Until now, I have never responded to a newspaper letter to the editor, but feel compelled to at least comment on Ms. Latorial Faison’s letter (“Is this election about taxes, or party and color?” Friday, Oct. 10).

About the only thing she is correct in saying is within the last sentence, “…when it comes down to it, color has nothing to do with change.”

OK, that aside, her letter reeks of racial overtones, e.g. “Wake up Americans. Give the black man a chance.”

Just because Barack Obama is black, we should elect him to our highest office? She never indicates that she has looked into her candidate’s history to help determine what his future leadership will be.

I submit that we citizens must look into a person’s background to make an informed judgment on how he or she will perform as our representative.

Ms. Faison did not mention Sen. Obama’s rather shady background from his his Marxist relationships and writings (ostensibly to aid him in self-identification), his black rage, drugs, and a communist mentor; his relationship with (and support of) the Kenyan government (Raila Odinga educated in communist East Germany and now sharing a co-presidency), his relationship with Tony Rezko, a convicted Chicago slumlord who helped bankroll Obama in five elections and facilitated his employment in a small law firm that represented Rezko’s real estate company, Rezmar.

How is it that the president of the Harvard Law Review ended up working for this small law firm? How about his relationship with Bernadine Dohrn and Bill Ayers (husband and wife Marxist radicals who today are educating our children in Socialist ways) and how they helped him get elected to the Illinois Senate, not to mention Obama and Ayers’ combined service on the Woods Fund board until 2001.

Of course, we all know of his relationship with the buffoon racist Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Obama disassociated himself with Wright after it was politically correct to do so. How about the organization ACORN — a corrupt voter registration group that has had Obama as an attorney and trainer?

Good people of America, the list goes on and on. I could write volumes about this charismatic person who speaks very well, looks good, but has a questionable background, very little to no legislative accomplishments and says what is necessary to win elections.

Is John McCain the answer? Truly, I don’t know. I do know he is a true patriot, has extensive leadership stripes and some controversial legislative accomplishments.

I served in Vietnam when he was a prisoner of war, so have some common ground (albeit a different perspective) with him. I share his love for this country and know his patriotic words are valid. Vietnam was ugly, but made us grow up as citizens of this country. Like him, I have spent my professional life fighting discrimination and racism.

The system has many holes in it and provides an easy avenue for those unwilling to study the issues to yell foul. In a war, there is no color. Sure, Sen. Obama is black. So what?

As the presidential election nears, I ask all Americans (you too, Ms. Faison), to look at the person. Who can we most trust to tell us the truth; who can we most trust to lead us in a time of national/international emergencies; who has the potential and willingness to go up against those goons in Washington (and elsewhere) who have led us down this dark path we are on today?

The truth is in the details, not the media. Look beyond the words and appearance.