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Sunday Night Open Thread

I got caught up in other things tonight, and I promised those in the Palin thread I'd put up an open thread tonight, so here it is. Better late than never.

All topics (including sports for you sports fans) welcome.

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    Rickey Rocks. (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by nycstray on Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 10:16:36 PM EST
    Just sayin'   ;)

    I am the only person on this planet (5.00 / 3) (#10)
    by Radiowalla on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 12:30:15 AM EST
    who doesn't know who Rickey is.

    It's a lonely life, perhaps, but I don't know what I'm missing.

    Parent

    no you aren't (5.00 / 2) (#12)
    by Jeralyn on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 12:35:51 AM EST
    I've never heard of him and haven't bothered to look him up.

    Parent
    Sliding doors. I'd say the same thing (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 12:39:53 AM EST
    about The Bachlorettes (sp) and most popular music.

    Parent
    Rickey Henderson was inducted (none / 0) (#11)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 12:35:13 AM EST
    into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown today.  Great stats and an extremely funny fellow to listen to.

    Parent
    Rickey didn't refer to himself (none / 0) (#5)
    by oculus on Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 10:33:00 PM EST
    as "Rickey" during his induction speech.  He was very well-spoken.

    But here is my question:  could he have succeeded in the NFL?

    Parent

    I'm not sure (none / 0) (#8)
    by nycstray on Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 10:43:41 PM EST
    he might have done well with his skills/speed/size, but I think it would have been a shorter career. And I'm not sure he would have been able to really show his skills/set records like he did. When I think of Oakland and SF in the football area at the time he was breaking out in baseball . . . . Oakland was peaking, SF was coming into it's own (d@mn that was a good time to be a FB fan in the NoCal area!)

    When I heard on MLB that he was wearing a vintage suit that was 'typical' of him, it may just be the answer I've been searching for. Why did he pick up our tab? We were all in vintage, me in 20's beaded.

    Parent

    Interview of Prof. Gates at (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by oculus on Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 10:30:35 PM EST
    his website, The Root.  The Professor is a mindreader.  The Root

    A good line, oculus (5.00 / 1) (#21)
    by Cream City on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:09:06 AM EST
    and so is this one by Gates:
    The only black people who truly live in a post-racial world in America all live in a very nice house on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    But about his line that he became one of the million black men in the prison system . . . well, hyperbole will not help this situation or any situation.

    Parent

    Man, I bet Obama appreciates that one. (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by tigercourse on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:18:46 AM EST
    My thought, too. It could be construed (none / 0) (#24)
    by Cream City on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:22:50 AM EST
    as Gates saying that Obama is out of touch with reality.  But then, that has been a problem for presidents and other residents of the White House for some time now.  Some surmounted it, some did not do so.

    Parent
    I'd wager that a guy who spent about (none / 0) (#26)
    by tigercourse on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:25:50 AM EST
    2 years traveling every inch of this country and meeting thousands and thousands of people not too long ago might be more in touch then an academic.

    Parent
    Maybe. But an hour in a town here (none / 0) (#31)
    by Cream City on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:57:30 AM EST
    and a state there is not the way to get in touch with a place or its people -- as this academic sadly can attest, having been at conferences in a town even for a couple of days but rarely getting out of conference rooms.  A campaign has got to be an even weirder pressure-cooker.

    But unlike Obama, at least I went to West Virginia -- where I spent a lot of time and have family.  A lovely land.  Pity Obama missed it.:-)

    No matter, but it still doesn't change Gates' odd line.

    Parent

    My favorite part of the article (none / 0) (#23)
    by Inspector Gadget on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:19:56 AM EST
    is that, for Gates, the story needed to be told from the time he left China, and what his work there was. Not sure if it was connected to the elitism, or if we can now expect the tagline to the release of his documentary, "The beginning of a scholar's treck to prison".


    Parent
    It does clarify that Gates (none / 0) (#25)
    by Cream City on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:25:22 AM EST
    did have a day and night to rest after arriving in the U.S. before he came home to Cambridge, in terms of the effects of jet lag.  It doesn't go away in a day, of course -- as I can attest from a recent trek that was even farther --- but at least he wasn't coming directly from touchdown in the U.S.

    Parent
    Absolutely. (none / 0) (#37)
    by Fabian on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:05:03 AM EST
    My dentist was delayed on a trip back from Africa visiting his daughter in the Peace Corps.  Had to cancel his appointments for that day.

    He was supposed to come in early AM Monday morning and be at work at 7 AM.  I was to be his first patient.  I was very glad his flight was delayed.  I didn't want a jet lagged, sleep deprived dentist working on me!  

