The ringmaster on CNN tonight was trying to make this into an important debate about political correctness and race. That's all we need in this country: Another important debate about political correctness and race. (Those have been so fruitful in the past!)

But the Houston public school police "handbook" story has nothing to do with political correctness and everything to do with communication—intent, and execution. And it is not particularly important.

The concept behind this little document might have been reasonable—cops need to understand all dialects spoken by people they protect and serve—but the execution simply revealed it wasn't.

The title—"Ghetto Handbook!!!!!"—betrays a gleefulness that you don't find, for instance, in the title of the Oxford English Dictionary!!!!!

A subtitle—"Whacha dun did now?"—is, shall we say, somewhat leading.

Some of the definitions are obvious. Even my 84-year-old dad knows what "crib" means.

Other definitions are suspect: "gank (g-ahnk) a. to steal from someone" An adjective? I don't think so ....

And the whole thing has the look, feel and sound of a white-supremicist flyer, which is especially galling because it's not written for undercover drug cops, but rather for cops on the schools beat.

The problem is, this handbook was compiled and distributed by a moron—he has since (somewhat belatedly) been suspended—who had neither the ability nor the desire to hide his despicable attitudes.

What have we learned: Some cops are racist morons, and other cops are slow to call them on their attitudes.

This is an open and shut case, I'd say, addng a sincere prayer that this "debate" won't last until the next news cycle.