Racism 101

People will tell you who they are, it's up to you to pay attention.

Some folks will use their words: I'm CrAzY! Boogitty Booggity!!! (time to cross the street)

Other use actions: Barry supporting his "friend" Henry Gates based on the color of the arresting officer's skin color. If that ain't racist, if Barry ain't a race-baiting racist, then I'm Queen of the Internets (thanky Al Gore!).

Others use sarcasm. See above.

Now, Gates has come out and said this: he is ready to move on from his arrest by a white police officer, hoping to use the encounter to improve fairness in the criminal justice system and saying "in the end, this is not about me at all."

Uh-huh. Unfortunately for Gates, I be paying attention. Dude, you so made this about you when you inflamed a fairly benign situation by refusing to ID yourself properly, by unnecessarily insulting Crowley with a stupid "your momma" dis, by trying to intimidate an officer of the law to stand down by shouting "Don't you know who I am?"

You made this about you when you say you hope to use the encounter to improve fairness in the criminal system. Improve fairness for whom? White cops who are forced to arrest belligerent, noncooperating members of the community who won't properly follow simple instructions? Or for highly educated, self-presumed privileged beyond the law, black friends of the president?

Gates would like us to believe he was caught up in an arrest that was based on race and an unfortunate event that escalated beyond his control. He would like us to believe that all white cops are rouge cops waiting to bust an innocent black man just minding his business, in his own home for goodness sake. Again, I be paying attention.

No sir. Please put your sizable education to use and THINK! You refused to show ID, you refused to do as the officer asked, you, as a black man, insulted a white man's mother, instantly turning this into a race issue. You sir, bear the responsibilities of your actions.

The right thing to do would be to man up and admit your mistake, apologize and then get on with things. But that would just be another case of: "As always, whitey now sits in judgment of me, preparing to cast my fate..."

You and Barry are alike in the fact that you both use your words to say what you would like us to think, but then use your actions to show us who you really are. Dude, so disappointing.