Racial profiling or elitist attitude?

Sometimes a person has to call it like they see it. I have been asked to comment on this matter, so here goes. The recent debacle in Cambridge, Massachusetts has reinvigorated the racial profiling debate. Dr. Henry Louis Gates alleges that he was racially profiled by an officer from the Cambridge Police Department. I was quick to dispel any notion that racial profiling had anything to do with this matter. I must be honest, prior to this incident, I did not have a high opinion of Mr. Gates. I've always viewed him as an elitist, but gave him props for his knowledge. I had an opportunity to listen to his version and my opinion has not changed. I think Mr. Gates believes that he deserves special dispensation just because he is a "Harvard" professor. I sense that both parties let their emotions get the best of them and feelings were hurt. I think this situation was blown out of proportion and should have been handled at the local level. To receive such media attention only validates my assumption that if this was someone with less status, we would not be talking about it. There is no doubt that racial profiling is real, but not in this case. Mr. Gates....get over yourself.

Will the real racist stand up?

While watching Judge Sonia Sotomayor go through the motions during her confirmation hearing, I had the opportunity to watch many of the Senators attempt to grill her. One individual stood out, Mr. Jeff Sessions. I could not understand why this person was getting up under my skin, but there was just something about him. I later "Googled" his name and the reason became obvious. Sometimes you get a gut feeling about a person, and I definitely got one about him. It is fortunate that someone else got the same feeling or this person would be wreaking havoc on people's lives while wearing a black robe of justice. Oh well, in the society we live in today, individuals like this can get a better job; they can become a US Senator. Don't trust my gut feeling, do the research yourself.

Side note: To the person who called me a "racist," I respect your right to voice your opinion and appreciate your honesty. However, for the record, I am not a racist. Love you, whoever you are.


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://my.auburnjournal.com/uploads/inline/1247560356_932d.jpg&imgrefurl=http://journals.democraticunderground.com/seafan/3197&usg=__yfWach5NecZHR5ND6j3Ji1vl_D4=&h=247&w=222&sz=20&hl=en&start=120&sig2=keblPpvHFUBoxZLsRkGBnw&um=1&tbnid=VF3cWBYs1y9IBM:&tbnh=110&tbnw=99&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsenator%2Bjeffrey%2Bsession%2Bracist%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26start%3D108%26um%3D1&ei=rYFqSqKoLsbSlAeV5OTTCQ

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/05/sotomayor.sessions/index.html

http://newspirates.com/?p=3460

http://blueherald.com/2009/05/jeff-sessions-is-a-racist-pig/

Let the games begin: Go Sotomayor

Words cannot express the sheer joy that I am feeling with the pending nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor. It will be a monumental day once she is confirmed. To think that a Latina, born and raised in the barrio has reached such a high position says a lot about her resolve. Instead of trying to throw stones at her and question her health concerns and twist her words, why not look at her record and make an informed decision. Even though I am not a big Fox news media watcher, I had an occasion to view their spin on her nomination. It appears the right wing are going to go after her with all the dirt they can bring up. I am confident that she will fair well. Yo soy boriqua paque tu lo sepa.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfC99LrrM2Q

NJSP can't find enough black candidates.

I read an article in the Star Ledger about the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) and their inability to hire an adequate number of black candidates. Can the NJSP be blamed if black men and women chose other professions, which may be more lucrative? Is the NJSP doing enough? They profess to be aggressively recruiting in venues with a large minority population, e.g, colleges, and churches, but still cannot find qualified individuals. Is there something wrong with the test? How about the background investigation? Is it so stringent that it places too high a standard for youths coming from inner cities? Will their history of discrimination and exclusion continually be dredged up? What can they do to turn this situation around? The article goes on to espouse the wonderful job they have done to increase the number of latinos. I think they should be applauded for their efforts, however, the promotion rates for those same latinos are disproportionate to their actual numbers.  The NJSP will continue to face this quandary as long as 80% of the troopers graduating the NJSP academy are white males, especially in a state where the minority population is increasing. 

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/nj_state_police_diversity_effo.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiyNaayEmjs&feature=related

"Friendly fire" what is wrong with this term?

Is it just me or is this term an oxymoron? As I look at this picture I see a young man who tried to make a difference. He is old enough to be my son. What do you tell his wife, kids and parents? From everything I have read, there is no doubt this was an unfortunate accident. Nonetheless, when do these accidents stop? History may confirm that police officers of color are overwhelmingly killed by their white colleagues due to "friendly fire." Why is this happening? I do not want to speculate because I was not there, but the results are very disturbing. I would venture to say that the NYPD will do everything to minimize the racial issue, which will be so prominent in the internal investigation. Of course, the police unions will downplay it as well. What can we do? May you rest in peace Omar.

Am I missing something?????

Let me get this straight: six "white" troopers are alleged to have sexually assaulted a college student and they get suspended with pay. Conversely, a "black" trooper is alleged to have had sexual relations with a known prostitute and gets charged with sexual assault, official misconduct and criminal restraint and gets suspended immediately without pay.  Again, I am asking, "Am I missing something?" Please educate me on this one. 

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/nj_state_police_sergeant_charg.html

http://wcbstv.com/local/rider.gang.rape.2.608446.html

Will the real discrimination stand up and be recognized!!!

History tells us that certain groups have been treated differently over the years. Time has passed and legislation has been enacted to correct some of the past problems. Is it so far fetched to believe that in this day and age that white males can claim reverse discrimination? What is really going on? Have the standards been manipulated or is the average "Joe" starting to feel left out? Is there a real bias in testing that disparately impacts minorities or are some not able to make the cut? To say the least, this is a very contentious topic, but it must be tackled...get to it, if you dare.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422/ap_on_go_su_co/us_scotus_firefighters_lawsuit