Because no cultural story is complete until the Rev. Al Sharpton makes his views known, I give you the following statement regarding Paris Hilton's jail-break from the man himself:

"Though I have nothing but empathy for Ms. Hilton whom I have met and appeared with on Saturday Night Live the night I hosted in 2003, this early release gives all of the appearances of economic and racial favoritism that is constantly cited by poor people and people of color. There are any number of cases of people who handle being incarcerated badly and even have health conditions that are not released. I have served several sentences for civil rights and civil disobedience actions and I even fasted which caused health concerns to prison authorities who paid for a doctor to come see me daily rather than release me. This act smacks of the double standards that many of us raise."

You know, say what you will about Sharpton, but when he's right, he's really right. Note to all the candidates for president: here's your chance to pile on. Well, unless the Hilton family happens to donate to your campaign. We know, for instance, that Paris' grandfather gave $22,300 to Arnold Schwarzenegger. A fan of George Bush, it is unclear who Ms. Hilton supports in the current field. Probably not Barack Obama, who, for some inexplicable reason, thinks the country spends too much time worrying about the celebrity maven. I have no idea what he's talking about.

Irony is a way of life for Al Sharpton. The embers on the Don Imus controversy haven't yet cooled, and the Rev. let fly with what many see as a comment equally disparaging to that made by the unemployed shock-jock. On Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Mr. Sharpton had this to say:

"As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation."

This remark came in a debate at the New York public library with none other than Christopher Hitchens, who is currently making the rounds to promote his new book, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. Given Sharpton's remark, I'd have to give that debate point to Hitchens.

I might humbly suggest that our culture of jabber is really what's wrong with the likes of Imus, Sharpton, Limbaugh and the rest. When one engages in a constant stream of words pouring from the mouth, it is inevitable that regrettable statements will flow forth. As for Romney, of course he believes in God, and Sharpton later took pains to correct himself, albeit in revisionist fashion:

"What I said was that we would defeat him, meaning as a Republican. A Mormon, by definition, believes in God. They don't believe in God the way I do, but by definition, they believe in God."

Oy vey. I need a drink. Care to join me, Mr. Hitchens?

In a recent article by Richard Tenorio, the question was asked "Will Imus Hurt Obama." The answer is yes.

Imus messed up bad and most importantly he insulted young women who deserved much better. However, to ask that he be fired because he is a racist is ludicrous. This man has insulted and demeaned people throughout his career without discrimination. He has attacked leaders of both parties. He has thrown his support to Republican and Democratic candidates and yes, to black or white candidates.

Today, Imus is ranting about his past support for Harold Ford, the Democratic nominee for senator in Tennessee. Harold is African American and he has not come out to support Imus. The time to support your friends is when they are in trouble. It is always easy to support a person when they have done nothing wrong.

Now let's move to Al Sharpton. As a presidential candidate, he was a failure. He found little support. His candidacy allowed him to perform as a celebrity. He wants blood. Whether it hurts the candidacy of Barack Obama is irrelevant. In fact, I would suggest, a President Obama would weaken Al Sharpton. Who would listen to him rant about the racist white people just after they have elected a black president. In my research, I found an blog written in January 2007 indicating that Sharpton doesn't care for Obama. In a more recent article, it was stated that Sharpton questions Obama's blackness.

Don Imus has not had a good week. In typical Imus fashion, he rambled on about the Rutgers University womens' basketball team and referred to them "nappy-headed hos," among other things. This, of course, was wrong and Imus subsequently apologized for the statement and even went so far as to demean himself by groveling at the feet of the master race baiter Al Sharpton.

No matter that many popular rap songs say far worse and demean women to a far more vile extent. Imus is white, those he was talking of were black and he is suspended for two weeks as of next Monday. His words were wrong, yet he has apologized and seemed contrite. The comment doesn't make Imus a racist, it makes him an idiot.

I don't want to debate whether his suspension was warranted. I for one think it's not since the owners of NBC -- Imus' employer -- are also the owner of a major record label that makes millions off the misogynistic, violent genre of music that is rap. No, what I want to discuss is the double standard that has developed when issues of race arise.

We will never, ever ford the chasm that is race relations until both sides play the game fairly. Every time there's an issue of white prejudice against blacks, the Rev. Sharpton and his cohort the Rev. Jesse Jackson are the first to get their mugs on the TV. Others such as Roy Innis or Ward Connerly are ignored even though they have far better insight and don't have an economic angle to play. But where are Sharpton and Jackson when it's a case of black prejudice against whites? Why are they given a pass every time?

Imus is in trouble and Al Sharpton is not going to let him off easy. Just another opportunity for Sharpton to get himself into the headlines. Here's a guy that should not be casting stones. Imus is in trouble. He screwed up big time. His description of the Rutgers team was demeaning to a group of college women who are in control of their lives. They are good people who were described with a racial slur. Imus has freely disparaged people and has built a career on it.

This morning on the Today Show, Sharpton called for the presidential candidates to boycott the show. Senators McCain, Dodd and Kerry have been regular guests on the show. Many Congressman have been on the show. They come and idolize Imus. They donate to the non profit ranch that he lives on like a king. Will they obey Sharpton? To be specific, Sharpton said, "presidential candidates and other politicians should refrain from going on Imus' show in the future."

Today the Rutgers women's basketball team agreed to meet with Don Imus. In the end, I think we will learn that the only people involved in this entire controversy that have any class are these young women from Rutgers.

UPDATE: McCain will continue to appear on Imus show.

The news has come as something of a shock. Like a Twilight Zone surprise-ending, geneologists have uncovered evidence that former presidential candidate Al Sharpton's great-great grandfather was a slave owned by former senator Strom Thurmond's great-great grandfather. But , in a way, after all the twists and turns that Thurmond provided us with over the years, this one reads like the final chapter in Tom Wolfe novel. You knew something big and symbolic was coming, you just had to wait to find out what.

Fittingly, this story was reported on the same day that the Virginia General Assembly met on the grounds of the former Confederate Capitol and voted to apologize for the commonwealth's considerable role in the institution of slavery.

Yes, Black History Month was full of political stories regarding the state of race relations. Witness Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, declaring Barack Obama's candidacy is a "good sign" of progress. Or Hillary Clinton taking issue with the Confederate flag atop the South Carolina State House.

No doubt about it, there's still a whole lot more to talk about when it comes to the subject of race.