a bit of salt to their deeply wounded ego by voicing his frustration about how common this type of reaction is by the police. The evidence was overwhelmingly in his favor. There is not enough space on the internet to list all the cases of racial profiling, police brutality and false imprisonments of black people. So let's move past that, quickly.

What appears to have been the straw that broke the Man's back was that Gates continued his verbal frustration outside on his front porch, saying, "I'll talk to ya mama outside". At that point, there were several people gathered outside to observe the exchange. The police report reads, "These actions on the behalf of Gates served no legitimate purpose and caused citizens passing by this location to stop and take notice while appearing surprised and alarmed." I'm sure there were more than "several" people who were surprised and alarmed to find a black man in THAT kind of house and that he was a Harvard University professor. The officer was apparently concerned for the safety and serenity of the neighborhood and thereby justifying the arrest of Professor Gates with the charge of being "loud and tumultuous in a public place". Watch this video clip of a white male stopped by a state trooper. Notice the officer's tempered reaction to a white person being "loud and tumultuous."

Black people are often referred to as being "loud and tumultuous". It appears to be a necessary characteristic. Because history clearly indicates that if similar individuals tend to be unnecessarily arrested, unnecessarily beaten and sometimes tend to unnecessarily disappear then one can conclude that being loud and tumultuous may be a lifesaver.

Gates was not arrested entirely because of his blackness. I'm sure there have been black men questioned somewhere in America during the last 24 hours and were not arrested as a result. The REAL reason Professor Gates was arrested was simple. It's the same reason white conservative men dislike Supreme Court Nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor: when minorities question authority they are ungrateful and unpatriotic. (When white people do it we call it "rebellion" or "revolution" because there must be a reason for it) Ungrateful because they appear to not know how lucky they are to have the opportunity to vote, to own property and to rule over or teach white people. In short, minorities fail to realize how lucky they are to have basic human rights. Unpatriotic because "only in America can a black man become professor or a Puerto Rican woman can become Supreme Court Justice. See how generous America is ?

Those who support the actions of the Cambridge Police cry out, "But this black man...why did he have to say anything to the police? Couldn't he just have kept his mouth shut and not be so...black?"

I suppose those same people, mainly right-wing conservatives, were saying 220 years ago to their fellow liberal, "Why did you have to talk back to that British soldier? Couldn't you just let him question you, steal your dignity and punch you a couple of times? Why are you so sensitive and feel the need to be so loud and tumultuous?"

Questioning authority is a founding principle of this country. It is a keystone for any free society. Loud and tumultuous are synonymous with freedom. Until everyone is free no one is.

"We pray for those who are sick in both body and spirit..." --Padre Pio

Occasionally I venture out into a world that is so terribly sick and twisted that it makes me fear for the human race. That world is Hannity.com. In the forum section you will find the most hateful, ignorant and arrogant people who, in my opinion, consume too many of the Earth's valuable resources. I was flirting with the Devil this morning when I hit paydirt on my first try with this post below by "Young_Republican":

Young_Republican3618
Man On The Street

Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 2

To all of you anti-war freaks

First of all isnt war what brought our country together. And think about it. As Albert Einstein said, "As long as there is man, there shall be war." The Iraq war was needed.You have to remember that terrorists attacked NY. Now i dont want to here all this theroys that th war was for oil or anything like that. Back in 1941 The Jappenese attacked the US and we went to war. If these terrorists were in lets say india. We would be fighting in india. But they came from Iraq so were in Iraq (now out, or in military bases) People dieing in any war is bad. But look at this. Only 7000 deaths of US troops. In what a.... 8 years. 7 years... In 1 day in our countrys past war. Over 10,000 americans died. D-Day, Iwo Jima, Gettysburgh, Market Garden. Our troops fight for us, to keep us safe. And Some people call all there hard work pointless. Wow just wow.

