Jewel Robertson – 1/25/07

This page was last updated on January 27, 2007.

The times are a-changing; Jewel Robertson; Beaver County Times; January 25, 2007.

Usually, Ms. Robertson writes letters bashing President Bush. In her first letter, Ms. Robertson opined that President Bush could be listening to Satan. That tells us much of what we need to know about Ms. Robertson.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Will the day ever come when a man will not be judged by the color of his skin but by the content of his character?

“There were two football games on Sunday, and there were two white coaches and two black coaches. We all know by now that the two black coaches will take their teams to the 41st Super Bowl.”

[RWC] While I don’t doubt the character of coaches Dungy and Smith, they aren’t going to the Super Bowl because of the content of their character. They are going because they coached their teams to the AFC and NFC championships.

On a side note, it never occurred to me coaches Dungy and Smith were the first black coaches to get to the Super Bowl. It’s not that I wouldn’t have known it had someone asked, it’s just the race of the winning coaches never crossed my mind until the sportscasters started making a big deal of it. Unlike Ms. Robertson and some other letter writers, I don’t think in terms of race.

“If it had been the other way around, would it be said that two white coaches were taking their teams to the Super Bowl? Of course not.

“The unexpected happened and changed the context of everything. We have another first in history. I am happy because this shows that in America all men should be created equal and should have the right to their pursuit of happiness. Even black youths should grow and dream dreams and have them come true the same as white youths. I see this as a sign that a change is taking place.”

[RWC] “The unexpected happened?” Both the Bears and the Colts were favored in their games and they won.

“[S]hould be created equal?” Aren’t we?

“Even black youths?” What’s with the “even?” Does Ms. Robertson believe black youths are somehow less than the rest of us?

“Could it be we are on the eve of electing a black president, or do we have to wait a little longer to get into the White House?”

[RWC] About whom is Ms. Robertson speaking? To the best of my knowledge, there are no announced black candidates. If Ms. Robertson is referring to Barack Obama, he’s not “black.” His father is a Kenyan and his mother is a white American.

Anyway, didn’t Ms. Robertson above ask, “Will the day ever come when a man will not be judged by the color of his skin?” Yet, in this sentence she appears more concerned about getting someone elected because of their skin color.

“Perhaps it’s OK to entertain America, but not OK to lead America.”

[RWC] I’m sure Ms. Robertson missed it because the people I’m about to list are Republicans, but black men and women like Secretary of State (and former National Security Adviser) Condoleezza Rice, former Sec. of State Colin Powell, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and others are leading America.

In any case, coaches Dungy and Smith earned their way to the Super Bowl. Likewise a black, woman, et cetera will be elected president when he/she earns it.