Stanley Crouch, who appears to be authentically black (but I'm not sure), wrote before the election last year that Obama isn't in fact, black like him.

So when black Americans refer to Obama as "one of us," I do not know what they are talking about. In his new book, "The Audacity of Hope," Obama makes it clear that, while he has experienced some light versions of typical racial stereotypes, he cannot claim those problems as his own - nor has he lived the life of a black American.

That wasn't a unique insight.

The black author and essayist Debra J. Dickerson recently declared that “Obama isn’t black” in an American racial context. Some polls suggest that Mr. Obama trails one of his rivals for the Democratic nomination, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the battle for African-American support.

And at the Shepherd Park Barber Shop here, where the hair clippers hummed and the television blared, Calvin Lanier summed up the simmering ambivalence. Mr. Lanier pointed to Mr. Obama’s heritage — he is the American-born son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas — and the fact that he did not embody the experiences of most African-Americans whose ancestors endured slavery, segregation and the bitter struggle for civil rights.

“When you think of a president, you think of an American,” said Mr. Lanier, a 58-year-old barber who is still considering whether to support Mr. Obama. “We’ve been taught that a president should come from right here, born, raised, bred, fed in America. To go outside and bring somebody in from another nationality, now that doesn’t feel right to some people.”

The blackness of Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell has also been challenged on the basis that blacks can't be Republican. When confronted by the reality that blacks are in fact Republican, they are relegated to the status of house n_ggers to distinguish them from all the black Secretaries of State in the Democrat party.

The irony here is that Hillary may in fact be blacker than Obama on the basis that being black is no longer a skin color but an American liberal-left subculture. Hillary Clinton inherits the good will the first black president--her husband Bill--developed with whatever voodoo he was using and avoids the disadvantage, in this case, of actually being black.

Strange isn't it? As a white girl from Chicago, Hillary bypasses the whole you're-not-black-enough-your ancestors-weren't-slaves business, while Obama is seen as an outsider.

On the other hand, Hillary being a woman presents her with similar complications among the fairer sex that a male candidate would never have to face.

Identity politics is a mine field.

UPDATE: James Taranto reflects on the byzantine nature of racial identity as well.

But the usage in the Times story makes things even more confusing. Apparently African-American now refers to both the descendants of slaves and immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa (though presumably only dark-skinned ones; it is still, as far as we know, politically incorrect to refer to Teresa Heinz Kerry, a white Mozambique native, as "African-American"). Black, at least if Debra Dickerson has her way, refers only to the descendants of slaves.

What, then, do we call members of South Africa's formerly oppressed racial majority? After African-American became the politically correct term for black, we recall hearing stories (perhaps apocryphal) of copy-editors changing references to this group so that they read, for instance, "South Africa's African-American majority." Politically correct language often does more to obscure than to clarify--but maybe that's the idea.

Both MSNBC and CBS have suspended the Don Imus show for a couple of weeks to take down the temperature a few notches after Imus called the Rutger's woman's basketball team a "bunch of nappy-headed hos".

It was offensive, and moreover, it was a stupid thing to say, but what I find interesting is how its determined which subjects are taboo and which are not.

For all the left's protestations about the futility of war, the fact is that various Democrat constituencies earn "respect" by making the equivalent of war on American corporate interests. The Rev. Jackson has been extorting American businesses for years, which is directly responsible for Imus' suspension. CBS and NBC' corporate parents literally quake with fear at the prospect of a black boycott or "shudder", being labelled racists.

Muslims will cut your head off if you piss them off, so the mainstream media took the better part of valor when it came to the Mohammed cartoons.

Apparently "peace through strength" is as true for politics as it is for foreign policy.

If your group is getting disrespected, perhaps its time you considered kicking some butt.

It works for everyone else.

Be warned. The following video contains offensive languages and images.

H/T Macsmind

I had to post this because it blew my mind. I had to ask the question of myself what about this video was more offensive: the traditional rap accouterments of extremely vulgar language, miming of sex acts and of course, 'hos'--or demands that "n_ggers", which I assume is a subset of the black population; read a book, raise your kids, drink water, buy some land, brush your teeth, wear deodorant.

