Barack Obama and the Beatification of Michael Brown
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Three senior White House officials were dispatched by Obama to attend the funeral of Michael Brown, the criminal shot dead in Ferguson, Missouri.
Michael Brown was apparently unarmed and there is an understandable suspicion that his colour may have had influence over the white police officer who shot him. This has all yet to be formerly confirmed so there is little point in dwelling on it here.
What is established however, is that Michael Brown was a bullying thug. He was a criminal. His colour is irrelevant in this sense. He was a nasty piece of work – and I know “you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead” but a fact is a fact and this is one fact that has been established.
Whilst this in no way justifies the shooting of an unarmed man that is not my issue here.
The President of The United States Of America was officially represented by three senior White House officials at the funeral of a criminal thug.
The late Margaret Thatcher was buried some time ago. Thatcher had very polarised opinions about her. Regardless of whether she was ‘The Iron Lady’ who stood up to Russia and The European Union – which she did – and was extraordinarily patriotic – which she was – there is also the valid school of thought that she decimated entire swathes of the North of England in a very callous and malicious way.
Being a ‘northerner’ I find myself an admiring hater of Thatcher. Against the EU? Marvellous. Against my home? Witch!
Nevertheless, Thatcher was a former Prime Minister of The United Kingdom and a great ally of the USA. On the day of her funeral President Obama was otherwise engaged. So were all his senior White House Officials.
Thousands of loyal American service personnel have returned home in ‘full metal jackets’ from Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. Many police officers have ‘died in the line of duty’ in various US cities and states during Obama’s Presidency. Fire fighters have died trying to save lives.
Have there been Senior White House officials at any of the funerals of the aforementioned?
I suspect not.
I like Obama. I have always liked him. Most Brits have a lot of time for him.
Maybe this judgment call merely underscores that Obama is human and ‘to err is human’? Maybe. The alternative is that Obama is playing politics because a black thug was shot dead and there is a possibility – even a probability – he shouldn’t have been.
Michael Brown was a criminal. His short life brought misery to his victims. In death he gets Senior White House Officials at his funeral.
Just saying.
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Shut up Norman old bean, or say what you really think!
🙂
I think Michael Brown was a bullying thug and, if he did indeed charge at the police officer, he got what he deserved as I have no time for bullying thugs let alone criminals.
The world is always a better place when some human scum bag is removed be it an evil dictator or a nobody who has made others lives a misery.
So there 🙂
Might also be worth noting, that one of the individuals from the administration was a personal friend of the mother of Michael Brown. They were in college together and had been friends for a number of years.
But, I am sure that had nothing to do with her being there. Just a coincidence. Much like that fact, Michael Brown was NOT a criminal. He had not been charged with anything, merely suspected. So, if we give everyone the same treatment, then he is innocent until proven guilty. No one has proven that was him on the tape and no charges were ever filed. Therefore, he is NOT a criminal.
He robbed a business, on tape, and even his parents, and his friend’s attorney, admitted it was him, so you need to get caught up and stop being an apologist for this scumbag. He committed a crime, a violent crime, a Class B robbery. That makes him a fucking criminal. Fact is I bet if he were white you wouldn’t waste your breath on this.
My empathy is with you Timmy old bean but chill a bit on Lucy mate eh? – She might fancy you if you met her 😉
You sound so like me sometimes Timmy…..NO! It isn’t me! Honest!
It is actually a valid point. You are only ‘officially’ a criminal once found guilty of a criminal offence.
Bit of a ‘thin line’ there Lucy though. The video clearly shows him – a very large chap – intimidating the shop keeper in a very bullying and nasty way.
The camera never lies eh?
Well, the video engineer in me would have to disagree. Give me the gear and the software, and I’ll turn your wedding photo into Godzilla Walks on the Moon. But other than that…
Here! Here! Brother!
I’m cool with that Sweetlucy. I’m in England so what do I know eh?
Actually, I have seen the tape from the store and, at best, he was a bullying thug in that video. That, however, is not to say he should have been shot dead.
I have merely pointed out that 3 White House officials attended his funeral which, to me, suggests Obama (who I happen to like) is playing politics with a tragedy – and that, to me, is very wrong.
