I have an adopted son who is Amerasian and at 5 he is already being singled out for his Asian appearance. I have talked to him about how proud he should be of his heritage but I also try to desensitize him to the silly stuff by occasionally referring to him as my little chinaman and a little good natured teasing. He actually seems to enjoy the banter and he will now even brag about his Asian roots. In other words, don't sweat the small stuff kid.

On the other hand, at Orange Beach, AL during recent Spring break a kid was nearly beaten to death for wearing a T-shirt with a Confederate battle flag. Locals want to know if this was a hate crime.

I have always supported removal of such symbols from public places since it is not important enough to offend even a hyper-sensitive minority but on a personal level there are those of us that hold the battle flag in high esteem for our many forebears that died under that banner. Forget about the CSA flag being associated with certain rock groups, nearly killing someone over a flag is over the top.