Optimism in America

Re “The sobering of America,” Opinion, Nov. 2 and “Ex-Marine rebuilds his life after brush with death in Iraq,” Nov. 2

I’m sure Yiyun Li’s article made some Bush haters nod their heads in collective disapproval of an America in decline.

Elsewhere in The Times, Tony Perry chronicled the “new life and new set of goals” of wounded Iraq veteran Where Li laments the loss of Clinton-era laughter, Popaditch laughs about the prospect of teaching high school after combat -- despite the fact that he lost most of his vision fighting for his country.

I doubt the former Marine subscribes to Li’s views of her adoptive country. Hopefully he will successfully maneuver the academic battlefields so his future students will have a perspective Li probably missed.

Eric Castano

Long Beach