For some people, ignorance simply liberates them from the narrow confiner of facts.

The above is a direct quote delivered by one of the premier syndicated columnists (a select few)

qualify that ply their trade with direct, objective no-frills honesty.

In a recent column, our man Thomas Sarvell, in a succinct, clear narration described the true facts surrounding the Los Angeles riots that were sparked by the arrest of Rodney King.

The media obscured the truth about the case, particularly the TV segment of it, by editing the film that was flashed to the public, omitting much of the sequence of events.

Sowell asks, "Why were the cops beating King? The politically correct answer is: Because he was black. But so were the other men in the car with him, when he was leading the police on a high-speed chase

and none of these other black men was beaten. What was the difference?"

The columnist said that anyone knowing about police procedure knows that police often order suspects to lie face down on the ground and handcuff them.

Rodney King, the unedited film revealed, refused to cooperate with the lawmen, and in actuality charged at the cops twice before he was finally subdued.

The real film was viewed by the jury panel which acquitted the police, who were

charged with brutality.

The real "burn, baby, burn" events of 1992 and its aftermath as portrayed by the media is not likely to change the minds of those who have followed the "politically correct script."

More's the pity.

Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford, Calif.

And he is an erudite, scholarly swan who adheres steadfastly to the unvarnished truth in all his reportings."

He also is a highly regarded black man.