The networks might just as well have hung out a sign this morning: non-African-American experts on policing and racial profiling need not apply. Good Morning America, the Early Show and Today had a total of six guests on the subject . . . and every one was African-American.
Among the highlights: a writer from Tina Brown's Daily Beast suggested that given our incarceration rate, the USA meets the definition of a "police state."
Good Morning America
ABC reporter Pierre Thomas narrated an entirely one-sided segment in which three African-Americans recounted stories of mistreatment at the hands of the police
Sports columnist Stephen A. Smith said the first thing that goes through the mind of blacks dealing with police is that they suspect racial profiling. Cut to video of civil rights demonstrators being fire-hosed by police, followed by a graphic indicating black males are incarcerated at seven times the rate of white males. No indication if this is disproportionate to the number of crimes committed.
Lt. Charles Wilson of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers then appeared, and took an even-handed approach.
Early Show
Joseph McMillan, President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives suggested that Sgt. Crowley used bad police protocol for arresting Gates after learning he was the owner of the home.
Kevin Robinson Asst. Chief of Police of Phoenix, AZ, offered a balanced perspective.
Today
Mansfield Frazier of the Daily Beast suggested the United States is a "police state" because we have a high incarceration rate.
The garrulous Michael Eric Dyson called Pres. Obama a "prince of a man" for reaching out to Sergeant Crowley, overlooking that the outreach only became necessary because PBO had poured fuel on the fire by accusing Cambridge police of acting "stupidly." On an alliteration kick, Dyson referred no fewer than three times to the "lethal legacy" of police interaction with African-Americans.
Six guests, not a single non-African-American. Could the networks be guilty of some racial profiling of their own?
—Mark Finkelstein is a NewsBusters contributing editor and host of Right Angle. Contact him at mark@gunhill.net.




















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What liberals Want
July 25, 2009 - 13:11 ET by sic721A bank is robbed. Witnesses describe the 'suspects' as "two black men". So, instead of only stopping suspicious vehicles occupied by 'two black men', liberals want police to also stop vehicles occupied by two white men, two hispanic men, two asian men, etc. This is known as a "quota" aka "affirmitive action" aka "fairness".
"The human race divides itself politically into those who want to be controlled, and those who have no such desire."-Robert A. Heinlein
Don’t you know? When
July 25, 2009 - 13:13 ET by ReaverDon’t you know? When liberals engage in racial profiling its called affirmative action.
If stupidity got us into this mess,
then why can't it get us out?
--Will Rogers
The racist left media
July 26, 2009 - 05:47 ET by kgThe racist left media always use race to prove their point or forward their agenda. And it is all in the name of being anti-conservative. Sadly the minorities allow this to happen. The media manipulates the minorities the same way Jerry Springer manipulates his guests. A very select few do not take the bait like the Boxer fiasco the other day.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
Are you sure this wasn't
July 25, 2009 - 13:14 ET by mattmAre you sure this wasn't B.E.T.?
Or the
July 25, 2009 - 13:26 ET by acumenCongressional Black Caucus?
Lethal Legacy
July 25, 2009 - 13:22 ET by ParagrouperHey, didn't Mel Gibson star in that?
"Beware the fury of the patient man." - John Dryden
Interesting article (coupla
July 25, 2009 - 13:40 ET by ex buff e-dubInteresting article (coupla years old) here:
http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/_national_rev-reporting.htm
Grievence mongers like Dyson are poison for race relations
July 25, 2009 - 13:45 ET by OxyConI have to admit that I actually like Al Sharpton now that he is older and wiser (feel free to boo and hiss). You know exactly where Sharpton stands on things and what sie he is going to take, but at the least he gives an effort to see both sides of things and he is a smart man.
Dyson? I can't stand the sight of him. He's a dishonest person with an axe to grind and he is obviously a very prejudiced man. The more he opens his mouth, the worse race relations get, imo.
"but at the least he gives
July 25, 2009 - 16:20 ET by ckc1227"but at the least he gives an effort to see both sides of things"
Umm, yeah....
I'm sure we'll see more of the same on Sunday talk shows
July 25, 2009 - 13:45 ET by krendler...with black guests not interested in discussing the specific facts in the case (now that those facts appear to be very damning from Gates' perspective) and, instead, saying "in the historical context of white oppression of blacks in this country, Mr. Gates' actions are perfectly understandable and justifiable...".
Basically, these clowns are saying it's perfectly proper to $h*t all over a white police officer if he stops or questions you. After all, they're all racists. History tells us so.