The implications are enormous. The New York Times reports that the airing generated both kudos and brickbats, with many denouncing the video as racist. I guess I don't know what that word means anymore when black people can accuse other black people of racism because of what they say about their own race. Its just amazing to me that sensible advice like "read a book" and "buy some land" is controversial, while the entire rap genre is accepted as a mere expression of black culture.

There is an amusing irony in this--"Read a Mother-f**king Book N*gga" is a mirror image of George Thoroughgood's "Get a Real Job"

I was a rebel from the day i left school
Grew my hair long and broke all the rules
I'd sit and listen to my records all day
With big ambitions of where i could play

My parents taught me what life was about
So i grew up the type they warned me about
They said my friends were just an unruly mob
And i should get a haircut and get a real job

Get a haircut and get a real job
Clean your act up and don't be a slob
Get it together like your big brother bob
Why don't you get a haircut and get a real job

I even tried that 9 to 5 scene
I told myself that it was all a bad dream
I found a band and some good songs to play
And now I party all night, I sleep all day

I met this chick she was my No.1 fan
She took me home to meet her mommy and dad
They took one look at me and said ("oh my god")
Get a haircut and get a real job

Get a real job, why don't you get a real job
Get a real job, why don't you get a real job

I hit the big time with my rock 'n' roll band
The future's brighter now than I'd ever planned
I'm ten times richer than my big brother bob
And he, he's got a haircut he's got a real job

Why don't you get a haircut and get a real job

I even tried that 9 to 5 scene

I've seen George Thoroughgood. I'd rather be his big brother Bob...

If Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are involved, that's usually a very good sign that its trumped up nonsense.

Some white kids hung nooses in a tree--a deliberate provocation against the blacks who attended the same school. No charges were laid because there is no law against putting empty nooses in trees, just as there is no law against character assassination against a General for purely political reasons.

Six black kids corner one white kid and beat the snot out of him--there are laws against that, yet the screeming-meemies on the left are crying injustice.

I know if six white kids beat up a black kid, we would not be having this discussion.

This is yet another example of a national problem that some people have no wish to solve--Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and the Democrat party break into broad smiles when something like this comes up--it perpetuates their power--why should they want to solve the problem?

Ironically, the more crap like this that they pull, the less seriously people take it--I'm sure I'm not alone in a knee-jerk response to seeing Jesse Jackson on my television screen.

Its surprising that a sitting Supreme Court justice would write an autobiography. It is even more surprising that ABC news would have a 20 page review/interview of the book on its website.

The title, "My Grandfather's Son" refers to the fact that Thomas' father abandoned him and he was raised by his grandparents. The odd character of the title reflects the usual nature of Thomas' account of his life. There is no gilding of the lily here--Thomas confesses guilt and shame over his divorce, and problem-drinking, but more striking is the frustration, humiliation and anger that comes from being a black man in America.

Thomas doesn't owe anyone anything and he tells it like it was and is. Lots of liberal Democrats are outed as unreconstructed racists and total a-holes:

Thomas in the next few years became more publicly conservative and more open to attack. When Hodding Carter, the white former aide to President Carter, published an article in Playboy in 1986 titled "Reagan and the Revival of Racism," Thomas wrote a critical letter in response. Carter shot back in the magazine: "Mr. Thomas is surely familiar with those chicken-eating preachers who gladly parroted the segregationist's line in exchange for a few crumbs from the white man's table. He's one of the few left in captivity."

Joe Biden gets tagged as an a-hole as well, but we already knew that.

I look forward to reading the book, but the review is pretty extraordinarily comprehensive. What comes across is a searing indictment of white liberals, whom Thomas describes as far worse than any southern Klansman.

Thomas's most deeply felt opinions are about race, and he pulls no punches. For Thomas, the menacing racists who donned white sheets in the segregated South of his childhood are as bad or worse as the northern liberal zealots in suits and ties.

"These people who claim to be progressive … have been far more vicious to me than any southerner," Thomas says, "and it is purely ideological."

Thomas talks about the virulent racism he encountered growing up in the segregated South, when blacks were considered second-class citizens and kept separate from whites by law, and he equates those attitudes with the stereotypes he believes people hold today.

