The Great Race...
At first glance, one would think this is going to be a movie review, and although the MOVIE is indeed very funny, with some fantastic comedic performance by Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, and Jack Lemmon (in a duel role), we've another issue regarding "race" that has nothing at all to do with driving from New York to Paris.
Perhaps on another day we'll discuss the merits of this (imho) classic film.

We've a much larger RACE to think about these days.
It's the HUMAN RACE, and to be even more specific, it's RACE RELATIONS.

As of late, we're being tossed about in this sea of racial turmoil much like a Winslow Homer painting (as seen here - the Gulf Stream - 1899) or some Thor Heyerdahl journal entry from Kon Tiki, and we need not be.
Granted, contrary to the lame-stream (biased) media reports, there are radical racists...on BOTH sides of the fence here.
We have the Neo-Nazi skinheads professing "white power", and on the other side, we have the New Black Panther Party, spouting "black power", or even "kill those cracker babies". Neither group is representative of the majority of whatever race they portray (thankfully).
What is amazing though, is that a groups such as the NAACP doesn't come right out and DENOUNCE the NBPP for their obvious racial epithets against whites. I find that very disturbing, as should you.
I'd have to conclude that by NOT calling out the NBPP, the NAACP must, on some level condone their actions.
It's the whole "If you're not part of the SOLUTION, then you're part of the PROBLEM" gig.
But the NAACP WILL (and has) called out the Tea Party followers for racism (when none really has been proven).
Sure, there might be extremists in EVERY group, that's human nature, but to call out an ENTIRE GROUP for a few loons is, in itself sheer lunacy.
That's a pretty WIDE BRUSH someone's got in their hands, isn't it?
And the result of painting things in that manner are all too predictable.
"Looks sloppier than hell", as my Dad used to say.
Take the shootings near the Indiana Black Expo last week...TEN people shot (none life-threatening).
Every year the IPD calls out HUNDREDS of officers to run the week-long event, and even WITH all that manpower, THIS kind of sh*t still occurs.
At least they DO have the shooter in custody.
Here's the link for the follow-up:
http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=12832548
A SEVENTEEN year-old (Shamus Patton) for God's sake...with nothing BETTER to do than drive around and SHOOT people in downtown Indianapolis.
Yeah, this is a real "WTF?" moment, people!
But this is so indicative of a portion of the black community.
Got that entitlement mentality workin' for them...and so, with all that time on their hands (and obvious access to firearms...probably from some gang involvement), let's drive downtown and shoot the frigging place up. So what if people get in the way, right?
The police DID catch him...AFTER he shot ten people.
How did this young thug slip through the cracks, hmm?
Maybe those aren't really cracks any longer...but CHASMS!
And everyone is is pretty much okie-dokie with such a divide within the community, it would appear.
We have a wonderfully flawed system in place today whereby such things occur with such regularity.
And YES, it IS all about RACE.
We have a small part of the minority population causing ALL this crime, and all people can do is "think" about ways to get a handle on it.
Where is the implementation?
Where are the REAL solutions?
Where is Sharpton and Jackson, pissing a fit over their OWN community allowing this to happen?

(they're too busy staging protests ...against whitey...over in Arizona)
Probably better to blame "whitey" for a brutal police force, calling on more firings within departments across the nation.
Or blame whitey for not allowing this poor, misunderstood teen (obviously a good boy with a great sense of humor,...as they "all" are) the opportunity to become all that he could be.
I say he DID JUST THAT.
He became a CRIMINAL...because that's what he CHOSE to become.

The opportunity to BETTER himself WAS there...he just didn't care.
All the programs in place designed to keep this from happening didn't work.
All the money tossed about to "enrich and enhance the lives in the 'hood" did nothing but line someone else's pockets.
I just have to ask why does good money always get tossed after bad?
Some people will ALWAYS take this "easy way out"...make no mistake about it.
Life to them is all about doing whatever the hell they want to do...to whomever they wish to, and at any damn time they choose to do it.
That's not life...and that's barely anything close to resembling existence.
Marking time would come fairly close.
Now, I don't know about you, but I personally have NO "guilt" about the manner in which the black community continues to devolve.
And I won't go and label the entire race as being useless pieces of human flotsam.
You take people ONE AT A TIME...(and to invoke Dr. King's words) by the character of their being, and NOT by skin color.
Let THAT be a guide to how they will let you know how THEY wish to be treated, and how you WILL treat them.
People tend to do that...if you pay attention to them.
You learn to read a person...get a good idea on how they were raised, how they will behave in public, and you can do it simply by watching...and listening.
THEY will tell YOU all about themselves.
This is a two-way street.
YOU will tell THEM about you, according to what you say and how YOU conduct YOURSELF.
There is indeed a growing divide in race-relations in America, and it's come about by those who feel they are STILL victims, when in fact, they are just unwilling to pull THEMSELVES up by their own bootstraps.
They sit back in their government-provided home, eating their taxpayer-provided food, procreating future generations of "pre-entitled" citizens, and have the nerve to pass judgment upon YOU...the working class stiff, or the retired person who busted their hump for decades doing the RIGHT thing.
They pass judgment on law-enforcement, rather taking the law into their OWN hands, unless they can "play" the police in their favor when the moment suits them. That's why shootings in their neighborhoods have multiple witnesses standing around on cell phones that "didn't see nuthin".
The whole mindset is geared to being entertained, amused, and allowing anyone and everyone else to carry any burden.
Sorry to spoil their party (which can be a daily affair), but THAT is RACISM.
I've always had a dread about a "next Civil War", in which lines would be drawn NOT between North and South, but by Black and White.
I pray it never comes down to that, for there are those of BOTH races that believe we CAN all coexist and work together to build a better future for everyone.
We should not have to grow ghettos, replete with cookie-cutter criminals, when we can reclaim such areas, and imbue them with a much better sense of PURPOSE, but God forbid ANY white person says that can happen...that's "racism".
Time to stop knocking such a powerful word about.
There will always be some form of racism in any society...we're never going to become THAT "perfect" where we have none at all.
But, what we CAN do, is make sure that any or all claims TO (real) racism ARE addressed...on BOTH sides of the color fence.
And to call out the people and situations regarding those false claims of racism where none ever exists.
THAT is the road that always leads to true equality.

We just have to cut back the underbrush, and remove the trash from that road.

It's not easy...but it IS worth doing because it is the right thing to do.
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.