Letters to the editor

Presidential race

In black and white, the reconciliation of the Union's promise

Editor, The Times:

Several months ago, as his religion came under attack, former Republican presidential candidate Gov. Mitt Romney gave a major speech defending his religion, and his views. It proved unconvincing.

Tuesday, as Sen. Barack Obama's pastor came under attack for incendiary remarks, Sen. Obama gave a major speech defending his pastor and his views ["A blunt, risky speech on race," Times page one, March 19]. However, Obama went so far beyond merely defending both that anyone who heard or read his speech has to recognize that Obama is a truly extraordinary human being.

Being half white and half black himself, he perceptively traced this nation's racial history, not only to slavery, but to the Constitution itself, explaining the deep anger felt by blacks and the many resentments felt by whites. He fully understands, and feels the pain of both races.

He spoke of "perfecting the Union," both racially and otherwise. Finally, he placed it all in the context of how the U.S. must — as a united nation — deal with, and work with, the rest of the world. One can see that he can go a long way toward moving us in the proper direction on all counts.

As a 64-year-old white man, I have never experienced a politician speaking so candidly, so clearly, so articulately and so inspirationally. This is truly the leader needed today, with our nation and the world so deeply divided.

I urge everyone who missed that speech to read it — in its entirety — and judge for yourself.

— Bruce Barnbaum, Granite Falls

Our power to react

Sen. Barack Obama said, referring to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, "I can no more disown him than I can disown my white grandmother, a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe."

That's all fine if you are a child, being forced to put on your best clothes and dragged to church or to your grandmother's house. Then you have few options other than to sit down, shut up and try to ignore another person's ramblings.

A mature, responsible adult, however, has options.

If I had a family member who made racial comments I disagreed with, would it not be the right thing for me to tell him to knock it off — that I don't want to hear that? If they continued, should I not distance myself from that person?

To sit there and listen to those rants and say or do nothing is cowardly.

— Dave Hood, North Bend

The rail splinter

This is the most interesting presidential race I have witnessed in my lifetime. Tuesday I watched Sen. Barack Obama give a fine speech on the condition of race in this country. My problem with the speech is that it did not address his inaction in regards to the Trinity Church and the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

If Sen. Obama is attempting to lead this nation and be a bridge between the political divide, he showed no qualities of that leadership in his long attendance at the church.

After a carefully parsed denial late Friday ["Obama decries pastor's remarks," page one, March 15], Sen. Obama admitted Tuesday that he was aware of the type and character of some of the sermons at Trinity. The reality is that one could not have attended this church for 20 years without that awareness.

Whatever the good works of the Rev. Wright and the church are, they do not excuse the hate-filled tenor of Wright's sermons.

Leadership would require one to confront this issue head-on. Passively allowing this type of vitriol before a congregation and the children of the parishioners is unacceptable. Sen. Obama tells us he rejects these sermons, but he did nothing about them.

Despite The Times' claims to the contrary ["Beyond the color line," editorial, March 19], Sen. Obama failed the test of leadership and courage, in my eyes.

— Jon Egge, Woodinville

Optimistic chords of memory

On Tuesday, Sen. Barack Obama delivered a speech about race in America that must be the most frank and honest assessment of our state of the Union on this issue ever given by a politician.

As a white American, it was refreshing to me to hear him speak so openly in the public sphere about things I have so often felt and not been able to express myself: the legacy of defeat for black Americans that causes resentment; the twinned feelings of whites fearing this anger; the perceived "reverse discrimination"; and mostly the battling natures in all of us on issues of race.

For just a few moments, I believed that maybe we can create a more perfect Union. I hope to have many such moments in the future.

— Joshua Russert, Burien

We mistake increased devotion

Barack Obama's claims that he can unify the country and end divisiveness have been the cornerstones of his campaign. However, he seems to have failed at that within his own church, even though he and his family have attended it for 20 years. In fact, until Rev. Jeremiah Wright's divisive comments became public, Obama didn't seem interested in addressing them at all.

It's hard to imagine allowing your children to attend a church that preaches things such as "God damn America," and even harder to believe someone who has supported a church like that could then claim the mantle of a leader capable of leading us in the opposite direction.

I think Hillary Clinton may be on to something when she says actions speak louder than words. Barack Obama's actions clearly fail to match his rhetoric.

— Roberta Domos, Redmond

Create emancipators

Seattle is uniquely situated to help other parts of the country accept the fact that we are not all white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants. I also believe that our children are wondering what all the fuss is about, in their multiracial, multilingual classrooms. Most people may not have noticed how critical this issue is.

By encouraging bigotry and prejudice, we are duped into thinking it is OK to tear Latino families apart and send parents home; or that Iraqi lives don't matter.

I retired recently and moved to Seattle from the Midwest. Today I encounter Muslims, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, blacks and Latinos almost daily, and they are all wonderful people. I love living here, and because of places like Seattle, I think we face a bright future.

What can you do? Challenge the hate speech, expose the sources, demand of the candidates that they not just claim innocence when mud is thrown, but that they publicly denounce the people who have muddy hands. And demand that the media and our public discourse stick to the issues.

— Elsi Louise Vacano, Shoreline