    Parent

    We'll probably never know, but I am (none / 0) (#44)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:27:36 AM EST
    curious as to whether the booking of Professor Gates involved taking a sample for purposes of B.A./toxocology screening.  If the arrest reports are correct, as soon as Sgt. Crowley talked to him, Prof. Gates was agitated.  Yet, on the Sirius interview, his voice was quite calm.

    Parent
    No, the perfesser (none / 0) (#19)
    by gyrfalcon on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 08:53:16 AM EST
    is all-knowing and wise.  Also now, happily for him, not just an elite pampered Harvard prof but an actual victim!

    Parent
    Again with the fetophiles... (5.00 / 3) (#6)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 10:36:30 PM EST
    I thought I had come up with a new word for anti-choice zealots who value fetuses to a fetishistic extreme: fetophiles. Then I googled it and found that the word has been out there for awhile.

    Anyhow, here's a story that is pretty much the zenith of fetophilia; from Shakesville, Anti-Choice Legislation In Ohio:

    John Adams (R-Mendacity) has re-introduced legislation in the Ohio house that would ban women from seeking an abortion without written consent from the father of the fetus.

    In cases where the identity of the father is unknown, women would be required to submit a list of possible fathers. The physician would be forced to conduct a paternity test from the provided list and then seek paternal permission to abort.

    [snip] "the bill offers exceptions in cases of rape or incest or when the life of the mother is threatened by the pregnancy. Women would be required to present a police report in order to prove a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest."
     

    Ah, the tender mercies of a post-feminist <snark> America.

    I used to be shocked! (none / 0) (#17)
    by Fabian on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 05:03:21 AM EST
    by such legislation.  Now, I realize it is all part of the political game of vying for the spotlight and pandering to constituents.

    I do wonder who exactly is this aimed at.

    Parent

    The Overton Window... (none / 0) (#50)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:57:34 AM EST
    You already may be familiar with the theory of the Overton Window, here's the link.

    Parent
    And yet another twist (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:01:12 AM EST
    The woman who called the police on the alleged B&E at Gates' home is neither white, nor did she identify the men breaking in the door as two black men.

    Guess she won't ever want to get involved to help someone again.

    The 40-year-old woman whose emergency call to Cambridge police sparked the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and a raging national debate on race relations claims she never said "black" men were breaking into his house.

    "This woman is 100 percent clear on what she said," said attorney Wendy J. Murphy, who is representing 911 caller Lucia Whalen. "She never said she saw two black men. She said, `It never crossed my mind that there were two black men.' "

    In fact, Whalen, who wants the world to know she is not a racist, isn't even white - as had been widely reported - but has "olive-colored skin and is of Portuguese descent," Murphy said.

    "She has worked in Cambridge for more than 15 years, about 100 yards from where Mr. Gates resides, and was aware of several recent break-ins in the area," when she phoned police July 16 to say she saw two men forcing open the front door of a home on Ware Street, Murphy said.

    The address turned out to be Gates' home, where he and his driver were trying to get through his jammed front door. Whalen said she couldn't have reported the color of the men's skin, because she was too far away and viewing them from behind, Murphy said.



    Sign of the times (5.00 / 0) (#27)
    by Inspector Gadget on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:29:43 AM EST

    Poor woman needs a lawyer for being a good citizen. This is going to cause a big wake across the country.

    I've seen Wendy Murphy too many times on teevee. I always thought she was a prosecutor.


    Parent

    My view (5.00 / 4) (#33)
    by Steve M on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 10:20:42 AM EST
    is that it is absolutely the job of the police to keep the names of tipsters confidential.  They really dropped the ball on this one.

    At least Prof. Gates was a standup guy and had nothing but nice things to say about the fact that she called the police.  She doesn't deserve to be getting grief from anyone.

    Parent

    Sadly (5.00 / 2) (#48)
    by CoralGables on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:47:01 AM EST
    some here also jumped on the shoot the messenger bandwagon initially.

    Naming no names as I'm sure in retrospect they wish they hadn't said it. In answer to the question:
    "Do we think her life will become a living hell?"

    The first reply came back:
    "One can only hope."

    Good neighbors call the police if they see something suspicious in the neighborhood (of course, kdog is likely a good neighbor and the proverbial exception to the rule)

    Parent

    She doesn't deserve grief... (none / 0) (#35)
    by kdog on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 10:45:32 AM EST
    it was a common, honest mistake on her part.  One of those lessons ya gotta learn the hard way...dialing 911 can cause more problems than it solves sometimes.  I'm sure she will think twice next time after all the grief caused here.

    I don't know how I feel about keeping informants confidential..obviously they must be protected from potential retribution, but you have a right to face your accuser too...not to mention cops make up anonymous tips to get around pesky probable cause rules and such.

