I feel compelled to speak out about the comments made by the President of the United States in regards to the arrest of Harvard Professor Gates. I respect the President and the difficult task he has of leading this country. That being said, I don't always agree with his views.
There are several things that bother me about his comments that the Cambridge Police "acted stupidly" when arresting his friend.
The first, and most obvious, is his own declaration that he did not have all the facts. We are currently fighting two wars, being threatened by other rogue nations, and at home are in a rush to vote on a health care bill that no one has read nor has had time to fully consider the implications it might have on future generations. All the while we are in an economic crisis, and growing deeper in debt, and unemployment is at an all time high.
It certainly makes me wonder if many of the decisions our government makes is without first having the facts to support their policies. Patience is a virtue and cooler heads should prevail.
Secondly, the label of "racial profiling" being used to describe the response to a reported home burglary by the Cambridge Police Department is way off. Racial profiling is something that is initiated by the police, not one in which they are obligated to respond to a citizens complaint. Third, I am disappointed that the President would intentionally, or unintentionally, inflame a situation by implying that it is somehow excusable that a black man would react with anger "given the history of abuse at the hands of American Law Enforcement Officers". We are living in unprecedented times. We have elected a black President named Barack Obama to the most powerful position in the world. This is progress. I am not naive, I know there are still racial issues out there. I also know they are not all originating from one race. Furthermore, I know that we as individuals are responsible for our behavior, our own personal biases, and the things we say.
Finally, I personally do not believe the President was speaking out on social injustice as much as he was simply defending a friend. That can be an admirable trait for sure when doing so with the full knowledge of the circumstances. Even if you know the friend is guilty a friend should support a friend. However, it still begs the question of whether or not our President should be critically commenting on local issues in which he is not informed nor involved.
I don't care what color you are wrong is wrong, right is right, and we as a people should always seek to be on the side of right.
In the end I will say this, the President of the United States should be on a mission to unify the people of the United States during difficult times. His job is challenging and very difficult and my prayers are with him. He is often attacked and criticized and faces increasingly tough issues everyday. It is not a job for the faint of heart. On the other hand, it is our job as citizens to hold him and our congress accountable.
In Proverbs 16:32 it says "He who is slow to anger is mightier than the warrior and he who controls his spirit than he who captures a city". We all must practice this kind of self control. We must control our spirit, we must control our sinful nature and we must join together on a mission to unify, encourage, lift up and support our Nation, no matter one's ethnicity, position in life, or financial status. We must not seek to divide based on personal and selfish endeavors and fact less harmful opinions. In the end it is not about me, or you, but about us as Americans.
God bless the President, God bless the United States of America and God bless us all as one Nation under God!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
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