Summit over beer

I haven't watched the issues between Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, who is black, and police Sergeant James Crowley, who is white, very closely. However, one would have to be purposely avoiding this topic to have not heard about it at all.

The run down is, Prof. Gates returned home from a trip abroad only to discover what we all fear when we arrive home from a trip. He could not enter his home. Gates, like many, was forced to break into his own home prompting an observant neighbor to call the police. Sgt. Crowley arrived and eventually arrested Gates for "disorderly conduct."

Pres. Obama comes into the mix because he said the police "acted stupidly." This was fuel to the smoldering racial fire that never gets extinguished in this country. The embers stay hot because instead of putting them out, people step around them hoping the next generation will handle that task. It never happens.

In an effort to calm racial tensions, Gates of course said this was racial profiling, Pres. Obama invited both men to the White House to discuss the matter over beer. Vice Pres. Biden also sat down for the talk.

I watched the coverage of what is now called "the beer summit" on BBC America's World News. The corespondent made some valid points. 1) Why was there more talk about what beer would be drank instead of racial tensions? 2) Why are Americans blind to their own racism? 3) What is the real purpose of this 'summit?' Check out the report here.

The British point of view of American issues is fascinating to me. They seem to see us when we refuse to look in the mirror. Comments that blacks are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement are usually ignored in the States. People here really think blacks are more likely to commit crimes, no matter what their economic status is. The British report is also less rushed and filled with much more valid information.

The video was not the whole report. The reporter went on to interview a black scholar who commented that this summit was held not to discuss race. He said the event was designed to cease talk over this neighborhood squabble and beef up talk about Obama's health care agenda. This is no surprise since the talks on race relations in this country never end and yeild little results for any politician. However, passing a revamped health plan would be a massive achievement.

Someone asked me if conversations on race would be held when my child is an adult. My answer is, "The conversation has never stopped but remains shallow. Until trust and respect on both sides of the table exists, we will never resolve America's race issues." Maybe I should book a one-way flight to Britian. They have race issues also but not hardly as bad as we do.