Colin Powell - an unquestioning spearchucker in Mr. Bush's war.

I need a little help here. I understand the 'N-word" controversy going on inside and outside of the black community. I don't agree with it at all, but I understand the argument. Are you using the word with an 'a' at the end or an 'er'. Are you black or white. Is it being used as a term of endearment? Then it's ok in the minds of most young people in this country. If its being used as slander, then its not ok, and you could be fired or punched in the nose. I think people who use that word, regardless of color, are taking our culture down the wrong path.

Back to my question. When is it ok to call a black man a spearchucker?

Still, Powell rose higher than almost any black Republican by making the party faithful comfortable with his non-threatening and non-demanding presence on racial issues. Powell flamed out after his ego no longer allowed him to be an unquestioning spearchucker in Mr. Bush's war.

In my mind, never.

However, it seems that when the person writing the slander is black, then you get a pass from the same folks that would be screaming for your immediate termination as a columnists. Obviously, I don't get it. It could be my lack of education or my straight ahead view of life, but I believe columnist Sam Fulwood is full of crap.

"My deliberate use of provocative, incendiary - but not hurtful - language is to produce a reaction, to get people engaged, to cuss, to argue, to fuss with my ideas," he said. "If using that word made people mad, that's good."

Or it could be that Mr. Fulwood is a liberal and he was attacking Republican Ken Blackwell when he wrote the 's-word'.

Few black voters will forgive Blackwell for trying to suppress the black turnout in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. As Ohio's Secretary of State, he served as the Republican National Committee's leading storm trooper in the state, paving the way for George Bush to seize control of the White House.

I wonder what would happen if the roles were reversed. What if George Will called Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans fame an incompetent spearchucker in his war to place blame on the federal government.

Well, you can imagine the self appointed 'black leaders' Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson holding 24 hour a day news conferences from out front of Will's house. They would also be on Larry King Live every night until Will was forced to step down. Three days tops.

What will happen to Mr. Fulwood? A book deal and perhaps a few highly paid speaking engagements at Columbia or Harvard?

If I were a gambling man, that is where I would put my money.