have their whole purpose in life premised on the fear of racial unrest. Translated, black people get mad and shoot white people. That's kind of insulting to black people, don't you think?

Besides, if that happens, our police officers are perfectly capable of handling it, and if they can't, the governor or the president will call out the National Guard and take care of it. Let there be racial unrest. So what. As soon as a black person is involved, the city starts flinging around racist rhetoric.

Not everything is racism, and black people aren't the only ones who suffer injustice. This climate of racist hype means that the black leadership of Durham buffers accountability for their actions from the North Carolina politicians who live in fear that somebody fromethically-impaired "officers of the court" will maintain their get-out-of-jail card (which is often turned over to reveal that the other side "is" a race card.)______________________________

Two great white sharks were circling a swimmer, when a call from the shore alerted the swimmer to his peril. The swimmer calmly turned toward shore while the sharks continued to circle. The radius of the circle grew smaller and smaller -- yet the sharks never attacked. As the swimmer reached shore, they swam away.

The swimmer walked out of the surf,...while a group of bystanders stood agape. One incredulous onlooker asked the swimmer (who by the way was a lawyer): "How and why did that just happen?!!!"

The swimmer looked at the crowd and stated simply: "Professional courtesy."

.................................................................................BY JOHN STEVENSON, The Herald-Sun January 20, 2007