Time to Lance the Boil

Now that Barack Obama is poised to become the next president of the U.S., it's time to lance the boil of racism that has infected America from its inception.

We need a national, open, and thorough discussion of racism in every venue. On network and cable television--including PBS, HBO and Showtime--the Internet, in film, comedy clubs, and live theater.

I recommend an examination of racism that includes the treatment of American Indians, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans. The history of ethnic group exclusion should also be mentioned, e.g., the treatment of Jews, and the period of discrimination against the Irish and southern Europeans.

However, the main focus needs to be on the treatment of the most persistently despised group in the U.S., the descendants of the Africans who were enslaved. The examination should also include how our insistence that the U.S. live up to its expressed ideals has made this a better country.

The time is now!