Yes, you just read that and no, I didn't make it up. I wouldn't know where to begin when trying to address this. This post, however illogical, nonsensical and completely devoid of rational thought, is a fairly common representation of the majority of current right-wing thought in America. The person who vomited this organic ignorance is an authentic and original product of Fox News. I've blogged about this before. By all appearances it would seem that I am obsessed with this type of individual. It's like visiting a haunted hotel where I continually go there to catch a glimpse of the legendary ghost.

This person was born out of the Fox News Crusade to demonize educated people. Educated people tend to be truth-seekers. Fox News wants truth-seekers like Sean Hannity wants to march in the San Francisco Gay Parade. But there may be more to this than Fox News simply trying to turn education into a disease.

Questioning the war in Iraq has always been prohibited on Hannity.com. Should you question ANYTHING about the war in Iraq it will almost certainly get you banned by one of Hannity's disciples (moderators). This is a place where the surreal is real and the real is surreal, where facts are "biased" and where members gather around a bonfire of absolutely fantastic lies, warming their hands, singing songs and drinking the same hot cocoa kool-aid while chanting, "Freedom ain't free".

I was a member on the Hannity.com forums until I was banned in 2007. During that brief sojourn of living on the darkside I discovered this demographic which I had completely underestimated in size and in depth of ignorance. I would have thought by now, given that nearly all Republican officials agree that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 and that Iraq DID NOT have weapons of mass destruction, that this movement would have lost some of its momentum. Sadly, I was wrong.

As I've written before, these individuals are so full of fear and shame that if they were to be enlightened it would be an emotionally crippling experience. Fox News has given their ego what it needs to stay alive and healthy: an identity. If this type of individual were to detach from their ego and that relative identity that it holds in its tight grasp, their ego would suffer a horrible death.

I can only conclude that this type of individual lives entirely on ego which is fueled by this identity that it must hate everything that Fox News propagandizes as evil. This individual has relinquished all logic and deferred all decision-making properties to its ego. And by doing so in such a collective manner in such a large community, their ego has a much higher probability of survival because it is constantly validated by others who are just as spiritually sick. In short, should one of these sheep stray from the flock it risks losing not only the identity for the ego but those fellow sheep who keep the identity strong. If such a person were to lose this community and the identity that feeds the ego, the ego then becomes vulnerable. The ego then becomes susceptible to actual reality in the present moment.

A moment in which we know that Iraq was and is not our enemy, a moment in which homosexuals are above all human beings and a moment in which a Puerto Rican woman CAN use the expression "wise latina" AND be taken seriously.

Updated Fox News Enemy List: education, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Barack Obama's birth certificate, Iran, North Korea, Mexico, polar bears, moose, proper English, Europe (Vatican City not included), Karl Marx, Cesar Chavez, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans (thanks Sonia!), humanities, art, children under the age of 18, minority children over the age of 6, health insurance for people who make less money than they do, Canadian health care system, Australian health care system, Islam, Muslim, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Turkey (kind of), Yemen, Somalia, anything French, Earth, truth, facts, investigations, resigning from a job after a scandal, practicing Christian values, China, Russia, Putin, Stalin, Trotsky, Borat, Bruno, Jane Fonda, Phil Donahue, Patrick Duffy (not sure about this one, I'll double-check) Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Brittney Spears, Jamie Lynn Spears, equal rights, empowered minorities, "wise" minority people, the word "minority", journalism, secret documents that reveal secret programs no one knew about, the Constitution, the law, the word "tax" and any derivative of, Jimmy Carter, Chelsea Clinton, Obama's children, Michelle Obama, whatever clothing Michelle Obama has on right this very second, anything "organic"...

Please feel free to add to this list.

"4 yes votes and 1 'hell yeah' "...The Story of a Governor's Cabinet

Sarah Palin's press conference. Seriously? Was that not the most awkward 30 minutes of television you've ever watched? Forget O.J. and the white bronco. Forget Mark Sanford. This was the moment when even Larry the Cable Guy was scratching his head with hot barbeque tongs saying, "What in THEE hell did that woman jis say?"

