If you sing the same verse, it ain't "diverse"

Black woman journalist Shanna Flowers (did I mention she's a black woman?) penned her first column for the Roanoke Times' today -- "Diversity may instill a dose of reality." Unfortunately, it's not online yet, though we'll keep an eye out and link to it if it's ever available. (That new online production manager better get the lead out.)

Regardless, you remember Shanna, don't you? She wrote that column calling George Bush a liar during the last presidential election. She's a black woman journalist who has been moved from the Roanoke Times' editorial board to sharing a column with Joe Kennedy. She thinks pretty much like everybody else at the Roanoke Times, but she's going to bring diversity to Joe's column because she's real different, "diverse" you might say, from Joe.

He's white, I'm black. He's a man, I'm a woman. He lives in Roanoke County; I live in the city.

See? Diversity. And Joe has a beard, and she doesn't. She wears earrings, and Joe doesn't. See?

So let me make this clear for you. You walk into a panel discussion of affirmative action. Sitting on the panel are Clarence Thomas (conservative male black judge), Linda Chavez (conservative Hispanic female commentator), William Kristol (conservative Jewish male commentator), Sean Hannity (conservative white male Catholic), Michele Malkin (conservative Philipino female commentator), and Senator Robert Byrd (white hillbilly KKK leader).

See? Diversity.

Still, Ms. Flowers has a lot to teach you.

The intent is that you at least will consider another perspective, to understand that people think differently than you do -- and their opinion deserves to be aired.

Did you ever realize some people think differently than you do? Oh, did I mention Ms. Flowers is a liberal black woman columnist?