First of all, my apologies that this is a bit lengthly but I've tired of letting others 'create' and perpetuate this ever damaging discourse. And by the way, I am a retired Captain and can fully appreciate the abuse of power, especially during that shameful period of our country's history.

The article: Although it definitely fills time and space, I would encourage each of us to be responsible readers and not victims of yet another dishonest and immoral attempt to 'stir the pot' if you will by exploiting the atrocities of the past. Especially this thinly veiled and weak attempt to create cognitive dissonance during a highly and ridiculously racially charged election season.

At the risk of contributing to this exploitation, this heinous diatribe on 'race relations,' I will speak to the larger issue at hand. Race and racial inferiority can only be described as a sinister social construction biased toward one group of people.

Discussing matters in terms of race is playing into the hands of those who wish to perpetuate instability between blacks and whites. That is not to say that the "living" history and devastating impact of the transatlantic slave trade and inhumane chattle slavery that followed in this country should go unnoticed or unaccounted for.

In fact, it could be argued that not only did the commanding officer's family suffer from a criminal act that took the life of their son; it could be argued that similarly roughly 20 million families whose sons and daughters were dumped overboard on the open seas to evade penalty by British 'antislavery' war ships, as they were (in part, their attempt to control who benefits from free labor and who does not) combined with the brutal deaths of those lost during 400 years of devilish dehumanization, treatment, and terror throughout slavery, the post antibellum period/reconstruction, the civil rights movement, and more recently Dr. Madonna Constantine, the decapitation of a black man in texas (chained and dragged behind a pick-up truck), the Jena 6 disgrace and countless others.

So let it be known, as if it were not, that there has been a tremendous amount to injustice and biligerent support for this division between blacks and whites. And oh yes, let's not forget to include those who were immorally silent, even though they were opposed to the attempted deconstruction and eradication of a group of people with a rich culture and an advanced history (look it up). So it's reasonable then that some form of justice is required. I am encouraged that there has been just efforts and accomplishments; and that there has been much progress. It appears, however, that we have come to an impasse.

It is my opinion that a coup d'état is not the solution, nor to my knowledge is anyone calling for one. I also do not believe that one can expect the perpetrators of hate and terror against African Americans, as well as racial inferiority, demonization, or even those elevating acts of crime to martydome from either camp to one day wake up and make atonement for their crimes.

What we can expect and can do if we choose is 'take control' and change the discourse. You see, it was never about race, it has always been about exploiting differences for personal gain and nationalized/jingoist hegemony. If we continue to engage in this discursive divisive dialogue then we will forever be enslaved by the past and modern-day terrorist. We will continue to be distracted by looking back and not forward, while all to gain in this life is lost. And Please Do Not fear, there will always be a ready reference of the injustices against African Americans. Let us embrace that known fact fully. Then let us move forward.

The 'us' includes whites who must acknowledge their privilege (not right) to access, to the luxury of armchair quarterbacking, and confront their real fears by embracing others in genuine and respectful ways (a relearning process) and blacks who will never forget, of course, but begin to forgive the sins of the past (and respond only to modern day threats if necessary) and mostly importantly recognize, celebrate, and unite around our similarities and enrich one another with our differences. I'm certainly not suggesting something alien, hell to some degree we been doing this all along. We just failed to vocalize it loud enough to drown out those who 'benefit' from our divisions.

Think caste, think systems of oppression, think pawn. This is our time to step up and make it right for our children and their children, and so on. How, you might ask?

Again, what we can do is see the similarities of our human condition on which we can build a firm foundation of unity, enterprise, celebration of talents and gifts used to move us collectively forward. The scars of the past can not and will not likely be healed completely, instead perhaps we can use them as benchmarks or markers of how far we have come and the promise of what glorious transformations are yet to come. Thanks for reading my rant, as it were.