Dear Larry: I heard Barack Obama's speech regarding race relations in America, and I still am puzzled.

I do not understand how he can have hatred or latent hatred for a country that has been so good to him and his family. I could understand if a person who is poor and struggling to make ends meet thought that way, though I wouldn't agree with that person. I can see how a person who is at the lower end of the socio-economic scale would advocate change.

This is not the case with Obama. He and his wife graduated from prestigious Ivy League universities. They and their children are living the good life.

How could he attend a church with a preacher who spews such vile racist comments? I am sure he understands if America adopts the suggestions that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan advocate, it would lead to the destruction of this country.

This American system rewards people who work hard and achieve. This is why America has done so well.

Larry, can you give me some insight into what is going on? — H.T.

Dear H.T.: It is difficult to give you a definitive answer to such a complex human emotion. I will give you two possible scenarios.

First, Barack Obama's mother is white, and his father is black. I have seen many people of mixed races struggle with their ethnicities, especially when they are dealing with social issues.

One such example that comes to mind is a man who had a white father and a Mexican mother. He wanted to identify with his Hispanic heritage so badly that he adopted his mother's maiden name and started speaking with a Mexican accent, even though he could not speak Spanish. He also became a super-radical advocate for Mexican issues.

I asked him why he adopted such tactics. I also told him he overreacts to issues and everyone knows his accent is phony. He told me that he had to act that way in order to establish his Mexican credentials.

Another possible reason to explain Barack Obama's position is that he simply cares for the downtrodden and he sincerely believes hatred to your so-called oppressor is the best way to bring about the necessary change.

Dear Larry: I want to let you know how much I support your response to "Sha," who was concerned about whether or not she should allow her daughter to attend school with a Spanish immersion program. As a speech and language pathologist, I believe it is vital to a child's education and development to allow such instruction.

In order to speak another language competently, one must learn it as a very young child. Otherwise, one never will fully grasp the language and its structures. With this, it is very important for English speakers to understand how hard it is for foreigners to learn our language, especially as adults. This has to do with brain development, not the character or work ethic of the adult individual.

In turn, most adult English speakers have a very hard time becoming fluent in another language for this same reason. Besides the science behind it, from a multicultural standpoint, it absolutely doesn't hurt anything to know the language of another country, especially one so close to our own.

Europeans do it all the time. — Amanda

Dear Amanda: Thank you for the support. There were many readers who felt this is America and English should be the only language taught in our schools.

To find out more about Larry G. Meeks and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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