Dear Editor,

Who would have ever thought that someone named Barack Obama would be a leading contender for the presidency of the United States. Barack? Granted it sounds like a real guy name, just not an American name like George or Dick. Of course, that's what we have now, so a change would be good.

I bring this name thing up because I just heard one person's translation of Barack's name. The caller to the radio program (960 AM from 9 a.m. until noon) is from Ethiopia and says that Barack Hussein Obama is an Ethopic or Adamic name that means "broadly annointed" (Barack), "blessedly happy" (Hussein) and "messenger of the era" (Obama).

The point of this letter is that someone who starts life with such a name may be more likely to nurture change than someone named John or even Hillary. As he himself points out, however, change will take the active involvement of us, the citizens. Maybe that's the message this "messenger of the era" is here to deliver.

Rob Means

Yellowstone Avenue