Here's Rick:
"Come on old man, tryto keep up brother!
Great stuff by you and Loff56. Whatever anyone believes to be the truth or whatever gives them purpose in life is fantastic. To be passionate about life is a special state. Waking up every morning happy, content and energized for what lies ahead is no easy feat and speaks volumes about a person's "place". That attitude can positively influence others around them to take cause as well.
PL, you are typically entrenched in your thinking and beat that drum to death. I don't always agree with your assertions but admire that you have such conviction and passion. I tip my hat to that. And yes, I could care less about you or me being right or wrong. My energy in focused on being informed and open.
Loff56, excellent work flushing out clarity vs truth and the dangers of the absolute position in the Buddhist philosophy. Well stated!
In the Gates-Crowley incident, I agree totally with PL when he said the cop is at fault because it is his job to walk away from such "arrogant+ pissed off" behavior and take his guff. I never thought that was in Crowley's right to act that way. Where I differed was that I accepted the plausibility of Gates being at fault as well. I am trying to get to the truth and to be one sided so early in the game would have possibly prevented that journey. Both sides are trying to polarize the debate which I feel negatively impact the situation. I never saw color and certainly wouldn't absolve either in this case based what I knew. We'll see...
Here's some truth for you, never before have DC charges been dropped before an arraignment. False arrests + unsubstantiated charges happen all the time but judges decide that, not the court of public opinion. Had it gone before a judge, Gates' charges of racism would have gained momentum or Crowely' assertions upheld.
I stated I knew the Irish Cambridge policeman type well. It is of no surprise he was the one who requested a meeting with Obama + Gates over a beer. For all parties to agree, clearly indicates there is some common ground and a sense of humanity. Let's hope that is what prevails in all of this and an understanding by all can be had.
From a sociological standpoint, this entire affair speaks volumes of our evolution. If the cop was in fact racist or Gates unjustifiably pulled the racist card, it does not bode well for our humanity. For someone whose life work is based on race relations and a cop who teaches other cops on how to deal with race issues, they BOTH should have known better than to act the way the did."
PL:
Well, amen, brother Rick! Just one correction, though - it was Obama who reached out to Crowley to suggest a beer, not the other way around. (STORY HERE)
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