    Parent

    Well (none / 0) (#36)
    by Steve M on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:00:47 AM EST
    if it turns out there really is a crime, and criminal charges are filed, I agree that the defendant may well be entitled to learn the identity of eyewitnesses.  But in a case like this, where it was all just a big mistake and no charges were filed, there's no reason why the world had to know the identity of the caller.

    And in any event, whether Gates is entitled to know her name is sort of a different question than whether the entire world needs to know.

    But it's nice to see that even a noted opponent of dime-droppers such as yourself understands the position she was in!  Like you, I'm sure she was just trying to do the right thing.

    Parent

    Absolutely... (none / 0) (#40)
    by kdog on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:14:01 AM EST
    I'm sure her heart was in the right place...we all can't be as enlightened to the state of the police state as yours truly, it takes years of training:)

    Parent
    Of course the tipster's name is (none / 0) (#42)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:15:05 AM EST
    in the arrest reports.  But why did the court release those reports to the press?  Against the law in CA for the police dept. to release, except in specified circumstances.  

    Parent
    I believe (none / 0) (#55)
    by Steve M on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:21:04 PM EST
    that has something to do with why the reports were ultimately redacted.  I think the authorities screwed up by letting the press get their hands on the unredacted report right off the bat.  No idea what the law might be in MA with regard to police reports.

    Parent
    According to my research (too much time (none / 0) (#60)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:59:14 PM EST
    on my hands), the Boston Globe obtained the reports from the court, not the PD.

    Parent
    Well (none / 0) (#38)
    by jbindc on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:07:12 AM EST
    You don't have a right to face your accusers on an accusation, or as in this case, a person calling 911 - you only have that right at trial

    Parent
    Then I think I'd like to see.. (none / 0) (#39)
    by kdog on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:12:51 AM EST
    that right expanded...from jumpstreet you're in a bad spot, and you should have the right to know who brought the hammer down on ya. Even if it never gets to trial.

    Parent
    It wasn't even a mistake (none / 0) (#41)
    by Cream City on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:14:28 AM EST
    on her part, apparently.  She says she did not report that the men were African American nor that they had backpacks.  And she considers herself not to be white, either.  

    The tapes will tell -- and perhaps also will lead to learning just where all this incorrect information about her and about her call arose.  It is sad that she has had to learn, as I have, that many authorities cannot be trusted when they say they will keep identities of callers confidential and when they ought to do so.
     

    Parent

    Hope she's invited to the beer party (5.00 / 1) (#49)
    by Inspector Gadget on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:55:53 AM EST
    She deserves a trip to the WH, and beer with the POTUS, too.


    Parent
    They didn't ask my name when I (none / 0) (#43)
    by nycstray on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:20:33 AM EST
    called 911 on Sat, iirc. I called about a man out cold (wasn't sure if he had fallen or was drunk) on the sidewalk. Just gave location and general description of the man's condition (observation only) They did ask for my number though.

    Parent
    Do you know what.... (none / 0) (#46)
    by kdog on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:37:43 AM EST
    happened to the man?

    Parent
    No, I left (none / 0) (#52)
    by nycstray on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:13:02 PM EST
    the business owners came out and there were a few others around watching him.

    Parent
    911 probably already had your phone (none / 0) (#47)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:45:06 AM EST
    no.  I called from home after observing a usually calm downtown street person yelling at no one in particular.  911 operator called me back to ask why I was reporting from such a distance from the event.  

    Parent
    Even with cell phones? (none / 0) (#53)
    by nycstray on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:14:38 PM EST
    Yes. I locked my Blackberry (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:20:56 PM EST
    and didn't exactly know how to unlock it so I accepted the option of "emergency call."  I hung up ASAP, but 911 operator called me back. Can't even imagine how many such calls 911 gets.

    Parent
    I'm not talking about... (none / 0) (#45)
    by kdog on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 11:35:38 AM EST
    any profiling...just the simple common mistake of dialing 9-1-1 thinking your gonna improve a situation or calm a situation.  

    You're only gonna make it worse more often than not...unless there are lives immediately at risk, I think it is good advice to think twice before dropping that dime...three times even.

    Parent

    Why would she need a lawyer? (none / 0) (#28)
    by CST on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:32:35 AM EST
    Gates has already gone on record that he doesn't think she did anything wrong.  In fact, I think he said she did the right thing, or something to that effect.

    Parent
    The woman is being called a racist and (5.00 / 2) (#30)
    by tigercourse on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:38:35 AM EST
    getting dragged into the public eye. Maybe she just wanted someone to handle her public statements, press inquiries, etc.

    Parent
    My experience with this issue (none / 0) (#32)
    by The Last Whimzy on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 10:03:18 AM EST
    Confirms my understanding of the illogical thought process of those making excuses for Professor Gates' behavior.

