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By Cassandra Effect, July 31, 2009 9:17 am

President Obama may have gotten his own “Lesson” if  Sgt. Crowley delivered the contents of a letter from his colleague Sgt. Leon Lashley, who was a black officer on scene at the arrest of Professor Gates.   Contrast Sgt. Lashleys words below with the lame  statement from Professor Gates.  You always can tell who the troublemaker is any political pickle - it’s the person who is “hopeful that we can all move on.”  Yes, that is a quote from Professor Gates’ statement.

Sgt. Lashley’s letter transcibed from CNN (video at bottom)

“One of the major problems stemming from the events of July 16 is that I, [am] now known as the ‘black sergeant’, have had my image plastered all over the internet, television and newspapers,  Subsequently, I have also become known, at least to some, as an ‘Uncle Tom’. 

I’m forced to ponder the notion that as a result of speaking the truth and coming to the defense of a friend and colleague, who just happened to be white, that I have somehow betrayed my heritage.

Please convey my concerns to the President that Mr. Gates’ actions may may have caused grave and potentially irreparable harm to the struggle for racial harmony in this country and perhaps throughout the world.

In closing, I would simply like to ask that Mr. Gates deeply reflect on the events that have unfolded since July 16 and ask himself the following questions:

What can I do to help heal the rift caused by some of my actions?

What responsibility do I bear for what occurred on July 16, 2009?

Is there anything I can do to mitigate the damage done to the reputations of two respected Police Officers?

Thank you in Advance,

Your Friend

Leon K. Lashley”

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By Cassandra Effect,

Obama is actually concerned with the opinion of the American public.  That’s a good thing!  It means we can make the idiots in Washington still pay attention to us!  In some deep dark recess of their souls they are worried – very worries.  Stay strong people!

This was not exactly the “Lesson Learned” that Obama expected to come of of his Beer Detente.  But it’s still a good lesson!

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By Cassandra Effect, July 30, 2009 5:45 pm

Breaking from the Huffington Post (or at least we can dream):

President Obama’s plans for a conciliatory beer party between Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and James Crowley, the Cambridge policeman who arrested him, went off the rails this evening when Vice President Joe Biden unceremoniously crashed the event.

Mr. Biden, whom onlookers said was clearly inebriated, burst into the Oval Office just as the three men were getting the party underway.

Furious that the party had started without him, Mr. Biden reached into a tub of cold beers and smashed a bottle over the edge of Mr. Obama’s desk.

Read it all Here……..Drunk Ass Biden Crashes White House Beer Party

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By Cassandra Effect,

The media is reporting Dear Leader is going to down a Bud Light. I’m sure that polled well.  Professor Gates avoids any homebrewed suds as he downs a Red Stripe from Jamaica.  Officer Crowley is reported to like the Microbrew Blue Moon. 

Obama should have gone for the Billy Beer since his poll numbers and leadership style are so similar to that of President Carter.

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By Cassandra Effect, July 26, 2009 3:53 pm

In today’s Rasmussen Presidential Appoval survey, President Obama is showing a -11% approval rating among likely voters.  That is the difference between strongly approve (29%) and strongly disapprove (-40%).  the country remains split of his performance with 49% approving and 50% disapproving.  It is worth noting that of the 50% who disapprove, 80% of them STRONGLY disapprove.  There is no wiggle room here.  Rasmussen also reports that 76% of people view him as “liberal”. with only 48% seeing him as “Very Liberal.”   The question for Mr. Obama is what will happen to his approval when the other half of the respondents recognize him as “Very Liberal.”  This is up 20 points since his election.  Is it possible that people were that blind to his agenda?  Yes, but they ARE WAKING from their slumber. 

Much of his drop is likely attributable to his dismal ad lib comments on the Harvard Professor Gates arrest. 

More info here Obama “apologies” for his stupid comments on Cambridge Professor Kerfuffle and here Obama resorts to race baiting on Harvard Prof’s arrest

Rasmussen also reports an astonishing  split in how whites/blacks viewed this President’s Cambridge remarks.   How can we ever all get along when we cannot all agree on the notion of BLIND JUSTICE and assuming most people are GOOD.  We have a black President – institutional racism is near dead – the generation that lived with and created  Jim Crow laws are dying out – what more evidence do Afircan Americans need to see the path to prosperity is open?

Seventy-one percent (71%) of African-Americans say the president’s response was good or excellent, a view shared by just 22% of white Americans.

At the other extreme, 53% of white voters gave the president’s response a poor grade. Only five percent (5%) of black Americans offered such a negative response.

Seventy-three percent (73%) of African-American voters believe that most blacks receive unfair treatment from the police. Just 21% of white voters share that view

Thirty-two percent (32%) of black voters say that most policemen are racist, but 52% disagree.

Among white voters, just seven percent (7%) believe that most policemen are racist and 71% say they are not.

Liberals, by a two-to-one margin believe that most African-Americans are treated unfairly by the police. A solid plurality of unaffiliateds and a majority of Republicans disagree.

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By Cassandra Effect, July 24, 2009 3:23 pm

Obama realized he stepped into a pretty big pile with his off the cuff “stupid” judgment of Cambridge Police Sgt. James Crowley following the arrest of the President’s friend, Professor Henry Gates, Jr., and playing upon the alleged racial issues of the arrest.  To wit:  A neighbor notice two men trying to jimmy a lock on Professor Gates’ house at night and called the police.  I would hope to have such attentive neighbors. More here:  Obama resorts to race baiting on Harvard Prof’s arrest

Anyway – the apologizer in chief somehow could not summon the actual words “I apologize” to minimize his prejudgment and hasty comments.  I guess he finds it easier to apologize for everyone else in America except himself.