There are times as a parent when you must teach your children a lesson. Friday July 3rd around noon Sarah Palin did your work for you. She taught all children that education is very important.

The most disturbing piece was this nugget:

"In fact, this decision comes after much consideration, and finally polling the most important people in my life - my children (where the count was unanimous... well, in response to asking:)

'Want me to make a positive difference and fight for ALL our children's future from OUTSIDE the Governor's office?' It was four "yes's" and one "hell yeah!" The "hell yeah" sealed it - and someday I'll talk about the details of that..."

So, just so I understand it, Palin "the average hockey mom" made the decision to resign as governor by polling the following think tank:

Todd Palin --- husband, commercial fisherman and snowmobile afficionado

Track Palin -- 20 yr old son, amateur hockey player

Bristol Palin ---18 yr old daughter, mother of infant born out of abstinence

Willow Palin --- 14 yr old daughter, unknown as no one has heard her speak

Piper Palin -- 8 yr old daughter, primary babysitter of Trig

Trig Palin --18 month old son who has Down's Syndrome

I'm not making this up. So...time for hypothetical scenario: Sarah Palin is President of the United States (I know but just play along anyway...) North Korea is set to test fire yet another missile and this time intelligence indicates that it could reach Hawaii. North Korea states if the missile is intercepted it will view it as a declaration of war. President Palin gets the 3am phone call. She's briefed on the situation and calmly hangs up the phone.

She then proceeds to wake up her advisors, cabinet members in whom she has unshakeable trust.

"TODD !!! TRACK !!!! BRISTOL !!!! WILLOW !!! PIPER!!! TRIG !!!! GET YER ARSES DOWN HERE WILL YA? WE GOT ONE OF THEM THERE SITUATIONS GOIN' ON !!!

AND IT AIN'T NO FULL COURT PRESS, YOU BETCHA!!!

Remember when Alaska was cool, abstract and rugged... before Sarah Palin painted it qwerky?

Alaska. I've never been there and I'll bet you haven't been there either. Still wanna go?

I don't. Send me a postcard if you go. Wait a second..., no, send me a photo of the Wasilla Town Hall so that I can make it into an epitaph for my vision of what I thought Alaska was.

It died the day the world discovered Sarah Palin.

Alaska used to be too cool for me to even talk about. If someone asked if I'd been there, I would have answered, "no...haven't had the chance to head up there...YET ! But as soon as I can, boy, I might even stay a couple years." What a lie! I was so terrified of Alaska I couldn't even watch Northern Exposure for more than 15 minutes at a time. I felt as though Alaska knew who was watching HER...as if it were the most rugged, exotic, land where only tough, artsy, nature guys could survive (like Emile Hirsch in "Into the Wild"). How in the hell was I going to make it in Alaska if I could not bring my Aveda shampoo and conditioner and my American Crew Pomade? Do grocery stores in Alaska even have Pellegrino?

Sarah Palin has turned Alaska into the equivalent of a Japanese game show: no one understands it, the host winks and laughs and everyone is embarrassed for the people in it. She took a land that was so mysterious and powerful that even the most intellectually elite were frozen in awe of its natural beauty upon arrival, to now a land where all intellectuals are terrified at its governor's ignorance, lack of intelligence and purposeful avoidance of reality. Alaska the Land has been overshadowed by a nasal voice that simply answers every question with a "you betcha" and a very obscure fishing metaphor. Palin took Alaska and melted it into a Flint, Michigan, a Decatur, Illinois, places where we EXPECT to find close-minded people who still have the Steve Perry/Bob Seger hairdo and think that Spain is a region in Mexico.

There's a reason why no one can name any other governor of Alaska prior to Palin: because they never talked! They didn't have to. Hello !!!??? Being governor of Alaska is all that needs to be said. Alaska the Land always spoke louder than its governor. That's how it's supposed to be.

