I didn’t come up with that. Peter King did in his Monday Morning Quarterback column. But I can’t express how glad I am that someone else - someone who is respected in the sports media - has finally noticed and actually said something.

King writes:

I think for any of you — us — feeling the least bit of pity for Rush Limbaugh after his silly remarks about black quarterbacks and the media, we can all now rest easy. The guy’s a race-aholic. He injects race where it has no business being injected.

What King is referencing is this quote from Limbaugh’s radio show a week ago:

“And before we go to the break here, folks, I’ve got to get something off my chest. You know, the game was the game. And the game was what it was. But I - I can’t handle any more press criticism of Rex Grossman. They’re writing his name W-R-E-C-K-S. They’re just … worst quarterback ever to play in the Super Bowl. And it’s been like this since the Green Bay game — actually since the Arizona game, a little crescendo of it in the Green Bay game, the last game of the season for the Bears. And it’s just unrelenting! It’s just — they’re focusing on this guy like they don’t focus on anybody!

“And I tell you, I know what it is. The media, the sports media, has got social concerns that they are first and foremost interested in, and they’re dumping on this guy — Rex Grossman — for one reason, folks, and that’s because he is a white quarterback.'’

King then writes:

Rush, we’re dumping on him because, in a five-point game in the fourth quarter, with the Bears in possession of the ball and still with a very good chance to win, he threw two ridiculous passes in the biggest game of his life. Two interceptions. Buried his own team. Had it been McNabb or Brees or Leftwich or Kitna or Daisuke Matsuzaka, we’d have buried them too.

I’m really tired of the race-aholics in the media. Rush Limbaugh, Scoop Jackson, it doesn’t matter. I’m sick of it.

It’s the year 2007. And for those of us who actually belong in this century, we don’t care about race. We don’t see color when we look at a person. We don’t prejudge based on ethnicity.

What we see is the person.

In sports, the things we notice are production, winning, attitude, responsibility, ego, behavior. When we, as fans, see a guy like LaDanian Tomlinson we don’t see a black runningback; we see a great running back, maybe one of the all-time greats in the making, who is humble about his abilities and relentless on the field. We see a winner. When we see a guy like Peyton Manning we don’t see a white quarterback; we see one of the greatest passers and field generals of all time, who will likely own every meaningful passing record by the time he’s done, and who plays the game with the same humble attitude and relentless pursuit of perfection that Tomlinson plays with. We don’t see color here. We see players and recognize them for who they are and how they play the game.

What’s interesting about Rush’s comments is that not only is he wrong, but he’s clearly out of touch with reality. I know he’s a conservative radio talk show personality, but my opinion of that profession has always been: they may engage in rhetoric on a daily basis, but at least it’s grounded in some reality. But here, Rush isn’t even living on the same planet as the rest of us.

Take, for instance, my brother-in-law. He rooted hard for the Colts in the Superbowl, partially because he wanted to see Manning win, but more I think because he didn’t want to see (his words) “that punk Grossman win it. He doesn’t deserve it.”

You see, my brother-in-law saw Grossman for what he was: not a white quarterback, but a punk kid. A guy who felt it was more important to get to a New Year’s Eve bash that study the gameplan for the season finale against Green Bay. A guy who couldn’t take care of the ball during the regular season, but who was bailed about by the defense. A guy who didn’t display the character or drive or attitude to win like Manning did.

It had nothing to do with race. It had everything to do with character. And it’s just amazing to me that Limbaugh is so completely out of touch with that reality.

But mostly it’s just disappointing.

I hope I live long enough to see the day when someone can make comments like Limbaugh and the general publish ostracizes them. It shouldn’t be acceptable to say those sorts of things. It only proves that we haven’t evolved into a more civilized society… Yet.

A little something for everyone to chew on while we head into the weekend.

There’s a great post on Scott Adams’s blog (he’s the guy who writes Dilbert) from a poster who describes himself as Arab Muslim. It is an interesting read because you get to see things from a different perspective - you get to see how the rest of the world perceives us, the West.

