What Gates does for a living is/was irrelevant. The question was whether or not it was his house, one, and two, was the Officer "respectful" to the owner during the course of the incident, especially after his identity was made clear. I don't believe he was. Hey, this is the same country where conservatives want to arm each household to the teeth. If we hold our homes sacred, we should at least be treated civil in our living rooms.

Politically I am all over the spectrum, but one thing I do believe: the job of a Police Officer is difficult and sometimes dangerous; thus should be manned with reasonable people.

Just last Friday I was in heavy traffic on Route 80 in NJ. A woman passed by my Brother and I; it was quite evident she was distraught and screaming at the top of her lungs about something. She had her flashers on and drove past us on the shoulder. There was an officer behind us (we joked he was ignoring her and checking my plates). About a mile up she had pulled over and was sitting on the divider with her dress up and shouting invectives. In a rare moment of seriousness, I remarked to my brother that the policeman (who had pulled up behind her) has no idea if she has a gun, or has hurt someone or been hurt. What do you do?

The fact that there was no account of a Woman being shot on a highway in Jersey leads me to think (hope) that the situation was resolved peacefully and respectfully.

Then on the other hand....

..... you have 'officers of the law' who confuse their vocation with carte blanche; who think that the service they provide to protect us gives them the right to crap on us.

I don't know what happened in Professor Gates' home. I do know that I have never walked into the foyer of an older person's house and not seen pictorial evidence of who's house it was. I don't doubt for one minute that Gates became irritated. I was at a party once and two Policeman knocked on the door. One of them shouted "turn that damn jungle music off!". Being the wise ass, I politely asked him to define 'jungle music'. I even addressed him as 'Sir'. He threated to arrest me. If my wife hadn't pulled me away, I'd probably be doing time now for who knows what.

.. what drug players use? As pointed out, drugs have been a part of the athletic landscape forever. One day you walk into your favorite brothel, and there's Marilyn Monroe. Hmmm... Steroids are just the best looking hooker in the ho house.

Besides, I'm willing to wager that Willis Reed had more drugs in him that famous night in May, 1970, than Barry Bonds had in him in May, 2000. Who their dealer was is the only difference.

"..assuming because apples happened in 2000 does not mean we will all have oranges in 2010.."

Don't you mean apples in 2010?

The banter about plug-ins and hybrids re: American manufacturers financial health is misleading, even from our President. Americans (most) would rather buy a well-made Chevy sedan than a hybrid. Unfortunately, no such Chevy had been available until recently, and by then Brand loyalty was a thing of the past. Ironically, Japanese quality forced the Big Three to make better vehicles that maintain longer, though their profit mission is based on the old 3 year planned obsolescence cycle. Make a better car, which they have over the last several years, and I'll keep it longer.

We are assuming that everybody wanted or wants a hybrid. Hell, as Jaime Kitman pointed out in Automobile magazine, you can make all the hybrids you want, but if people don't buy them, they will sit on lots. Our guys could have made a 'Prius' 10 or 12 years ago. They would have collected dust, and bankruptcy would have loomed in 1998. Don't get me wrong. I'm a Honda guy and own a Lexus. But when Toyota stops making Camry's, Tundra's and Land Cruisers', and builds 3 million Prius's, then we can talk.

"....When I read stuff like this, I can't help but think back to the early 2000s, when the Democratic Party was supposed to be obsolete and out of touch and the GOP was on the way to establishing a 1,000 year reich. Jesus, I'm only 32, but I already see my fate. As the rare species of American who has a memory and historical perspective, I am going to be sentenced to a life of listening to and reading inane, short-sighted political commentary. Look, the Republicans are probably going to regain one, if not both, of the houses of Congress in 2010 -- and if they don't regain the White House in 2012 (they probably won't ... crossing my fingers) they will by 2016..."

I pasted 'fondlementalists' earlier post, because you could have closed the thread after that. Somebody send this to Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann. Well said.

.. is this "Operation Chaos - Part Deux"..?

Certainly what you say is true, re: the historical arc of our American experience. That is a very wide "prism". I meant Dyson's own personal take, based on his life experiences. But I also said that if asked a question, answer what you believe. My criticism was not where he draws his answers from, but that some of them are wrong. Happens. As for 'dirty laundry', I cannot understand why Black people who call out others ('airing') for certain acts and behavior ('wearing') catch more hell than the perpetrators. Other folks dirty laundry - plenty. But we need to demand and demonstrate better. We are the same people that gave America Duke Ellington, Malcolm X - and Fifty Cent. There's room for high and low culture; we just need more of the former and less of the latter.

s