Dear Larry: My four sons have many friends who are from all races. I've raised them to treat everyone as a person, not as black, Asian or Indian. Our city has a reputation of racial bias, and the CNN report from Vidor, Texas filmed in Beaumont, didn't really help our city's situation. They used the term "White Flight" when describing our area.

I would like to ask you a question that bothers me.

My sons, who are white, blonde and blue-eyed, are called the N-word by black kids. The N-word used by the blacks copying the "gansta" rappers, ends with an "A," not "ER." My children don't know what to say or do in response to being called that word.

If they answer with, "You don't like being called a n——a, I am not a n—-a, so don't call me that," they get called racist for repeating the same word that was hurled at them. Then the black kids start name-calling with the names "Cracker," "Whitey" and several other unmentionable things.

I've tried telling my children not to say anything, but junior high is the age when kids feel they must always have a good comeback.

Why is it OK for blacks to call whites names, even the N-word, but if whites do it, they're racist?

I know this problem didn't start with the current generation. I myself went to school with black kids, and had the same problems because I was blue-eyed and blonde. Blacks hated me because of my coloring. I never said or did anything to them. I am afraid this problem will not go away anytime soon. Even now, blacks sometimes treat me rudely when I know I'm being polite and courteous.

It would be great if everyone treated one another as equals. I think blacks do not realize it is just as painful to whites to have someone hate us because of the way we look.

I believe no one is trying to keep blacks down, and most other races that have come to this country have found a way to enjoy the best of America without asking for help.

Maybe if Barack Obama is elected president, blacks will feel that the playing field has finally been leveled. I hope so. I pray for the day when race will not be the first thing people see when they look at one another. — Rose

Dear Rose: Whether or not Barack Obama is elected is not going to change the thinking of black America.

I believe blacks will hold onto their racist thinking and behavior as long as it works for them. Blacks have discovered being a victim puts them in a powerful position.

By claiming to be a victim of racism they have a built-in excuse for any failures they may experience in life. For example, "I didn't get the job because they were racist; I failed in school because the teacher does not like blacks; I was arrested because the police hate blacks; and my home, neighborhood, and community are crime-ridden and drug-infested because 'the man' is making money by keeping it that way." The list is endless.

Blacks have also discovered the power in putting people in a no-win situation by the mere charge of racism. As you know, it is very difficult to prove a negative. Blacks love being able to accuse without having proof. Too many blacks get away with just being able to make the charge.

This situation will never change until whites and the media fight back and demand fairness. Black leaders, including Barack Obama, will never speak out on this issue. The media is too afraid because they do not want to be labeled either.

In the meantime the world will continue to wait until another Martin Luther King comes along and says, "enough is enough."

To find out more about Larry Meeks, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.