please DU my 160th ltte re Colin Powell

[w8liftinglady]

To the Editor,

It was disclosed recently that General Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama For President, criticizing his own Republican Party for what he called its narrow focus on irrelevant personal attacks over a serious approach to challenges he called unprecedented.

This would be news by itself, but it was Powell’s focus on one hero that caught my attention.

“Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is no. That’s not America. Is there something wrong with a 7-year-old Muslim-American kid believing he or she could be president? Yet I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion that he is a Muslim and might have an association with terrorists. This is not the way we should be doing it in America.

“I feel particularly strong about this because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother at Arlington Cemetery and she had her head on the headstone of her son’s grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone, and it gave his awards — Purple Heart, Bronze Star — showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death, he was 20 years old. And then at the very top of the head stone, it didn’t have a Christian cross. It didn’t have a Star of David. It has a crescent and star of the Islamic faith.

“And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan. And he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he could serve his country and he gave his life.”

Mr. Powell’s beautiful words of sacrifice and unity should remind us that Americans have to work together for what is best for America and stop demonizing those who may be different than us. Excellent choice, Mr. Powell, and beautifully written.

Beth Dawson,

Red Oak
http://www.thedailylight.com/articles/2008/10/22/opinion/doc48ff71925a3b1924010714.txt

[ColbertWatcher]

1. I'm still having trouble registering with that site, but I will k+r your thread! n/t

[w8liftinglady]

2. Thank you

[ColbertWatcher]

3. You're welcome. n/t