Sterling/Silver

Rather than jump right in the middle of this heated controversy, I thought it best if I waited until some of the dust settled before speaking my mind.  When news of Donald Sterling's racist comments first broke, I was shocked.  I'm not so naive as to think that racism doesn't exist, but to hear such contempt coming from someone in power, just blew my mind.  Those emotions settled quickly though, as I started to wonder if it was really Mr. Sterling whose voice was on the tape.  Right from the start, everyone from Magic Johnson to Barack Obama were playing judge and jury, violating Mr. Sterling's rights, making him GUILTY until proven INNOCENT.  That question only led to more questions, such as why his private phone conversations were being recorded, and how I would feel if I knew my private phone conversations were made available for the world to hear.  Not that I have anything to hide, but some things to me are sacred, especially what I discuss with my wife.  What we do or say within the walls of our home is our business, no one else's.  Then I got to thinking about the Declaration of Independence, and again was outraged that such prejudice and hatred is allowed to continue in this country.  I'm pretty sure Thomas Jefferson wrote "ALL Men Are Created Equal", not "All White Men", or "All Hispanic Men", or "All Men Whose Religion Is The Same As Mine"... Unfortunately, my next step for a resolution in my mind was to visit the United States Constitution, where we read about the right to free speech.  Is this what Mr. Sterling thought he would stand behind?  That the constitution says he can be a bigot and express those views without fear of punishment?  Thankfully, NBA commissioner Adam Silver did his research and determined that Mr. Sterling did indeed make those comments.  Based on the National Basketball Association's constitution, Mr. Silver's reaction was swift, necessary, and appropriate.

A lifetime ban, forced to sell his team, and a hefty fine.  Several players have "tweeted" that there is no place for racism in the NBA.  So true, so very, very true.  But this is much bigger than the NBA.  There simply is no place for racism in America, or even in the world as we know it!