And what's with these references to the disproportionately high number of black males who are incarcerated? Are they saying that all these guys were framed by white police officers? Maybe they want to talk about the disproportionately high number of blacks who murder other blacks (and non-blacks, for that matter)?
BTW, Nauseating to now see Obama take the "even handed" position that both men "probably overreacted", and no one in the media calling him on it. No, Barry. The officer was restrained, professional and followed proper police procedure. Your Chronically Aggrieved buddy was the one who threw the tantrum the second a white police officer asked for id.
The MSM thinks that "a
July 25, 2009 - 14:26 ET by d1carterThe MSM thinks that "a teachable moment" means they have to teach only the non-African Americans.
Piling On...
July 25, 2009 - 14:53 ET by slickwillie2001Here's word from another black American, the black police officer working with Crowley that night, video:
Black Police Sgt. Leon Lashley Backs Sgt. Crowley 100% in Arresting Unruly Professor Gates: http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com
What I learned from this is that while the hispanic officer (Figueroa?) was in the house; recall Crowley said something like "I was aware officer Figueroa had come up behind me...", but Lashley also mentions that one or two other officers had also entered the home. That's new information that I was unaware of, and it means even more witnesses to what was going on with Gates.
Hummmm,
July 25, 2009 - 14:56 ET by ApodicticI wonder if there's any connection between blacks commiting crimes and blacks who are incarcerated? Check out the FBI's crime statistics. The answers are all too obvious - especially violent crimes.
July 25, 2009 - 15:11 ET by jessieHI guess WE need more whites breaking the law to average things out. I would, but not without a race card to flash when I get arrested........
Blacks - No Accountability
July 25, 2009 - 15:25 ET by phshaw01As a black male I find out both sad and fatalistic that many (not all)
blacks in this country continue to hide behind the history of racism to
excuse and ignore our own culpability when we are subjects of police
attention (black translation = brutality). How many will say simply
"stop commiting crimes". Work for minimum wage if necessary; educate
yourself ; care for your children; clean up your neigborhoods; seek God
for worship and not entertainment and act humbly and not beligerently.
In doing so, over time it is highly likely that the negative attention
will subside. Yes...racism still exists. Stereotyping by cops and
others still exists. But on balance you make your own destiny. Until
this mindset is promoted above all others within the black society,
culpability will always lie elsewhere for our own "troubles".
ph
July 25, 2009 - 16:06 ET by jdlybrandYour comments are a breath of fresh air. I agree with your post. Common sense has no color.
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
I Second that. Doubling
July 25, 2009 - 16:09 ET by bigtimerI Second that.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Let's do an experiment.
July 25, 2009 - 16:00 ET by pbthinkerIf people believe that the U.S. is a "police state" because we have so many people incarcerated, let's send them all to Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico and see how many of them, within their 1st year out, end up in jail there also. Of course those countries wouldn't have to room to house them like we do, but my guess is a high percentage would end up back in jail.
Is anyone going to say that we have an inordinate amount of people in jail that are their unfairly? They didn't do the crime? Well, they're in control of the courts, for the most part, look at the states with high rates of incarceration, I don't even have figures in front of me, but my guess is that New York, Michigan, California, and Texas would have really high rates. Now, 3 of the 4 have been in control by liberal Democrats for years. What does that tell you?
I know, I shouldn't guess like that but at least, when I don't know what I'm talking about, there won't be a 3 days news feast on it.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
I have a race
July 25, 2009 - 16:19 ET by KC MulvilleI'm white, but that's a race, isn't it?
These discussions are misnamed. This is not an examination of race relations, in which white and black share their feelings from their racial point of view. Instead, this is a chance for the minority to air grievances to the majority. That's why only the minority gets to speak, and not the majority. The same applies for gender, and sooner or later it'll be the same for sexual orientation.
As the majority, that may not be a bad thing, uncomfortable as it may be to hear those grievances. After all, the grievances may be true. Second, who knows when you might find yourself in a minority? Maybe by religion, or by political party, or whatever. The ability for the minority to air grievances is not a bad thing.
What's annoying, though, is that in all fairness the majority should have the same freedom to air their own grievances. That's why the recent Ricci v. New Haven case, where Sonia Sotomayor dismissed the case, was so revealing. The media is quick to highlight the grievances of the minority, but not for the majority. It's probably for some misplaced sense of resentment, or media pride, that the media favors the minority. We're looking out for you, the media tells the minority ... which is a subtle way of reinforcing the idea that the media is powerful. McLuhan would be smiling.
It's important to remember, though ... if the minority demands special protection, but refuses to treat the majority fairly ... the majority is going to stop caring about the grievances. There's a "boy who cried wolf" that comes with the deal.
