Are you now, or have you ever been, a racist?

That's a play on words from the question during the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s, for those of you who "just don't get it," as the Reverend Jeremiah Wright would say.

To refresh your knowledge/memory... actors were brought into the room to testify. They could either name their friends who were communists, or they could keep their mouths shut, and be blacklisted for failing to cooperate. And of course, everyone they named would be blacklisted as well.

The same thing is now happening with the race business here in the US.

Take the Rush Limbaugh debacle. He's part of a group of businessmen who want to buy the Rams, and Al Sharpton and everyone in the race business is all outraged. Then even some owners chime in and say they dont want Rush. (Do they not want him, or do they want to give the impression that they don't, to get on the rising tide of sentiment against him so that they are not convicted as racists by being silent on the subject?)

"Convicted as racist." That's the point. Take football players. They can lie, steal, cheat, kill... and they'll get another chance on the football field because they are good players. But let someone schmuck be convicted of being a racist (and when I say racist, I am referring to a white person. Everyone knows minorities can't be racist! All that tension between Asians and blacks ... that's just disputes over living space. Nothing racist about it! Between Jews and blacks? No, that's not racist...)

ANyway, the actor who played Kramer made some unfortunate repartees to a heckling black guy at a night club, and all of a sudden his career is over. He's been branded, not as being unfunny or slow of wit when it comes to dealing with a heckler, but racist, and he'll never be allowed to work again. Although Jerry Seinfled is doing his best to "rehabilitate him" in the eyes of the people - and Bravo Seinfeld for taking such a brave step!

Meanwhile, Asians tried to do it to Shaquille O'Neal (after he "mocked" Yao Ming and therefore, the whole Chinese race), but O'Neal stood tall and said it was ridiculous. Of course, he could afford to do so - he's a great basketball player.

But when it comes to people who work in normal businesses, who can be replaced by dozens of other people...get yourself branded a racist - true or imagined... and your life is over.