A former sitcom star goes into a racist, "N-word"-filled tirade at a comedy club in L.A. An L.A. author is promoting a book critical of the "N-word" and African Americans who use it. In book publishing, it's called perfect timing. H. Lewis Smith's Bury That Sucka seeks to "spark" heated conversation to "bring about real change."

So what does Smith think about Michael Richards? He writes via e-mail to FishbowlNY:

"Was Michael Richards out of line? Of course! Am I disturbed about it? No!

I am more disturbed about the conduct of those African Americans who themselves use the word and also those African Americans who condone such usage. How can you possibly disrespect yourself by putting out CDs with the use of this word being blasted close to 200 times on a single CD, being blasted day and night on BET, school kids shouting out and greeting each other in public with this word ... and expect to be treated with some respect? What Michael Richards did was totally disrespectful ... but at what point does the African American [community] hold themselves responsible and accountable when this sort of thing happens in this 21st Century, when in these contemporary times it is the African American who is keeping this word alive. This is why Bury that Sucka was written to address this very issue, and not to just address certain issues, but offer solutions as to how certain matters can be resolved."

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