No matter what they might tell you, no one is either absolutely conservative or absolutely liberal -- a lot simply depends on the issue as well as your circumstances at the time.
For example, while my political stance tends to lean toward the liberal, my view on the Second Amendment remains unflinchingly conservative.
But when it comes to the issue of race, I sometimes find myself straddling the line.
Take this quote from LeBron James about the media backlash following his ill-conceived and poorly executed ESPN special, "The Decision." When asked whether he felt race played a part in the backlash, James told CNN's Soledad O'Brien, "I think so, at times. There's always a race factor."
My liberal side can find some truth in that statement.
As Americans, we spent 400 years digging a hole too deep to overcome in the mere 47 years since Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech forced us to admit that we have a problem.
Racism exists in sports and it cuts both ways.
We're surprised by the lightning-fast white running back or dominant center in basketball and equally perplexed by the African-American pure pocket passer or hockey player.
Athletes are just that -- athletes. Not African-American, white, Hispanic or Asian athletes, but simply just athletes.
On the other hand, my conservative side is crying foul.
"The Decision," after all, was a self-indulgent farce attempting to hide behind the fact that it resulted in a donation to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. But the narcissism involved cheapened the spirit behind the donation itself, making it the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.
And trust me, if the New England Patriots' Tom Brady, the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez or the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming were to behave the way James did surrounding their free agency, the media glare would be every bit as hot for them as it was for him.
After all, being a self-indulgent moron has less to do with being African-American, white, Hispanic or Asian and more to do with simply being a self-indulgent moron underneath it all.
Though I loathe the expression, this is one situation were "playing the race card" was both unnecessary and inaccurate. We as Americans should unite together to stamp out racism wherever it exists -- the key terminology being "wherever it exists."
And whether you're conservative or liberal, in this case, it's just not there.
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