If you’re like me, you feel like President Bush has made poor decisions when it comes to foreign policy, particularly his handling of the War in Iraq. His actions have alienated the world, particularly the Muslim world, and we are not viewed in a positive light. Indeed, as the person in that blog post points out, they perceive the West with skepticism. We are taking the wrong tack.

But I love what this person has to say toward the end:

The only thing the west could do that won’t make things more messed up is pulling out their arms and sending in something different. Education, culture, information exchange. That’s the only safe way to change people, give them means and choice to change themselves. Bad ideas sort themselves out when exposed to good ideas.

The emphasis is mine. I like it because it represents my own thinking, not just in regards to foreign policy, but in any aspect of life. We see this effect every day. Bad ideas, when exposed to and compared with good ideas, are almost always universally disposed of. The only way bad ideas persist is when there are no good ideas to compare them against.

I maintain that the internet - information in general - is still the best weapon we have against terrorism and hate. We need to spread education like a plague. We need to expose people to all the different ways of thinking; all the world has to offer. Inform people. Give them all the facts. Let them make their own decisions. When people are given the choice between love and hate, they’ll generally choose love. We have to give them a reason to quit hating us, instead of feeding the fire like we are now.

Thomas Jefferson is quoted as saying, “A little revolution, now and then, is a healthy thing.” We cannot change the middle east by invading it, occupying it, and dropping bombs all over it. Would we all convert to Muslim worship tomorrow if that happened to us? No, we would only become more defiant. And that is exactly what is happening. Humans are most resistant to change. Attempt to change us from the outside - attempt to force change upon us - and we fight it with our very lives. The middle east is only doing what we ourselves would do if we were put in the same position.

But change can come from within, when we’re ready for it. When we know we need to change, then we can embrace it.

We need to inform and educate. Share knowledge, show empathy and love, and inspire hope. And then let the middle east lead its own revolution against hate and tyrrany. Let it change from within.

Something to think about.

In case you missed it, a few weeks ago Butch Otter backed the selling of Idaho land to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief. Certainnly everyone feels empathy for those who suffered the wrath of Katrina, and we all want to do our part to help out. But most Idaho residents (myself included) found the whole notion of selling our land to be absurd and wrongheaded. It’s not like selling cookies or lemonaid. Once that land is gone, we’re not going to get it back. Maybe if Idaho was a wasteland of desert and nuclear dumpsites, but it’s not. It’s a beautiful state; the Rocky Mountains rip right through it, and it’s chocked full of sprawling farmlands, wild forests and majestic lakes. Our land is what makes Idaho great. Without it, we’re just “that state that makes potatos.”

Well, it seems the voices of Idahoans were finally heard, and Otter changed his mind.

But that’s not the remarkable thing. What’s really remarkable is that Otter is a Republican.

If you’re a Democrat, you’re used to seeing people change their minds, and you’re probably used to changing your mind as well. That’s what thinking people do when new information enters their brain. They’re constantly analyzing the situation, and making changes to earlier beliefs and decisions if the new information merits such change.

The sad part is, whenever a Democrat/Liberal changes their mind, the Republicans immediately begin attacking them, calling them ‘Flip Floppers’. If you don’t recall that attack on John Kerry during the last presidential election, you either (a) weren’t born yet or (b) lived in a cave (no offense to any Cave Men, you have your hands full with Geiko).

Republicans can’t change their mind. That’s the rule. It goes against the bylaws. It’s against The Code. Just ask George W. Bush.

So it’s astonishing when a Republican leader finally does admit to changing his mind. Even Jerry Brady, Otter’s Democratic opposition, couldn’t believe it. This taken from an AP article:

In this case, he said, his critics — chiefly Jerry Brady, his Democratic opponent for governor and a former eastern Idaho newspaper publisher — are “correct that this bill is not the right approach.”

Informed of Otter’s reversal on the land-sale bill, Brady replied: “I’ll be damned.”

“I’ll be damned.”

That about says it all.

For the record, I’m glad to see Otter change his mind. And you’ll get no “Flip-Flopper” attacks from me. Intelligence ruled the day here. I just wonder if the Republican leadership is going to strip Otter of his club membership now that he’s shown the capacity to use his brain and reasoning skills. Or maybe they’ll just give him a lobotomy and call it good.