Who you callin a racist? Stupid cracker.

There's been a bit of hoopla lately over an editorial and some e-mails being exchanged between two officers of the Topeka PD and a columnist for the local paper The Capitol Journal. First I'm printing the column and then the editorial written by the police officer. The officers in question are currently on administrative leave pending review for things such as "racial insensitivity."

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Glenda Overstreet's column

I recently had the unfortunate experience of attending a court hearing that was being conducted to determine the sentencing of a young African-American man who had been tried on drug charges.

As I walked into the courtroom and glanced around, I couldn't help but notice that he was the only African-American man in the room. The setting included the judge, the defense attorney, the prosecutor and about a handful of court attendees who could have been observers. The young man looked up at me as I entered as if in relief.

After the defense attorney presented his argument for leniency in sentencing, the prosecutor stood to present his argument. After the judge sat quietly listening to the arguments from both sides, she finally turned to the defendant and asked if he had any remarks.

The young African-American man eloquently read from handwritten notes that hung from his handcuffed hands as he poured out his innermost thoughts regarding the trial and his potential sentencing.

Almost as soon as the young man finished his three- to four-minute presentation, the judge began repeating the sentence that echoed the statement previously presented by the prosecutor. It was as if the young man hadn't spoken at all -- or he hadn't been heard or seen at all.

The young man was present without family, any notable friends or a support network to stand by him in such a traumatic environment. I then found out that he was from a different state altogether. So many times we hear from people of color who have become the victims of this "justice." Perhaps it is because we have become a society that has become so exclusive that it no longer matters. But in fact, it does.

When you or anyone you are close to becomes introduced to the judicial system, the first thing you are advised to do is to remain silent so as not to harm your case. This applies even and especially if you are innocent. So, you struggle, like this young man struggled to find a place in life where he could have a say. Yet, it was too late. But then again, perhaps not. Perhaps these words will resonate with those who care.

So where are the voices of the world for your son and for mine? For your daughter and mine? It was Martin Luther King Jr. who indicated that "the day you become silent about things that matter is the day you begin to die." Does this mean there are alternatives to silence? If so, that is where I am -- supporting the things that matter. Just keeping it real.

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Ken Eaton's letter to the editor:

I have noticed that in Glenda Overstreet's articles, every other sentence she writes "African-American." It's like she needs to remind everyone who she is. It's like she's better than everyone because of it. I'm not going to write "Caucasian American" in every other sentence in this letter. I know who I am, and I don't feel the need to be so arrogant. Besides, it's great here in America. How is it in Africa? Have you even been there? If it's so great in the "homeland" why are you still here?

Her article on Feb. 17 made me break my "editorial hiatus" and I felt the need to respond. Overstreet says she went into a courtroom where a "young African-American" was being sentenced on drug charges. She was appalled that he and she were the only "African-Americans" in the courtroom, and somehow finds this an injustice. Maybe if this "man" had, (like in his speech to the judge), so "eloquently" obeyed the law, he wouldn't have been there in the first place, but like everything else the government sponsored/endorsed hate group called the NAACP does, she makes an attempt to shift the blame elsewhere. No, don't let this "young African-American" take any responsibility for what he has done. Let's make him the victim because this "young African-American" didn't have any family there for his support. To blame his family for not coming wouldn't be right. Ms. Overstreet, being a colored person does not give you a "get out of trouble free card" to be used when you want it.

Mrs. Overstreet must also be a "street lawyer" because her legal advice to anyone accused of anything (even if you are innocent -- wow) is to "remain silent so as to not harm your case." Incredible. It sure looks better if you are innocent, to remain silent and not help out so the "guilty" party can be found. Is that what you told Cortez? It appears to me that you have an axe to grind, and just so you know, I won't be reading your racist articles any longer and your credibility as a journalist and your NAACP branch no longer exists. Yeah, I used the word "colored." If you don't like it, change what the fourth letter in "NAACP" stands for.

Topeka just showed again how much it bends over backwards for the black community by hiring a black city manager. I would love to see how much more "qualified" our new manager was over the other 30 candidates. I have never seen the city in such a hurry to get its current employees such a great contract like they gave this man, (outside of the City Council giving themselves a 25 percent raise). Maybe it's because most of us are the wrong color. Ms.. Overstreet, because of the color of your skin, you are not better than everyone else.

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Here's where the stupidity starts in the area. There are no calls for Mr. Eaton and a fellow officer who exchanged e-mails directly with Ms. Overstreet to be fired. Let that sink in for a second. Police officers, on their own time and in their own homes are voicing their opinions in regards to what they felt to be an openly racist column. Since their opinions are considered politically incorrect we now have a torch and pitchfork mob crying for the monsters to be destroyed. It now appears that you are not allowed to have an opinion once you go into public service unless you're of a minority.

Think about this people. Think long and hard. With all outcry about Bush's cracking down on freedom of speech, which is mostly BS, we have a verified, hardcore example of people being punished for voicing their opinions. It would be one thing if they were using their position as a platform for racist comments(Mayor Nagin anyone?) but not only did these officers use their own time and computers for this they didn't make a single racist comment in any of their correspondence. Yet because the object of their ire was a black woman who'd written a race driven article they are being hung out to dry. These are men who hold their lives secondary to the ideal that someone has to stand against the evil men of the world. These are men who live and work the motto "To Protect and Serve" yet they're being dragged through the mud for having the audacity to have their own opinions.

This is just the next logical destination on the path of stupidity the local officals have driven us. There have been complaints over the past few years about 'racial insensitivity' within the TPD. Read that again. Not profiling. Not racism. Not abuse. Not criminal acts. Racial insensitivity. You can protect and serve officers, but make sure you don't hurt anyone's feelings. You can arrest someone for breaking the law, but be certain that you're sensitive when you do so.

The worst part of all of this is how unevenly this standard is applied. If you're a minority then you can say and do anything you want. I give you the Kanya West, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. All three of these people make inflammatory and 'insensitive' comments so often that I think they're not human. They're full sized talking dolls and somone is just pullin the string to get them to spit out the new "evil white people" comment of the day. Does anybody bat an eye when these people go off? No. Why? Cuz they're minorities.

Funny, but to me it seems kinda racist to apply a standard based on skin color. But I'm one of those stupid crackers. What could I know about racism?