White Guy Claims Racism ... Is Awarded $150,000 By Jury

Could it be? Could it actually be that white people are starting to gain equal rights when it comes to claims of racism?

Between the whole Nagin official thing, and now this, I am left to ponder.

Mark Pasternak, who is white, said he was dismissed from his state job helping troubled youths because he could not tolerate being called names like "cracker," "polack" and "stupid white boy."

A seven-member all-white jury found that Tommy Baines, who is black, discriminated against Pasternak and created a hostile work environment.

"I'm elated and overwhelmed," Pasternak told The Buffalo News Wednesday. "I feel like I've been to hell and back ... After all these years, the best feeling is, the jury heard his story and mine, and they believed me."

You can almost hear the shock in his comments that people actually believed him.

Turns out that this was investigated in 1998, and the boss was fined but not fired.

According to court records, the state investigated the racial allegations in 1998. Baines was fined $2,000 for his conduct, but he was allowed to continue working as a supervisor.

He was eventually fired, but it sure did take a much longer period of time than it would have taken his white counterpart.