Right-wing nuts, led by Fox News (the far right’s biased media megaphone), have been fighting to keep the issue race issue involving the arrest of Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr. in the public eye to try and score political points with white voters. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, taking a break from solving some very real problems that plague those of us who live in the great (although economically-troubled) state of Michigan, is drafting a useless resolution to try and make the president of the United States of America apologize to McCotter’s satisfaction. It’s a waste of time and it goes to show how right wingers are attempting to use this as a political tool. These right wingers don’t give a damn about Sgt. James Crowley (he’s just a pawn they’re using to attack President Obama), the very real problem of racial profiling or Prof. Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Here is text of McCotter’s dumb resolution (that is an irresponsible waste of time involving, primarily, three people):
Whereas on July 16, 2009, Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sergeant James M. Crowley responded to a 911 call from a neighbor of Harvard University Professor Henry Louis (”Skip”) Gates, Jr. about a suspected break-in in progress at his residence, which had been broken into on a prior occasion;
Whereas on July 22, 2009, in responding to a question during a White House press conference President Barack Obama stated: “Skip Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don’t know all of the facts involved in this local police response incident”;
Whereas President Obama proceeded to state Sergeant Crowley “acted stupidly” for arresting Professor Gates on charges of disorderly conduct;
Whereas, as a former Constitutional Law Professor, President Obama well understands that all Americans are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and their actions should not be prejudged prior to being fully and fairly judged by an appropriate and objective authority after due process;
Whereas, President Obama’s nationally televised remarks may likely detrimentally influence the full and fair judgment by an appropriate and objective authority after due process regarding this local police response incident and, thereby, impair Sergeant Crowley’s legal and professional standing in relation to said incident; and
Whereas, President Obama appeared at a daily White House Press briefing on July 24, 2009 to address his denouncement of Sergeant Crowley and stated: “I could have calibrated those words differently” but “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.”
Whereas, President Obama’s refusal to retract his initial public remarks and apologize to Sergeant Crowley and, instead, reiterate his accusation impugning Sergeant Crowley’s professional conduct in the performance of his duties;
Now therefore be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives–
Calls upon President Obama to retract his initial public remarks and apologize to Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Sergeant James M. Crowley for having unfairly impugned and prejudged his professional conduct in this local police response incident.
This guy has disgraced the state of Michigan and sought to exploit the unfortunate incident between Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley to take a political shot at President Obama.
This guy is symbolic of opportunistic Republicans eager to keep this issue alive to try and portray President Obama as some black, anti-police radical.
McCotter, and those like him, are enablers of racial profiling. They take everything the police say at face value and virtually ignore anything that comes from the other side of an arrest or conflict with the police.
Now, consider this idiotic statement from Jameson Cunningham, minister of propagandapress secretary for McCotter:
“He has said he will introduce the legislation if the President does not retract and apologize for his comments,”said Jameson Cunningham, press secretary for McCotter, when asked if Obama had already addressed his concerns. “As of now, no apology has been issued.”
That sounds like a threat to me.
This Republican is trying to show President Obama his place, and it has a familiar feel to it.
Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/27/gop-rep-will-offer-resolu_n_245287.html
Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/27/mccotter-resolution/
