All over the news recently there have been reports of a Harvard Scholar, Henry Louis Gates Jr, being arrested for breaking and entering into his own home. Apparently, this was an African American man who lived in a not-so-African American neighborhood. He was having trouble getting into his home and he and his friend (another African American man) were trying to force the door open. A neighbor, seeing this, called the police and reported that two Black men were trying to break into her neighbor's home.

FIRST QUESTION: How anti-social are the people in this community that you can't distinguish your own neighbor from a robber?

Back to the story. Allegedly, Gates was so insulted when the cops showed up that he became belligerent and accused the police of racial profiling. Gates had gotten into his home when the cops showed up, and when he was asked to step outside he said "ya, I'll speak with your mama outside". According to the police reports, which can be viewed at thesmokinggun.com, Gates was very uncooperative and was disturbing the peace. This is why when Gates did finally step outside, he was arrested for disorderly conduct.

Now, aside from this story, what drew the most media attention was Barak Obama's comments regarding the situation. When asked what his thoughts were on this situation, our president responded, “I think it’s fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry,” Obama said. “Number two, that the Cambridge police acted stupidly in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. And number three – what I think we know separate and apart from this incident – is that there is a long history in this country of African-Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately, and that’s just a fact.”

Now, there has been a lot of backlash aimed at Obama, Gates and even the police. I believe that Obama and Gates are getting the worst of it. People are calling Obama a racist, Gates is getting death threats, and the police are always being accused of brutality not to mention they were called stupid by the President. I think that, before anything else though, we should all stop and reflect on the lessons we have learned from this whole situation.

Lesson 1. Thank God for our freedom! America is continuously setting an example when it comes to human rights across the globe. This is just  another opportunity to demonstrate to the rest of the world how evolved our country is when it comes to ensuring freedom to its citizens. In some countries the police would beat you to death in your own home while your children watched, and nobody would think anything of it. Here, in America, the police and Gates sat down with the president to discuss their differences over a nice, cold beer.

Lesson 2. If you are in your own home and you suspect the police are after you, do not come outside. That was Gates' critical error. He would never have gotten arrested had he not stepped out on the patio. You see, the police are like vampires. They have to be invited. They can not just come into your home even if they suspect you of something (at least here in America). Your home is considered your sanctuary as provided by the rights of the U.S. Constitution, that is why the police can't search your home without a warrant or arrest you in your own home. This brings me to lesson 3...

Lesson 3. Know your rights. I was told that the police did not read Gates his Miranda rights. They are obligated to do this, telling you that "you have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney, etc. etc." As Americans, we have lots of laws protecting us from cruel and unsual punishments by the police. If you ever feel you are being mistreated by the police, talk to a lawyer.

Lesson 4. Respect law enforcement. The police are here to protect us. They are not out to get us. Granted, there are cases where police officers have been known to abuse their power and those situations should always be taken seriously, because if they are allowed to go on, it would be like giving a bunch of criminals guns and giving them free reign on the public. Police officers should be kept accountable, but we should also respect them. They are people too, and in order to do their jobs effectively they deserve our cooperation.

Lesson 5. Think before you speak...or act. Whether you're the president, a Harvard scholar, a police officer or a nosey neighbor, your words and/or actions are going to effect somebody. So, think twice.