First of all, thanks for the correction on the percentage of blacks and minorities in America. Yes, it appears that blacks make up 13% of the population. I believe that my 20% figure was stuck in my mind because it is about the percentage of all minorities. But, it is important to be precise, so thanks.
Secondly, your understanding of my position is not correct. I am not saying that "everything statistically that would affect education, crime, etc. are the same but blacks are punished more and discriminated against." Those things might very well be different for different racial groups, but whether or not there is proof that they are causal for criminality, especially since i am arguing about punishment not criminality, is irrelevant to my argument. I AM saying that, all other things being equal (meaning controlling for all of those possibilities you mentioned so one is comparing apples to apples) is that blacks are punished more harshly for the same crimes.
This brings me to another point, which is that arrest rates are not really relevant. When I speak of being punished I am talking about the kind of punishment given and the length of the sentences. So, though I do like your FBI reference, it's not really relevant to my argument.
Forgive me while I go eat dinner. If I insult the chef, he might not cook again. :) I'll be back.