Morgan Freeman gets it right

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in thinking our insistence on defining our culture based on the labels of black and white is one of the biggest obstacles to putting racism behind us.

Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, of "Driving Miss Daisy," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Million Dollar Baby" fame, said in an AP story yesterday the only way to get rid of racism is to "stop talking about it." I couldn't agree more.

There should be no Black History Month or Women's History Month or Hispanic Awareness Month. There is only history - American history - any any comprehensive study of that must include contributions and milestones from all members of our society. I am proud to be an American and I am proud of the brilliant succeess of this country. I am hugely proud of our military heroes of all ethnicities, proud of our inventors and innovators, proud of our cultural optimism and generosity and proud of the drive to succeed which is the hallmark of Americans. I'm as proud of George Washington Carver as I am of Thomas Edison. I salute the Tuskegee Airmen and the Flying Tigers.

I don't give a rat's ass what color or sex someone is..I judge people by their acts and contributions to society. If someone performs an action bringing credit on themselves and America, I think we should raise them on high and rejoice.

Recognizing people for their accomplishments based on their color is divisive - while bringing perhaps well-deserved praise to an individual, it isolates much of the society from sharing in the pride of a citizens' accomplishments. It says "you're not invited to share our pride in this. You're not a member of this exclusive club, so keep out."

I think some of the blame for continuing national racial friction also lies in the efforts of race panderers such as Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan to keep themselves relevent. Absent the admitted big challenges of the civil rights era, Jackson finds himself a Don Quixote with no windmills at which to tilt. And so he makes the windmills - he drives a wedge between the races so he can preen, posture and pontificate about the injustice the one ethnic group faces, while ignoring the fact other parts of society face similar problems every day.

Politicians also bear their share of the blame, insisting as they do on tailoring their campaign message to each ethnic group in their electorate. Checklist: "Elect me and I'll do this for blacks, this for women, this for Hispanics" - what ever happened to what's best for my voters?

Freeman is absolutely right that the key is to quit couching our view of our society in terms of color.