It's true, if I (instead of Jason Whitlock) had cited black on black crime as evidence of the new ####, I'd be labeled a racist and probably locked out of the site (again).

It's true, if I had reached down deep and called out blacks for being the primary perpretrators of crimes against blacks, I'd be labeled a racist and probably locked out of the site (again).

It's true (even though Whitlock is black) that the instant he chose to stand on an issue and call out blacks for being the most likely to kill other blacks, he invited a firestorm of controversy.

Yes, double standards are alive and well in America. And there not just for white folks either.

Here's what I have to say about what Whitlock had to say:

Thank God.

I didn't like his choice of metaphors, but I understand the use of a literary device as well as anyone. Whitlock pushed your buttons skillfully.

I despise the subject matter, and the ugly reality of Sean Taylor's short life. I knew about Taylor's not so perfect past and regardless of his poor choices, had to root for him. The guy was a phenom. He didn't always behave the way I wish he would have behaved, but Taylor could have played in any era, under any rule set, and been a superstar. He was that good. He played the game the way it's supposed to be played. Somehow, I felt that understanding and respect for the game would keep him safe.

I prayed for his life. I cried at his passing. I thought about the unfairness of how I cried for him and not all the other 24 year-old black men that perish in senseless violence. I'm ashamed of that.

I lost my best friend when he was 22, after he was killed in a head-on collision. I carried him to his grave.

These deaths are a death of hope.

And Jason Whitlock dared to speak about the senselessness, the ugliness, the sickness, and the tragedy. He dared to blame the guilty and call the truth by its right name.

Thank God.

He chose to stand for something, to care enough to tell people what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear.

He chose to be a writer, instead of a journalist.

Here's the news, kids. You don't have to agree with him (I rarely do), you don't have to like his style or the content about which he chooses to opine.

But you should give him your respect. He displayed the character and courage that so many "journalists' have chosen to forgo in favor of a regular paycheck.

He stood on a wall. He called for positive change and he knows that you have be fearless in order to shepherd that change. He put the truth ahead of his popularity.

In essence, Whitlock went on record as being against people killing people, black on black crime is part of that problem. I have no issue with his position.

I choose to praise him. I give him my highest praise. I call him a writer.

You may choose not to praise him. But I think you should respect him. The list of folks who tell us what we need to hear is getting shorter every day.