    On the one hand I suspect they believe that a confirmed racist should be excoriated publically and sanctioned heavily and not allowed to work for public institutions.  That while it would not be a crime to be racist, one's opportunities in a good society should be very limitted.  

    I agree with that.

    And yet, it is somehow deemed that a false  accusation of racism should not be discouraged.  i come to this conclusion because I see very little discouragement of the accusations of racism being made in this situation.

    and no other evidence has been provided to prove Crowely and/or the woman above was racially motivated.


    Parent

    Maybe (5.00 / 1) (#34)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 10:30:27 AM EST
    she needs to file her own defamation lawsuit.

    Here's another article that slimes her without knowing what she ACTUALLY said:

    Link

    She did nothing except attempt to be a good samaritan and it's possible that her career and life may be ruined because of it...although she did not specify a skin color, just about every article I've seen calls her a neighbor who of course should have recognized Gates (when she wasn't) and implies she's a racist.

    Hope she sues.

    Parent

    I have no idea.... (none / 0) (#29)
    by Inspector Gadget on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 09:35:50 AM EST
    Wendy Murphy could probably answer that, though. I could guess, but that doesn't serve anyone.


    Parent
    What A Load (5.00 / 0) (#51)
    by squeaky on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:03:11 PM EST
    First of all no one has done anything but commend Whalen for calling in a B&E, including Gates.

    Second whether or not she said two black men with backpacks, is irrelevant and says little or nothing about Whalen's being a racist.
    It is a description, at best.

    Third many olive skinned people of Portugese decent hate black people and jew and  muslims etc, so it is an irrelevant and nonsensical detail that is rather stunning, imo, to include.

    Fourth, for someone who is a fundraiser for the Harvard Magazine and who worked next to Superstar Gate's house for 15 years and not be able to recognize or identify Gates is really crazy, imo.

    Gates moved to Harvard in 1991.
     

    Parent

    Your third and fourth paragraphs are (5.00 / 2) (#56)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:22:17 PM EST
    really a stretch.  Should Ms. Whalen recognize every Harvard faculty member from the back at a distance?

    Parent
    OK (5.00 / 0) (#58)
    by squeaky on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:52:54 PM EST
    Perhaps I overstated #3 or was inartful. But it boggles my mind that anyone would claim that being olive skinned makes them immune to being racist.

    I am in no way suggesting or implying that Whalen is a racist.

    And Gates is not just a faculty member he is a Star faculty member.

    It seems strange to me that Whalen does not know what he looks like. 15 years, next door..  Broad daylight from ten feet away? It was noon, looked quite sunny.

    And if she did know what he looked like but thought it was someone else, at least she would have been able to identify him once the police were there.

    Come on.

    Parent

    Apparently she saw the two men (none / 0) (#59)
    by oculus on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:56:19 PM EST
    from the back from a distance.  

    Parent
    OK (none / 0) (#63)
    by squeaky on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 02:35:48 PM EST
    Got that. I am not questioning her 911 call, in any way.

    Just shocked that she does not know what Gates looks like.

    Parent

    I think (5.00 / 2) (#57)
    by CoralGables on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 01:29:25 PM EST
    you have jumped the shark and might learn a little something from our president. Don't continue to step into things where you have little to no knowledge of the actual events. Your stereotypes and generalizations are worthless when discussing a single event.

    But I do thank you for your opinionated racial flame throwing that, "many olive skinned people of Portuguese decent hate black people, and Jews, and Muslims".

    While at times I might agree with you, the Gates issue is one topic where you might want to put your keyboard in dry-dock, as foot in mouth is not curable by prescription drug.

    Parent

    Nonsense (none / 0) (#61)
    by squeaky on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 02:25:20 PM EST
    My stereotypes? Which stereotype were those? Perhaps I inartfully stated my opinion, but I included no steotypes.

    Many people are racist therefore it follows that many olive skinned people are racist. Mentioning olive skin seems to me absurd.

    In no way do I assume or even imply that Whalen is a racist.

    And feel free to disregard my comments about Gates, because I do not find your advice compelling in the least.

    Parent

    Top of the list in CA also: cutbacks (none / 0) (#7)
    by oculus on Sun Jul 26, 2009 at 10:38:36 PM EST
    to UC and CSU systems as well as secondary education.

    Since K-20 is 50-60% of most (none / 0) (#9)
    by oldpro on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 12:16:19 AM EST
    state budgets, in economic hard times cuts to education - and especially higher ed - are to be expected...depending on the state's constitutional protections and required caseloads, etc.

    Parent
    So why does the story (none / 0) (#18)
    by Jlvngstn on Mon Jul 27, 2009 at 08:47:40 AM EST
    of the two cops buying a car in a dangerous neighborhood in chicago at 10:30 p.m. sound a bit off?

    Or am I blaming the victim here.....?????