My father is a wise man. I respect his opinion greatly. He has never demanded that respect from me. Rather, he has spent my lifetime earning my unqualified respect and admiration. He recently sent out the following letter to his family members. With his permission, I publish it here.
"No matter if you are Republican, Democrat or whatever, something wonderful happened on 4 November. This nation, with all its racial baggage, elected a man of the Black race as its President. This 65 y/o man never thought he would see it happen in his lifetime. For that reason alone it is a call for celebration. I know this may be hard to understand if you did not grow up in my generation, but I saw the restrooms for Men, Women and Coloreds. I saw the black folks go around to the side to purchase a fast meal. I saw drinking fountains labeled White and Colored. I saw black men forced off sidewalks.
"It is a testament to me of the resilience and good heartedness of the nation's people. Obama was elected with 52% of the voters. By my estimation, another 35% plus would have voted for him if his political persuasion was closer to theirs. That means that over 85% of the people have rejected race as a qualifier or dis-qualifier for any position in the country. We have nearly achieved Martin's dream! At least in this one area.
"Now, the glass is half full for me. And this election really has been very bittersweet; certainly a mixed blessing. Obama does not have good judgement in the company he keeps, and he is fundamentally too far left of center to govern our nation effectively. And I believe that the nation may have crossed a threshold in this election. It is possible that the culture war that is raging in the country has reached a turning point at which there is no turning back.
"That said, Obama is, or will be, my President. I will support him with my prayers and my actions. He is very capable and smart. He has shown that he can move to the center. And he may have the fortitude to govern from the center. I will praise his decisions and actions when I see him do good according to my light. And I will criticize him when he does wrong in my eyes. However, I will always respect the office he holds. I will not look for cabals, conspiracies, and intrigues in everything he does. I will take him at face value and assume he is acting in the best interest of the nation as he sees it. In short, I will give him my good will.
God be with President-elect Obama.
Dad, Len, L.R.
"It is a testament to me of the resilience and good heartedness of the nation's people. Obama was elected with 52% of the voters. By my estimation, another 35% plus would have voted for him if his political persuasion was closer to theirs. That means that over 85% of the people have rejected race as a qualifier or dis-qualifier for any position in the country. We have nearly achieved Martin's dream! At least in this one area.
"Now, the glass is half full for me. And this election really has been very bittersweet; certainly a mixed blessing. Obama does not have good judgement in the company he keeps, and he is fundamentally too far left of center to govern our nation effectively. And I believe that the nation may have crossed a threshold in this election. It is possible that the culture war that is raging in the country has reached a turning point at which there is no turning back.
"That said, Obama is, or will be, my President. I will support him with my prayers and my actions. He is very capable and smart. He has shown that he can move to the center. And he may have the fortitude to govern from the center. I will praise his decisions and actions when I see him do good according to my light. And I will criticize him when he does wrong in my eyes. However, I will always respect the office he holds. I will not look for cabals, conspiracies, and intrigues in everything he does. I will take him at face value and assume he is acting in the best interest of the nation as he sees it. In short, I will give him my good will.
God be with President-elect Obama.
Dad, Len, L.R.
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