KC.... Thank you. You
July 25, 2009 - 16:26 ET by bigtimerKC....
Thank you.
You speak for me...that's for sure.
I've finally had my fill of this after 40 some years now.
I love the way you write...pure class.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Thanks
July 25, 2009 - 21:04 ET by KC MulvilleI appreciate that.
We're looking out for you,
July 25, 2009 - 16:44 ET by motherbeltWe're looking out for you, the media tells the minority ... which is a
subtle way of reinforcing the idea that the media is powerful.
It's also a subtle way of reminding the minority that they need looking out for.
More "soft bigotry."
Mark... In answer to your
July 25, 2009 - 16:32 ET by bigtimerMark...
In answer to your question at the end of your blog post...one word.
YES!
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Not profiling; discrimination!
July 25, 2009 - 16:47 ET by motherbeltSix guests, all black?
That's not profiling; it's blatant discrimination.
What this means is that they don't care what anyone who is white thinks about this situation.
And they think their viewers don't, or shouldn't, either.
They are shameless.
Really...
July 25, 2009 - 17:21 ET by jdlybrand... Where's the 'token' Honkie ?
"What a revoltin' development this is!"
Chester Riley
As a Marine Corps veteran,
July 25, 2009 - 17:00 ET by BKeyserAs a Marine Corps veteran, whenever race discussions take place I hearken back to my days in the Corps when Marines were either light green or dark green --but ultimately, and undoubtedly green, regardless of the shade. So to me, we're all just part of the "human" race -not to be distinguished by color, though rightfully acknowledging slight variations of shade.
Having been an MP at Headquarters Marine Corps in Arlington, Va for about 2-1/2 years, I learned the role of law enforcement and the risks they take day in and day out, all in the normal function of their duties. To hear only about a story a week of alleged police brutality to some degree or another is actually quite amazing given the pressures these men and women face every time they strap on the black gear. It is practically criminal the way they MSM almost habitually presents only the "facts" supporting the alleged "abuse".
But what bothers me most is how the MSM seems to put forth this notion that only Blacks have grown up learning to "keep their mouths shut" when dealing with police officers. It seems to me that whenever I had to perform a sobriety test on a potential impaired driver, he or she better follow my instructions, regardless of what color they were. Are White Americans simply smacking cops around whenever they roll up to their homes for a domestic or B&E? Are White Americans telling traffic cops to put their ticket book away, or simply refusing to pull over? And since when did the entirety of American law enforcement become devoid of Black or Hispanic police officers?
The travesty is not in how Mr. gates was treated when he became beligerent and defiant to local law enforcement- the travesty is once again the MSM's portrayal of law enforcement as some kind of mob-like thuggery, seeking out only those of a darker shade to inflict their pressure.
Slightly O.T., but...
July 25, 2009 - 18:33 ET by ozarkianKnow how inner-ity blacks learn how to act around law enforcement? Thru' trial-and-error with their teachers. When they learn in school that it's ok to act like this when someone in authority makes a polite request, they react to the next authority they meet, police, with the same treatment. If schools were not afraid to enforce discipline, it would help all the teachers AND all the cops in the country.
Even worse is when the student learns what's accepted with authority because they watch their parents do that verbal vomit act at schools and get away with it because of fearful district officials.
And of course, the very first authorities they try this out with are the parents.
Swami Obama wants to tell us what we're thinking.
July 25, 2009 - 18:38 ET by ekslibSwami Obama, or one of his acolytes, will read YOUR mind if you place some cash in the "free will offerings" bowl.
It's all very simple.
The mindreading swamis will say you are a peaceful loving person, if you "donate" half of your paycheck.
If you don't hand over that much, you will be told you are prejudiced and selfish.
i wonder....
July 25, 2009 - 19:12 ET by powhitemalei wonder how many times mr. gates has been arrested? has he been waiting all his life for this moment, or his this commonplace for him? "there is nothing wrong with being a white, conservative, man!" - powhitemale
A lot of fret'n over Obama's racist faux pas
July 25, 2009 - 21:38 ET by needleHmmm… It looks as if State Media feels it is very important to pull ObamaCare behind the curtain for a while.
My guess is that it badly needs some serious time and attention with the makeup artists.
Want to bet when the State Media moves on past Gatesgate that ObamaCare and its talking points are noticeably different from last week?
- Relying upon the MSM for your information is like relying upon an embezzler to manage your portfolio.
X
July 26, 2009 - 01:52 ET by RR GOPYou wouldn't understand....cracka!!!
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 61% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory (yep...approval for Congress now at 39%...do you believe that!?).