Irrefutable evidence is needed to show whether Michael Brown was a criminal – I suspect he was and, no, not because of his colour.
However, whether shooting him was justified is quite another matter.
The mother went to college? Secondly, I have spent a lot of time researching your statement and nowhere do I find any connection between Brown’s mother and anyone from the WH. I think you made that up. If not show us a link to a credible source.
“What is established however, is that Michael Brown was a bullying thug. He was a criminal. His colour is irrelevant in this sense. He was a nasty piece of work – and I know “you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead” but a fact is a fact and this is one fact that has been established.”
According to KSDK.com and USAToday:
ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — An 18-year-old shot and killed near a Ferguson apartment complex Saturday afternoon had no criminal record, according to the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s office.
The real “thugs” were the young white males who massacred the children at Sandy Hook, the people at the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, and the people who went to meet Gabby Giffords in a shopping mall in Arizona. However, I’ve never heard that term applied to those young men who massacred in cold blood dozens of innocent victims. Why do unarmed young black males who are shot by police or wannabe neighborhood watchmen, or nasty drunks who don’t like loud music ALWAYS smeared with the term “thug?” And never the young men who actually commit murder and mayhem?
Can someone explain that? Also if Michael Brown’s background has no bearing on this shooting, why even bring it up, unless somewhere in your mind you really do believe young unarmed black males are always “thugs?”
This was a news story that went around the world, and I think it was appropriate for the administration to be represented as a means to let the people of Ferguson, and other communities that deal with these issues, know that we are all concerned and want to prevent this from happening again.
The fact that Michael Brown had robbed a store moments earlier, after strong-arming the clerk, makes him at the least a bullying thug. I apply that term to all criminals, not just people of color. I’m an equal opportunity criminal hater.
He’s a thug. Get used to it and quit your whining because he was just another poor black kid gunned down by the evil police. The big concern for the blacks ain’t the cops dude, but themselves. Last year they killed 7K of their own. All between the ages of 16-24. This is what they need to worry about. The cops are just doing their jobs which is making sure criminals don’t menace innocent people, like the clerks trying to make a minimum wage living at convenience stores.
I just learned via BitcoDavid’s comment that Brown was charging towards the officer. Is this correct? Puts a wee bit of a different complexion on things straight away if so.
I know that people will still point out he was unarmed but if a big fella like that charged at me in an aggressive manner I admit I wouldn’t give a hoot how I stopped him.
See my comment old bean. The officer was well within his rights to shoot the guy, and the Grand Jury will no doubt agree.
Shaw, I do understand your reservations over my article and, you are quite right regarding Sandy Hook and Aurora albeit I would certainly call those perpetrators criminal scum rather than thugs personally. Colour is not relevant to me.
However, my article is specifically related to the shooting of Michael Brown and, more accurately, the three senior White House officials sent to his funeral. Why were they sent at all?
As to Michael Brown’s background – I’ve just double checked – and I didn’t bring it up? I’ve no idea of his background.
I am, for what it is worth, wondering how and, indeed, why an unarmed man should be shot 6 times assuming this is correct and why, again assuming it is correct, the final shot was into the top of his head.
Is this correct? If so then clearly this cannot be allowed to be ‘brushed under the carpet’ but, again I say to you, my article is questioning President Obama’s decision to send 3 senior officials to the funeral.
That, my friend, is playing politics with a tragedy.
He was shot because he had robbed a store, and attacked a law enforcement officer. After that the evidence will show all 6’4″, 292 pounds of him started charging the 5’9″ 165 pound police officer. Under the law deadly force was authorized. I would have shot him had I been in the same situation.
In my opinion, the race issue is off the table on this one. If a 300 lb., 6-and-change-foot-tall, White guy had been charging at him, I’m sure the officer would have unloaded a clip into him as well.
I also think the criminality issue is off the table. Not that I’m a Bible thumper, by any stretch, but the edict is Thou shalt not kill. It applies to bullies and thugs, just as it applies to honor students and sweet, virginal, blonde children, picking dandelions. We tend to do that – tell ourselves in hindsight, that a killing is justified because the individual didn’t live a life we deem worthy of life.
