Was I listening to a terrorist? More than 30 years ago, in the turbulent '60s, Ayers, in his 20s, co-founded the radical Weather Underground and practiced violent disobedience. Fast forward to the 1990s. In 1997 Ayers was honored as Chicago Citizen of the Year for his work in education. He devoted his energy to school improvement through the prestigious Annenberg Challenge project and the charitable Woods Fund.

Isn't Ayers' recent activity what American citizens are supposed to do, improve their community and simultaneously improve themselves? Ayers transformed himself from bomber to builder. Rehabilitation and forgiveness are very American and very Christian values.

That William Ayers and Barack Obama were coincidentally working - not as “pals,” but as good-citizen volunteers - on the same projects to improve their community is not a smudge on Obama, but a tribute to both of them. Would that all of us were such good citizens.

Al Forsyth

River Heights