The news of the last few days has been over flowing with the story of the cop, the professor and the president. I won't belabor the details, suffice it to say that in order to smooth the nation's ruffles the President invites a cop and the man he arrested to the White House for a cold beer.
My impression is the cop is an asshole. An ungrateful asshole to boot as he never mentions the honor that's been bestowed upon him. Cop arrests the professor in his own home for being exhausted and pissed off. Cop should have left the premises, end of story, no big news. But no, in a show of power he arrests the professor, who unbeknownst to the flat foot is a friend of the President's. At a press conference the President uses the word "stupidly" to describe the cop's actions. I agree with the President - the word suffices. But America being as polarized as it is, the story explodes on to the front pages, all corners of the Internet and every TV.
Two things stick out for me which are not being covered.
Number one. The cop arrested the professor because he is able to, he has the power. Cops enjoy wielding power. Thirty years ago I broke my arm. I had my arm in a sling under my jacket. A squad car pulls up and a cop asks me what's under my jacket. I show him my broken arm. He starts asking me a myriad of questions, I answer politely. I tell the cop it's my understanding that unless I'm being arrested I don't have to endure the interrogation. He gets out of the car, puts his nose in my face and says, "Would you like me to break your other arm!"
Cops use their power in excess constantly. That's the story. Or as Bill Maer said, this is about cops wanting John Q. Public to kiss their ass.
Number two. The media is a giant way out of control. Forty years ago the President of the United States may have used the word "stupidly" and the world wouldn't know or care a less about it. Not in our insane culture of 24/7 news. Case in point, Michael Jackson's personal cook was on the Larry King Show last night, she mentioned in passing that she now has a publicist.
Barack Obama has a lot on his plate. Our world is in a hell of a mess. Does he really need to have a beer with a disgruntled cop? Leave this man alone so he can preside, priority by priority. Because there's no one better on this planet for the job than Barack H. Obama.
