MORE ON PHONY 'ROOTS': The consistently excellent Stanley Crouch weighs in on the return of "Roots" in this column. Choice Crouchian riff: "Since 'Roots' has brought millions of black tourist dollars to Gambia, one Gambian said to me, 'Yes, it is a lie but it is a good lie.' The book remains an opportunistic insult to black people, and no amount of excuses will change that harsh fact."

People tend to overlook Crouch. He was hot a few years ago, but then he delved into fiction with "Don't The Moon Look Lonesome" and got savaged by the critics. But he has always brought refreshing honesty to our Great Racial Debate, and for that he's been labeled a black conservative (as if it were an insult). The truth is, his views are far more complex. Here's a profile of Crouch from Salon.