Wow, you take one day off from the news and when you resurface, you find that Bill James has been at it again. So, should James apologize for his sub-adolescent comment to fellow County Commissioner Vilma Leake about her late son being “a homo”? Of course he should, and if he won’t, then his fellow county commissioners should censure him. Any decent human being in this day and age would be mortified to be caught using such slurs. But that’s the problem – through the years, James has proved over and over and over that he’s not a decent human being, at least when it comes to having the slightest understanding or respect for anyone different from himself.

James says that when he asked Leake (who had just explained that her son had died of AIDS), “Your son was a homo, really?” he was merely using a slang word used when he was growing up. I imagine he thinks that’s supposed to make it OK. Well, Bill, next time you speak to Commissioner Leake (who, for readers who don’t know, is African-American), why don’t use another slang word from back when you were growing up — you know the one — and see how well that goes over.

James can’t even keep his story straight on this one. Here, for instance, is an excerpt from WBTV's report: James went on WBT radio's Keith Larson show this morning to defend his statement ... At first, James told Larson that he was in the process of saying "homosexual," but was cut off by Leake. He changed his story after Larson played a clip of the exchange that made clear that wasn't the case ... "Look, I don't care if I said 'homo.' I don't think it changes the reality of it. Whether I said, 'is he a homo really or is he homosexual, really?' — I'm OK with either one of those ... ”

There’s a bright side to this mess: James and the neanderthalish mindset he represents are on the losing side of history, and Charlotte has moved on without him. There’s a reason he’s never had the courage to run at-large, since he wouldn’t stand a chance outside of his Mint Hillbilly district. The knuckledraggers can’t stand it that the world is changing, but that’s their tough luck. The battle is over, and the losers, it appears, are going down whining.

• County Commissioner Bill James