Roylin Petties, III – 11/9/08

This page was last updated on November 9, 2008.

American dream is truly beginning; Roylin Petties, III; Beaver County Times; November 9, 2008.

Mr. Petties’ previous two letters (here and here) were Republican and President Bush bashing exercises.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I have been watching the presidential campaign for months, and it is finally over.

“I have seen some of the best moments and some of the worst, but never would I have thought that we would see an African-American president.”

[RWC] Why not?

“Race may be an issue for some people, but now we know that it is not a barrier. This election has showed that with hard work and perseverance, you can do anything.”

[RWC] It’s been that way for quite a while. Do names like Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Thomas, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Rod Paige, et cetera ring a bell? And those are only black Americans successful in public life.

“The American dream is truly beginning to be for everyone. We can never forget our past, but it seems that our future is so bright.”

[RWC] This reminds me of when Michelle Obama said the first time in her adult life she was proud of the U.S. was when her husband won the Democrat nomination.

“Nov. 4, 2008, was the day a nation stood together and said, ‘Yes we can.’

[RWC] “A nation stood together?” The last I checked, 47.4% (about 58.9 million) of us voted for someone other than Mr. Obama.

“May God bless our president-elect Barack Obama and this great country.”

[RWC] I agree with Mr. Petties on the sentiment in this sentence. Based on his letters, though, it seems clear Mr. Petties didn’t wish the same for President Bush.