"People get bent out of shape about the fact that when I was a kid, you could not drink out of certain water fountains. Well, the water was the same. My grandfather always said that, 'The water's exactly the same.' But those same people are extremely comfortable saying I can't drink from this fountain of knowledge," Thomas says. "They certainly don't see themselves as being like the bigots in the South. Well, I've lived both experiences. And I really don't see that they're any different from them."

Not mentioned were prominent liberal racists Ken Salazar and Harry Reid

Possible the most remarkable thing I've read on a news site...ever. Read it all.

There is nothing particularly strange about a politician letting drop a racist remark...

A white state lawmaker in a runoff election called a black civil-rights veteran who had helped her campaign "Buckwheat," prompting the NAACP to urge voters to kick her out of office.

Its not particular strange that the offending lawmaker is a Democrat...

Rep. Carla Blanchard Dartez, a Democrat, acknowledged that she ended a Thursday night conversation with Hazel Boykin by saying, "Talk to you later, Buckwheat." Dartez had been thanking Boykin for driving voters to the polls.

What is strange is that the Democrat is held accountable...

Jerome Boykin said Monday he planned to ask voters to cast ballots against Dartez, who faces Republican Joe Harrison in Saturday's runoff.

"At this point, the NAACP is not concerned about the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. If a Republican is elected because of her racist remarks, that's her responsibility," he said of Dartez.

I suspect that people would take racism more seriously if this kind of even-handed outrage were more prevalent.

A noose and threatening note were planted in a Baltimore firehouse.

Racists on the loose no doubt. Absolutely, and this one was black.

A firefighter who reported finding a knotted rope and a threatening note with a drawing of a noose in an East Baltimore station house last month had placed the items there himself, city officials said yesterday.

The man was suspended last week for performance-related issues and will likely face additional punishment, fire officials said. Sterling Clifford, a spokesman for the Police Department and for Mayor Sheila Dixon, said the man admitted to the hoax and will not face criminal charges.

Officials identified the firefighter who they say acknowledged writing the note as Donald Maynard, a firefighter-paramedic apprentice who is black. Maynard could not be reached for comment.

The rope incident sparked outrage two weeks ago and prompted a federal investigation into possible civil rights violations. It was the latest in a series of incidents that have cast the Fire Department in a poor light over the past year, including the death of a recruit in a training exercise and accusations of racism.

For a lot of people, both white and black, this is a very uncomfortable revelation, and Jason Whitlock's Fox Sports editorial on the death of Sean Taylor isn't going to make them rest easier.

Someone who loved Sean Taylor is crying right now. The life they knew has been destroyed, an 18-month-old baby lost her father, and, if you're a black man living in America, you've been reminded once again that your life is in constant jeopardy of violent death.

The Black KKK claimed another victim, a high-profile professional football player with a checkered past this time.

No, we don't know for certain the circumstances surrounding Taylor's death. I could very well be proven wrong for engaging in this sort of aggressive speculation. But it's no different than if you saw a fat man fall to the ground clutching his chest. You'd assume a heart attack, and you'd know, no matter the cause, the man needed to lose weight.

Well, when shots are fired and a black man hits the pavement, there's every statistical reason to believe another black man pulled the trigger. That's not some negative, unfair stereotype. It's a reality we've been living with, tolerating and rationalizing for far too long.

When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions.

Our new millennium strategy is to pray the Black KKK goes away or ignores us. How's that working?

Read the whole thing...and be sure you are sitting down.

One cultural reference deserves another. I savored the title of Rich Lowry's column at NRO, entitled, "Bonfire of the Democrats".

Lowry amplifies a theme I posted on earlier--the Democrats falling off the post-racial wagon into a weeks-long drunk of special pleading, self-pity, indignation and race-paranoia.

In one of his sputtering-mad “special comments” usually devoted to damning President Bush to hell, Keith Olbermann of MSNBC accused Geraldine Ferraro of employing the “vocabulary of David Duke,” and of “insidious racism that is at least two decades old.” Back in the glory days of liberaldom, this would have been like Edward R. Murrow calling Eleanor Roosevelt a fascist — in other words, utter madness.

Read it all.

Ann Coulter.

But Wright is not a relative of Obama's at all. Yet Obama cravenly compared Wright's racist invective to his actual grandmother, who "once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

Considering what they are teaching young black men in church, shouldn't we all be reasonably fearful of encountering them on the street?

