Even conservative icons like Michael Savage and Rush Limbaugh and columnists like Charles Krauthammer are not rushing to defend the NYPD cops whose actions resulted in the death of Eric Garner by chokehold on Staten Island.
In fact, they are downright critical. Krauthammer called it “ totally incomprehensible” that police were not held accountable
But Irish American leader Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) has no time for such pussyfooting around.
He told CNN that if Eric Garner had been in better health he would not have died after a police officer placed him in a chokehold.
"If he had not had asthma, and a heart condition and was so obese, almost definitely he would not have died from this," King told CNN's Wolf Blitzer during an interview.
If my granny had testicles she’d be my granddad Pete.
King said that "police had no reason to know that he was in serious condition."
Well let’s see, the poor man was grossly overweight and was screaming that he could not breathe.
"The fact is if you can't breathe, you can't talk," King said. "If you've ever seen anyone resisting arrest, I've seen it, and it's been white guys, and they're always saying, 'You're breaking my arm, you're choking me, you're doing this,' police hear this all the time."
Doesn’t mean it isn’t true Pete.
King even overruled the New York Medical Examiner, who said Garner died as a result of compression of his throat and chest.
Dr. Pete knows better.
King stated that there "was not a hint" that anyone used any racial slurs as if that had anything to do with this and that if Garner were a "350-pound white guy, he would have been treated the same."
Precisely Pete, there is no reason to kill any man, black, white or Asian for selling spare cigarettes.
Earlier on Wednesday, King praised the grand jury's decision on Twitter.
Strange, but the Pete King of old was an outstanding and brave advocate for exposing police and military violence when it came to Northern Ireland. He was an outspoken advocate for Irish nationalists.
Somewhere along the line he lost the ability to discern that what was wrong with Bloody Sunday in Derry was also wrong in the streets of Staten Island – unjustifiable force was used.
It is sad to see Pete King, a great Irish human rights advocate, react like this on this issue.
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