During the 70's and 80's, I grew up more fortunate than others, mostly in an upper middle class suburb in central New Jersey. But as the only dark-skinned American of multi-ethnic decent throughout most of my schooling from Grades 3-12, I've certainly been on the recieving end of many racial epithets, slurs and provocations. So admittedly, .. I've become very, VERY sensitive.

So when a leading 2008 GOP presidential hopeful, Senator George Allen (VA), addressed S.R. Sidarth, as "Macaca", I immediately recognised its racial connotation and became outraged. Sadly, racism persists today because of racial bigots, like Senator George Allen and others, who hold powerful leadership positions, but fail to witness and respect the cultural richness of their own constituency -- in the real world, real America.