"Don't Beer Me, Bro!"

Well, are race relations bright and beautiful now that President Obama, Professor Gates, and Sergeant Crowley met for beer at the White House? I wonder if the president suggested the prof and the officer could have defused the unfortunate incident earlier—in Cambridge—if they had shared a couple of beers on the professor’s front porch.

Some police officers carry teddy bears or other stuffed animals in their cars to give to children traumatized by a traffic accident or a crime. The cuddly animals seem to calm the children. If we push President Obama’s strategy very far, we can see where police officers might calm emotionally charged situations by carrying bubblies in their cars alongside cuddlies. Law enforcement officers might never have to struggle with lawbreakers and our jails would not be overcrowded if both could just get along over a few beers.

This is tongue-in-cheek writing, of course. I am really disturbed by the example the president set for our nation’s children. By holding the beer summit he was sending the wrong messages to children. The message is that drinking alcohol is not only normal but also a great way to solve problems. As a Christian who doesn’t drink alcoholic beverages, I object to the president’s action.

If the beer-sharing strategy takes hold among our law-enforcement agencies, I can picture a recovering alcoholic about to be arrested pleading, “Don’t beer me, bro!”