U.S. Marshals say Channon Christian was raped numerous times leading up to her death. Federal Marshals from the Western District of Kentucky say this whole thing started as a carjacking and ended up as rape and murder. However, it's important to note that the men taken into custody are still persons of interest. They are not being considered suspects at this time....

Davidson was renting this home on Chipman Street. That's where police found Channon Christian's body Tuesday. Her boyfriend, Christoper Newsom's, body was found just blocks away on Sunday. Local police are tight-lipped about what happened but the U.S. Marshal's office in Western Kentucky tells us this is a brutal, brutal murder.

"Before they killed her they reportedly raped her numerous times and then killed her and dumped her in a garbage can from what I understand," Knighten said.

The details did eventually come out. Chris Newsom was shot three times, his body then set afire and left by the railroad tracks where it was later discovered. They had taken his shoes. Channon Christian was "kept" a few more days for her entertainment value then strangled and her body stuffed in a garbage can. The mere fact that I am recalling these facts will label me a racist by the black rage apologetics machine.

There is simply no explanation for such brutality, is there? Where would these young black men learn such hatred for white people? The oldest being 34, none of the four black men charged in the crime never had to sit in the back of a bus (neither apparently did the Rev. Wright...) or attend a segregated school.

Ah, I see, this is my fault. As a white man, I must understand black hatred. I hope my family never has to understand it like Christopher Newsom, 23, and Channon Christian, 21 did.

I suppose it was inevitable that the Pastor Disaster (OK, I stole this from Anne Leary...) would precipitate some unfortunate reactions.

On the other hand, I am sick to death of black people as a group. The truth. That is part of the conversation Obama is asking for, isn't it? I live in an eastern state almost exactly on the fabled Mason-Dixon line. Every day I see young black males wearing tee shirts down to their knees -- and jeans belted just above their knees. I'm an old guy. I want to smack them. All of them. They are egregious stereotypes. It's impossible not to think the unthinkable N-Word when they roll up beside you at a stoplight in their trashed old Hondas with 19-inch spinner wheels and rap recordings that shake the foundations of the buildings. It's like a broadcast dare: Go ahead! Call me a n_gger! And then I'll cap your ass.

Here's the dirty secret all of us know and no one will admit to. There ARE n_ggers. Black people know it. White people know it. And only black people are allowed to notice and pronounce the truth of it. Which would be fine. Except that black people are not a community but a political party. They can squabble with each other in caucus but they absolutely refuse to speak the truth in public. And this is the single biggest obstacle to healing the racial divide in this country. The dammed-up flood of good will in this nation for black people who want to work for their own American Dream is absolutely enormous. The biggest impediment is the doubt created in each and every non-black American by the clannish, tribalist, irrational defense of every low act committed by any black person. If you're offended when Republicans defend Richard Nixon or when Democrats defend Chuck Schumer, imagine what it's like when black people swarm the streets to defend Jeremiah Wright.

I've always been chagrined at Democrats tendancy to infantilize their presidential candidates, and even presidents. When Bill Clinton was having his intern trouble, Democrats blamed it all on 23 year old Monica Lewinsky, holding the president of the United States unaccountable for his unbelievably bad judgment. Ten years later, I heard Joey Behar refer to an act of oral sex as a "Lewinsky". The young woman, who now has a masters degree, is still the butt of jokes by good liberals, while Bill Clinton remains revered, and unaccountable.

The Reverend Wright is about to get the same treatment, and you know which one I mean....

You may have heard that Don Imus got nicked again for uttering a racist comment.

During the show, conversation turned to a story about how suspended Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam “Pacman” Jones now wants to drop his well-known nickname. In the course of the segment, Imus is told that Jones has “been arrested six times since being drafted by Tennessee in 2005.”

Imus asks: “What color is he?”

“He’s African-American,” the host is informed by one of his on-air sidekicks.

“Well, there you go,” Imus said. “Now we know.”

My first comment is that its ridiculous that this is news--no not ridiculous--damn scary.

There is not a lick of difference between Iran's religious police whacking women who aren't sufficiently modestly attired and the "liberal" police insuring that people in this country express their racism in the right way.