My only solace now is "Ice Road Truckers". But even that is getting close to the cheesy press appearances Sarah Palin delivers every week free of charge. There's a girl trucker on that show (the only girl trucker) and she used to play basketball in high school in Alaska. Sound familiar?

How fitting was it today, the day that Sarah the Baracuda QUITS as governor, that the ducks on the pond and the owl in the tree behind her were louder than her voice, that the grass she was stepping on was a bit greener and the mountains looked taller... as if to say, "Behold...Alaska the Land has awoken again". To use a Palin metaphor, she "forfeited the game". A quitter in every sense of the word.

No more shooting polar bears from helicopters, no more footage of turkeys getting their throats slit and thrown into a defeathering machine, no more trendy square-rimmed spectacles and certainly no more "Alaska is just a microcosm of America". Because it's not. We in the lower 48 know it's not. That's why we thought Alaska was cool. That's why we wanted to visit Alaska the Land.

The Party of Family Values keeps on "thinking"...and keeps on sinking !

Oh, yeah. Promise Keepers. The Fellowship. Good ole Christian Right family values. The party of judgment and contempt, of exclusion and prejudice, the party that believes poverty, hunger, being black and homosexuality are all choices, shows once again why claiming to be morally superior is not only anti-Christian but is unrealistic and utterly prophetic. Every single time.

First of all, let's be clear. The Republican party must have been on their feet cheering like Notre Dame cheered for Rudy when John Ensign and Mark Sanford came out with their admissions of sexual, carnal, adulterous, naked, flesh-touching affairs.

At least these two cheaters had partners of the opposite sex (unlike Larry Craig, Mark Foley and Ted Haggard). So in a way the party offered their "conservative compassion" for at least not going all "log cabin-ish". Although I must say that Sanford's situation is a bit riskier as he chose an Argentine woman.

Fox News watchers have difficulty finding Argentina on the globe much less determining if it is on the Axis of Evil or if Argentina is "with us or against us." Too much culture and/or geographic distance can automatically get a country placed on Fox News' Enemy List and Argentina has both, i.e. tango, soccer, Vespas, chimichurri and empenadas.

Ensign and Sanford were both very prominent Republicans arguably in the top 5 of leaders of their leaderless party (if you don't count Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich---another extramarital conservative). Both Ensign and Sanford belonged to a religious cult...errr...group known as "The Fellowship". Now this does not include Frodo or Gandolf but it does include a lot of white male Republicans. Here is the mission statement of The Fellowship:

To develop and maintain an informal association of people banded together, to go out as "ambassadors of reconciliation," modeling the principles of Jesus, based on loving God and loving others. To work with the leaders of other nations, and as their hearts are touched, the poor, the oppressed, the widows and the youth of their country will be impacted in a positive manner. It is said that youth groups will be developed under the thoughts of Jesus, including loving others as you want to be loved.

The mission statement seems harmless enough. Where did these two go wrong?

It shows once again how the body does not follow the mind, how one cannot think himself into right action. It is only by right action that right thinking can become automatic. A few years before Jesus pimped those sweet leather sandals in Palestine, Aristotle had several ideas that he expressed openly.

Here's one that underscores my point, taken from the Nicomachean Ethics:

II. The Good Character.

A. People have a natural capacity for good character, but it is developed through practice. The capacity does not come first--it's developed only through practice.

1. The vicious circle of which is preeminent--acts or dispositions--is broken by Aristotle's distinction between acts which create good dispositions and acts which flow from the good disposition once it has been created.
2. Arete is a disposition developed out of a capacity by the proper exercise of that capacity.
3. Habits are developed through acting; a person's character is the structure of habits and is formed by what we do.

Aha! This could explain why so many look to be saved without rowing the boat. God can calm the waters but He can't move the oars.

So, I wonder if Ensign and Sanford, as they lay atop their respective lovers in the moonlight like the scene in Top Gun with Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis, even quite possibly listening to "Take my breath away" by pop legend Berlin, if both men were still trying to think themselves into right action.