“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” MLK said a lot of things that suited his purpose, but these words will ring loud and clear on November 4, 2008. Because on that day, Dr. King, just a smidgen under 100 percent of all “black” citizens will vote for a “black” candidate, proving that this candidate will be judged primarily by the color of his skin, regardless of his character or lack of it. You doubtless view this assertion as a racist observation. How true. Racism and prejudice have never been more robust. On election day, tens of millions of “white” people will vote for a “black” candidate. Conversely, only a handful of “blacks” will vote for the “white” dude. You do the racist math. Regardless of the outcome, we should do something about race terminology. Black people aren’t really black. They’re some shade of brown. White people aren’t really white (except perhaps for Icelanders), but fall into shades of pink or tan. For years, there were accepted terms for race designation: Asian, Negro, Caucasian, Indian, etc, etc. But black people didn’t like the term Negro (derived from the Latin niger, i.e. black) even though historically it was a term of deep respect. Caucasian is out of use as well; so you see, Dr. King, the color of skin is now the approved designation. Carrying this inquest further, you would have to say black genes are superior to white genes. In America, if a black father and a white mother have a child, the child is black. If a white father and a black mother have a child, the child is black. Under any circumstance, no matter how far removed from the land of origin of one parent, the child is African–American. You must admit we increasingly have become a land of hyphenated people. Being an American now is not what it once was for the hordes of immigrants who passed Ellis Island and other immigration centers. They also had dreams, Dr. King: to be American citizens and speak English. Nobody called them Blank–Americans and they enthusiastically adopted their new language. But times change. Multiculturalism is the new order of things. As ancestral cultures flourish in the form of zealous organizations and political movements, a united America diminishes. English is not the default language. Western culture is not the default culture. And race takes center stage. If you’re interested, you get a glimpse of the future of multiculturalism at penitentiaries where gangs organize along racial lines and all members judge their neighbors by the color of their skin; and to be fair, by their origins. Congress may want to consider a name change to go along with the trend. One naturally comes to mind — The Hyphenated States of North America. And when somebody asks you who you are, recite your color. It will be up to them to decide if you have character.