"Its not about hatred"

People keep telling me, "Atlanta's not like the rest of the South." I take from that comment, that though I am moving from one of the most diverse cities in the world, I'm not really moving to a segregated racist place that still believes in the Confederate States of America...

Living in NYC, where a daily ride on the subway exposes you to people of all colors, relious backgrounds, and you hear 10 different languages other than English...I don't think most people even think twice about the race or ethnicity of the people around them. Stephen Colbert always jokes, "I don't see color." Now, he's being ridiculous, of course...but, I guess my point is - after living in NYC for 10 years, I see it, but I don't really care about it...

I suppose I should be glad that "Atlanta's not like the rest of the South" because apparently, in "the rest of the South" (August, Georgia) the color lines and stereotypes are alive and kicking...at least in Don "Moose" Lewis's version of the South:

The Augusta Chronicle reported on Tuesday that the All-American Basketball Alliance plans to kick off its inaugural season in June and hopes that Augusta will be one of 12 cities to host teams.

But here's the kicker: According to a press release the newspaper and other Augusta media outlets received from the new league, "only players that are natural-born United State citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league."

But don't worry -- its not about "hatred" -- its just about the fact that he thinks white basketball players have better manners than others:

"There's nothing hatred about what we're doing," Lewis told the paper. "I don't hate anyone of color."

Lewis pointed out recent incidents in the NBA, including Gilbert Arenas' suspension for bringing a gun into the Washington Wizards locker room, and said, "Would you want to go to the game and worry about a player flipping you off or attacking you in the stands or grabbing their crotch?"

Though, it sounds as though his ambitions for the league will be shortlived. Its 2010, and the guy doesn't even have a website yet:

The AABA apparently has no Web site, and efforts early Thursday to reach Lewis through the telephone number listed on the league's press release were unsuccessful.