A similar graph could be generated to link the increasing use of cellular devices and the decreasing rate of marriages. While pornography may well have deleterious effects on sexual attitudes and practices, and thus the percentage of the population in marriages and the percentage of successful marriages, to make the jump from association to causation is fallacious.

The charges weren't for breaking and entering, so providing proof that it was his house did not cause the charges to be dropped. He was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Once the officer established that Gates lived there (which may have been what he was trying to do when he requested to see the I.D. again), it is likely that the officer would have wanted to verify that the house was secure. If Mr. Gates had said, "Here is my I.D., you may copy down the information. My house is secure, there's no one here but me, and I would like you to leave," then the officer would have left, and the incident would have been over. Instead, yelling "You don't know who you're dealing with," is in no one's best interest.

Wallac, the Sotomayor issue is a bit off topic, but claiming that being Hispanic better prepares a person for applying [what should be] logic to a set framework of laws is rather racist. It...

6. There's a black officer in the shot of Gates being handcuffed. If there was racism directed towards Gates, it would seem likely that the black officer would make some report of it; no such report was made.
7. In the Huffington Post write-up on this incident, Gates notes that the officers initially hand-cuffed his hands behind his back (the more standard way), then moved the cuffs to the front for his comfort. This does not sound like officers who were intentionally trying to harm him in any way. It sounds like officers trying to do their job, dealing with an irrate citizen as best they could.
8. The charge has been dropped. Mr. Gates should be very glad about this. In the opinion of the officer present, Gates broke the...

6. There's a black officer in the shot of Gates being handcuffed. If there was racism directed towards Gates, it would seem likely that the black officer would make some report of it; no such report was made.
7. In the Huffington Post write-up on this incident, Gates notes that the officers initially hand-cuffed his hands behind his back (the more standard way), then moved the cuffs to the front for his comfort. This does not sound like officers who were intentionally trying to harm him in any way. It sounds like officers trying to do their job, dealing with an irrate citizen as best they could.
8. The charge has been dropped. Mr. Gates should be very glad about this. In the opinion of the officer present, Gates broke the...

1. Mr. Gates admitted breaking into his house, so the report the officer received was correct.
2. Mr. Gates engaged in racial profiling, making the assumption that the caucasian officer that responded to the call was treating him unfairly because of the color of his skin.
3. When calling dispatch, the neighbor lady was probably asked for a description of the men she saw trying to force entry into the house, at which point the adjective "black" became associated with the men. She most likely called bcause she saw people trying to break into a house in an area where there had already been break-ins (see Gates's comments on the cause of the difficulty with the front door), not because she saw "a couple of black men," and assumed...

Yes, NAACP et al were created to combat minority marginalization and fight for equal treatment of all. Yet, you did not address the point Mobius was making: that these organizations in their present form lack any appreciable degree of diversity, nor have they made significant efforts to increase their diversity. They've made efforts to cause other groups and institutions to increase diversity, but have not made increasing the diversity within their own constituent bodies a goal, which is somewhat hippocritical.

If we continue down this path, at some point, the price of appeasement becomes too high, and we're forced to use force. By that point, much more force will be needed, as our enemy will have gained much physical and emotional strength. Our proper course is to stand up to any people or nation that continually threatens us, be they skin-head Nazi's or turbin-head Muslims, be they Iranian, Afghani, Israli, Chinese, or Cuban. Yes, such policy will lead in the short term to greater hostility and violence towards our troops; but, it is easier to deal with hostility from 100 people than 1000, and if we allow the 100 to bully us, the 900 will perceive weakness and become emboldened. We must tell all people, Muslim or not, this: behave like...

If we continue down this path, at some point, the price of appeasement becomes too high, and we're forced to use force. By that point, much more force will be needed, as our enemy will have gained much physical and emotional strength. Our proper course is to stand up to any people or nation that continually threatens us, be they skin-head Nazi's or turbin-head Muslims, be they Iranian, Afghani, Israli, Chinese, or Cuban. Yes, such policy will lead in the short term to greater hostility and violence towards our troops; but, it is easier to deal with hostility from 100 people than 1000, and if we allow the 100 to bully us, the 900 will perceive weakness and become emboldened. We must tell all people, Muslim or not, this: behave like...

When will we as a people learn that reasoning with unreasonable people is counter-productive and quite possibly dangerous? Israel realizes that. Many in America do as well.
Anyone versed in recent (the past 60 yrs) Israli history should recognize a pattern: Israel makes concessions towards peace, and gets rewarded with increased demands and continued violence. Currently, while surrounded by enemies who loudly proclaim their hostile intentions, and with many throughout the world tacitly complying with the propagation of the propaganda of Muslim exceptionalism, Israel is left with little choice. As any 4th grade school child can tell you, you do not get a bully to leave you alone by doing what he/she wants; you get him/her to leave...