After 9/11, we kept hearing about the heroes who were killed on that day. On 9/10, all those heroes were the same people who cheated on their spouses, lied on their taxes, drove too fast, drank too much, and watched stupid shit on teevee. Did they deserve to die? No. Of course not. But were they saints, heroes and innocents? Also no.
Michael Brown was a thug. Did he deserve to die? No. Should Obama (or some simulacra of Obama) attend the funeral? No. Should cops be driving down Main St., USA, in tanks with missile launchers? No. Should para-military SWAT teams be kicking-in people’s doors to serve warrants? No. Should Black kids – or White kids – with the IQs of doorknobs, be charging at police, after being ordered to stop? No.
Do we live in a fucked up, broken, polarized and – did I mention fucked up – country? Yes. Can we fix it? Also, yes.
“Do we live in a fucked up, broken, polarized and – did I mention fucked up – country? Yes. Can we fix it? Also, yes.”
Well said and I agree with every word.
I disagree. You said ‘country’ instead of world.
Otherwise, top drawer old bean and I agree. We can fix it. We have to fix it.
Yeah, when I read that three top officials were going to the funeral of Michael Brown, I felt that that was totally ridiculous! Our administration has neither the manpower nor the time to send “three top officials” to every funeral of every person who was killed unjustly (by someone’s judgment). What about the white man who was killed in Utah by a black officer, as was pointed out by Rush Limbaugh or some such ilk? I am not saying that the whole thing is racist (as the ilk pointed out of the other “cop killing”) because Obama is “half black” he obviously is favoring blacks. That’s a totally ridiculous statement, and it’s not supportable. I’m simply saying that really, we need to get the media reined in and time and personnel spent in a lot more important ways!
If you want to know my opinion of funerals in general, well, someone this died. That individual is totally unaware of anything done! The only reason to go to a funeral is to offer support to the survivors. To be honest, I don’t think that the support of the Obama administration is helpful or needed at this point! The Obama administration has so much on its plate!! And the individual killed and his family are not important to our country! I know I sound heartless, and uncaring about racial/police/military/whatever other problems you want to pile in, but I’m really seriously getting tired of this whole thing!
There are people killed every day by police officers, thugs, jealousy, long-term hatred, all of that. Yes, it’s a problem. But let’s not get hung up on one individual. The problem is not one individual, and the present administration, has other things to deal with.
Sorry, but that’s my take…
I agree with your take Marsha.
Well said Marsha – and I certainly didn’t want to be misinterpreted as suggesting Obama was favouring a black chap.
As I have said many times. I, and, indeed, most Brits I believe, have a great deal of time and respect for Obama and continue to do so.
Personally I think it was just a ‘bad call’ made due to the difficulties that have ensued.
I really really hope he wasn’t playing politics……
Direct and clear-headed as usual Norman. Thanks.
I have been disgusted by the confirmation bias of my fellow progressives regarding this issue. The fallacy of the excluded middle (black and white thinking) is in full force here in the States on Social Media. Michael Brown is the social justice issue of the moment, and somehow it only takes a person the ability to open a Facebook account to become expert on Criminal Justice Public Policy; the history of race relations in America; and how both define urban police forces as racist. It is nauseating the hubris that has been flung by Liberal Progressives. The band-wagon morality is, in form, no different than the group-think that is despised at Fox News or A.M. Talk Radio.
So many of my friends are embarrassing themselves and exposing themselves as biased by their race to a preferred conclusion (cops kill black boys, because those boys are black); then cherry-picking evidence to support this conclusion.
The most awful part of this is that those who are using the Michael Brown death as a soap-box for their emotional hubris are offering no ideas that would solve the problems they say are obvious and egregious. They are simply shouting “fire” in a crowded theater. They aren’t helping people to safety, not caring for the community.
Outstanding observations here Chuck, and I would like to turn your words into a small post if you don’t mind.
Thank you old bean. I was a little worried I was speaking of that which I know nothing and would be told so.
Clear headed? Now there’s a novelty 😉