Here is the Presidents Weak-ass apology – and he ends it with inviting the two men over for a beer!  George W Bush could have pulled that off, but it sounds so silly coming from this effete man!

Watch him grovel and completely fail to acknowledge his words.

More from the NY Times:

President Obama said Friday that he “could have calibrated” his words more carefully in the controversy over the arrest of a black Harvard professor by a white police officer, but added that there had been an “overreaction” by both sides in a case that touched off an intense discussion about race in America.

“To the extent that my choice of words didn’t illuminate, but rather contributed to more media, I think, that was unfortunate,” Mr. Obama said, making an unusual unannounced visit to the White House briefing room in an effort to ease the controversy….

The president said that he conveyed his sentiment to Sgt. James Crowley in a telephone call on Friday afternoon. The call, which lasted about five minutes, came after police officials in Massachusetts and beyond accused Mr. Obama of maligning the character of Sergeant Crowley and the entire Cambridge police force.

“I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up, I wanted to make clear that in my choice of words, I think, I unfortunately, I think, gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department or Sergeant Crowley specifically,” Mr. Obama told reporters. “I could have calibrated those words differently, and I told this to Sergeant Crowley.”

Mr. Obama did not specifically use the word “apology,” but aides said that was the sentiment conveyed during his call with the officer…

“I continue to believe, based on what I have heard, that there was an overreaction in pulling Professor Gates out of his home to the station,” Mr. Obama added. “I also continue to believe, based on what I heard that Professor Gates probably overreacted as well. My sense is you’ve got two good people in a circumstance in which neither of them were able to resolve the incident in the way that it should have been resolved and the way they would have liked it to be resolved.”..

Mr. Obama, carefully measuring his words to avoid further criticism from either side, said, “Even when you’ve got a police officer who has a fine track record on racial sensitivity, interactions between police officers and the African-American community can sometimes be fraught with misunderstanding.”

One hour after calling Sergeant Crowley, Mr. Obama reached Professor Gates by telephone. An administration official said the call was “a positive discussion,” and that it ended with an invitation for the professor and the police officer to meet at the White House — to have a beer, as the president said in his remarks to reporters. There was no immediate word on whether Professor Gates accepted the invitation.

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By Cassandra Effect, July 23, 2009 8:58 am

The Boston Globe has the radio interview with Cambridge police Sergeant James Crowley – the one that Obama called “Stupid” after admitting he KNEW NO DETAILS  of the incident with Harvard Professor Gates.  Sadly, the Prez focused on race and not the really stupid thing the police did…..violate the FIRST AMENDMENT!

This is our President folks……Rising above the racial issues…not….how about saying – gee, I don’t know any of the facts so it is too early to comment.  Simple.  

Its is disturbing that the police would have ANY RIGHT to tell you what you can say in your own HOME.   According to the cop, once they both got outside, there was a significant verbal exchange.  At that point its hard to see how a lively exchange of the professors 1st amendment rights called for his arrest.  THE FIRST AMENDMENT, should be the focus of attention here.  Not Race. 

UPDATE 8/1/2009  – Slate Article A Man’s Home Is His Constitutional Castle

From yesterday’s Press Conference: (AP)

OBAMA: Well, I should say at the outset that Skip Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don’t know all the facts. What’s been reported though is that the guy forgot his keys, jimmied his way to get into the house. There was a report called in to the police station that there might be a burglary taking place. So far, so good, right? I mean, if I was trying to jigger into — well, I guess this is my house now, so … it probably wouldn’t happen. But let’s say my old house in Chicago.

Here, I’d get shot.

But so far, so good. They’re — they’re reporting. The police are doing what they should. There’s a call. They go investigate what happens.

My understanding is, at that point, Professor Gates is already in his house. The police officer comes in. I’m sure there’s some exchange of words. But my understanding is, is that Professor Gates then shows his ID to show that this is his house and, at that point, he gets arrested for disorderly conduct, charges which are later dropped.

Now, I don’t know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. But I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry; number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home; and, number three, what I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there’s a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately. That’s just a fact.

As you know, Lynn, when I was in the state legislature in Illinois, we worked on a racial profiling bill because there was indisputable evidence that blacks and Hispanics were being stopped disproportionately. And that is a sign, an example of how, you know, race remains a factor in the society.

That doesn’t lessen the incredible progress that has been made. I am standing here as testimony to the progress that’s been made. And yet the fact of the matter is, is that, you know, this still haunts us.

And even when there are honest misunderstandings, the fact that blacks and Hispanics are picked up more frequently and often time for no cause casts suspicion even when there is good cause.

And that’s why I think the more that we’re working with local law enforcement to improve policing techniques so that we’re eliminating potential bias, the safer everybody is going to be.

Crowley’s Radio Interview:

This morning on WEEI, Crowley spoke for 22 minutes and offered his most detailed public explanation of why he handcuffed the renowned professor of African-American studies.

“He was arrested after following me outside the house, continuing the tirade, even after being warned multiple times, probably a few more times than the average person would have gotten,” Crowley said.

The hosts asked: “How many times?

“He was cautioned in the house, meaning calm down, lower your voice,” Crowley said. “Once we got outside in front of the general public and the police officers that were assembled there, two warnings, the second warning with me holding a set of handcuff in my hand. It was something I really didn’t want to do, but the professor at any point in time could have resolved the issue by quieting down and or going back in his house.”

Crowley continued, “There are so many things in this incident that keep me scratching my head wondering. I apologize, I was not aware who professor Gates was. And when I read the name off the card, it wasn’t like I said, ‘Oh, Wow, that’s Professor Gates.’ I’m still just amazed that somebody of his level of intelligence could stoop to such a level and berate me, accuse of being a racist, of racial profiling, and speaking about my mother. It’s just beyond words.”