Race is on!

Truth be told, the Trayvon Martin tragedy bums me out. Was he killed because of the color of his skin or was he killed in self-defense? I do not know. By the way, neither do you. Therein lies the bummer. 


Because this has become a media circus with the usual suspects taking center stage in the three rings, we see with unobstructed clarity that America has not gotten past race when it assesses wide and varied events.

Jarome Iginla (12)

Let's say that Mr. Zimmerman hated Mr. Martin for the style of his shoes and for that reason riddled him with bullets. After justice had been served and Mr. Zimmerman stared back at us through an iron lattice, we could aptly label him a moron.  Good riddance.  Hope he gets the chair.

Let's say that Mr. Zimmerman as a neighborhood watcher felt that his neighborhood was endangered by the young man, and despite following at a distance, found himself attacked by Mr. Martin. If he felt his life in jeopardy, he is well within his right to exercise lethal force.

Which scenario was it?  Do you know?  I do not.

I do know that a bunch of knuckleheads from the top down have stuck their nose in where their nose does not belong.  Thomas Sowell noted that very point in his recent article, "Geraldo's Point," when he said, "We do not need Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton or the President of the United States spouting off before the trial has even begun." Then he adds another point, one that in our MTV-addled attention spans we let slip into the ether, "Have we forgotten the media's rush to judgment in the Duke University "rape" case that blew up completely when the facts came out?"

Duke? Anybody remember? Bunch of fair skinned lacrosse players raped a darker skinned stripper. Repeatedly. Ring a bell? Do you recall the outcome? No rape. Oops. Do you remember all of the apologies? Me either.

Juan Williams echoes a similar point found in Sowell's article.  In "The Trayvon Martin Tragedies," Williams shines the spotlight on the darkness in black America.  A few of the stats he highlights:

• 50% drop-out rate for black lads at some schools.
• 40% unemployment for black teens.
• In 2005, half of all murder victims were black.
• 93% of those were by those of similarly melanined skin

And while he obscures the following two facts among all the rest, they entwine and expose that the problem does not reside with those of different skin pigment. The problem rests in the mirror.

• 22% of blacks live below the poverty line.
• "A shocking 72% of black babies are born to unwed mothers."

As Bill Cosby preaches over and over and over and over, the disintegration of the black family has led to the disintegration of black America. You can equate broken home to "below the poverty line." Let me erase the color distinctions: The disintegration of the family has led to a disintegration of our nation.

That is why the circus that surrounds an unfortunate death highlights how far we have to go as a people. When everything becomes a race-capade, when certain members of society pop into the spotlight faster than Brian Longcar at a car wreck when there's more than three shades difference in skin hue, we've got issues.

Does anybody care that the number of fair skinned dudes in the NBA equals the number of dark skinned dudes in the NHL (I believe the number is three in each league)?  Um, no. Is it an issue? Um, no. Why? 'Cause we want to see the best players play the game and I don't care if they look like Dennis Rodman or Margaret Thatcher. If you can stop a 110 mph slap shot while being screened by the sweaty posterior of some six-and-a half foot Slovakian, you're my guy! If you can drain a three with the ease of a Mickelson flop-shot or can guard Blake Griffin tighter than Mae West's corset, you'll find yourself on the hardwood.

Two final points.  First, Jesse, Al and their ilk need to go find productive work. Finally, how about the rest of us let the court do its job.


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Note:  Another worthy read on Racial Profiling by Walter Williams.