If I may shoot from the hip, the Jena LA racial tensions may be misplaced.
The CBS Radio news had a young woman of color defending the six stalwarts of hue who beat up one white stoont. She said that there was a double standard in the way justice is applied between the races. Clearly a product of the public schools, as it should be clear that six-to-one beats a mere double standard any day.

I am aware that there was Provocation. There always is, especially where the unalike are forced to be in close proximity.

"Oooooooh, he's a RAY-cisst." Nope. some of my best friends...blah blah. The Freedom to Assemble is a dearly won right which has been trampled in the effort to Be Nice To Everyone. As a youth, I was struck by inequities that I saw. My (then in his eighties) grandfather was a doctor, the last of the breed of GPs who would make house calls, and accept produce as payment. Turnips and okra and country hams have been seriously devalued in their rate of exchange of late. Ben Bernanke should see to this. His office had two-count 'em- two waiting rooms. One was somewhat cushier than the other. This was odd to me, but I was too young to become a Freedom Rider.

We have a broad assortment vari-colored folk in our orbit. A good friend and business associate is the spokesman for the local NAACP chapter, and he is not in the habit of hanging out with bigots. The Klan visited our town last weekend, and I suggested that we both go in sheets, throw off our hoods, and have him shout "Where the white wimmen at?" He loves "Blazing Saddles", but we agreed it was probably a bad move.

My youngest son is a budding photojournalist, and went to the rally to take pictures of the sheetsters. I'll post some with suitable commentary.

My point is, like people tend to flock together. The classic microcosmic sociological study occurred at the filming of "Planet of the Apes". The makeup was so involved that the actors had to eat in costume. Sure enough, the chimps ate with the chimps, the orangutans ate with orangutans, gorillas with gorillas. Charlton Heston ate with God, I guess.

If I want to hang out with Asians, or Africans, or Guatemalans, or even Presbyterians, then I'll happily do so. Just don't MAKE me do it.

It's like teaching a pig to sing.
You just get all muddy,

...and it annoys the pig.