THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014
Posts will be somewhat delayed: After 31 years of unblemished service, even the best of house keys will finally snap right in half.
That’s the emergency lesson we learned today during emergency snowstorm non-whiteout conditions. Survival skills were put to use. Access was recently gained.
On the brighter side, last night’s cable was extra pathetic. Today’s posts will be somewhat delayed.
I have seen neighbors who come out in horrible conditions dressed for indoors. One hopes they don't accidentally get locked outside dressed like that.
ReplyDeleteI once dreamed I showed up late for a test dressed only in my underduds.
DeleteWas it a Maidenform bra?
DeleteThat sort of thing only happens during snow storms.
ReplyDeleteWould it be fair to assume Mr. S has lived in the same place 31 years and that when he moved in he got a spanking new key?
ReplyDeleteI
I am sure Sgt. Crowley helpfully assisted the older white gentleman, wearing only a backpack and Pete Seeger T-Shirt, into his home while a smattering of curious yong, onlooking neighbors of color asked themselves, "Is that the smelly old coot who keeps yelling at us to get off his lawn?"
ReplyDeleteI cannot imagine Somerby going into hysterics if the police were to ask him whether it was his house or not. Nor can I imagine him following the officer back out to the porch, continuing to verbally abuse the officer, after having verified that it was indeed his house.Gates was arrested for creating a public disturbance. To do that, you have to go back out into public. While an officer might tolerate being berated by a bigwig Harvard professor in private, he cannot allow the public, including those neighborhood kids, to see the authority of the police challenged by a citizen in public. Anyone will be arrested under those circumstances.
Delete"Gates was arrested for creating a public disturbance."
DeleteYes. On his own porch.
What did those poor neighborhood kids think?
It is extremely difficult to be legally arrested for creating a public disturbance on your own property. Throwing bottles at passing cars from your porch would do it. Fighting with someone in your front yard might do it in some jurisdictions.
DeleteNow you know why the charges against Gates were dropped.
"I cannot imagine Somerby going into hysterics"
DeleteOver a cop at his door? Perhaps not. But Maddow and Matthews on his telly box? Mercy.
Gates followed the officer out onto the porch in order to continue making a scene. The cop could not ignore his behavior after that. In fairness, Gates had just come off a transatlantic flight and was overtired, but some behavior cannot be excused. I had a white friend who was arrested for offering a cop a doughnut (in an admittedly sarcastic voice) in public. Those charges were dropped too. The point is made without pressing charges. Do you think Gates should have gotten a pass on that kind of behavior?
DeleteYes. Once the officer learned the home was occupied by its owner there was no reason for him not to have left immediately. None.
DeleteHe left and Gates followed him out onto the porch continuing to berate him. When someone yells at a cop in public and a crowd gathers it places the officer in danger. That's why the cop had to shut him down quickly and he was arrested.
DeleteHorseshit. The cop shut him down because that's what cops are used to doing. When this kind of thing takes place on public property, the cop has the excuses of maintaing control of onlookers, performing his duties without distraction, and keeping the public safety. On private property, which is to say Gates' home, not so much. There were no crowds in Gates' home; the cop's duty was over once Gates identified himself, and the only person whose safety was in jeopardy was Gates'.
DeleteBerating cops falls under something called the 1st Amendment. Was Gates an obstreperous asshole on that occasion? Sure. That's not a crime.
Graphite for the uninitiated will help prevent key breakage. Ask your local hardware guy.
ReplyDeleteIn the glorious days of TDH, your comment would have complimented the writing and contained a link to a graphite website. Unfortunately tyrannical trolls have scared away the spammers.
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