August/September 2008
Feature Story
A Politican or a Patriot
Cynthia McKinney For President 2008
By R.E. Johnson, TRIBES Contributing Writer
Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression"-Malcolm X
There is an immediate and long over due need for change in our country. Many Americans are hoping that this change comes in the 2008 presidential elections. This hope is based upon the idea that a "minority" figure in the oval office will produce the social equality that the nation has been historically denied under the leadership of European American men. But I ask, does the country need a politician or a patriot as the next president of the country to bring about change?
A politician is a seeker or holder of public office, who is more concerned about winning favor or retaining power than about principles. Often their values and allegiance to the people are sacrificed in favor of their corporate partners. A politician is no longer a public servant, but an opportunist. And in a "big money" system like the U.S. we can not afford to let such men continue to lead our country.
The corporate ties must be severed. However, a Patriot, is a person who loves, supports, and defends his/her country and its interest with devotion. For these people, principles are not a point of argument or prepared statement. A patriot fights for the people out of love. Patriots do not play the corporate game and let government officials create public policies that favor big business and the everyday working citizen.
Cynthia McKinney's "Power to the People" movement speaks for itself as it places power in the hands of the people. It is Patriotism in its most genuine form. All in all, the fundamental question the country needs to ask itself is which candidate, if any, acted on behalf of the people before the elections?
That is to say, who stood up for the people when the debate cameras were not rolling? Who called for change when it was not the latest political fad, or the coo" thing to do? Did your candidate sit idly by and watch the Bush regime commit repeated offenses against the American people and the United States constitution, as a means of positioning themselves for a political run? Is your candidate a politician or a patriot, a defender of individual rights against presumed interference by the federal government? I believe a patriot is the order of the day.
During the Bush regime the United States and the world at large have experienced large scale suffering including the senseless military action headlined by the "War on Terror," the 9/11 catastrophe, the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, mass home foreclosures, disruption of the Democratic process via questionable vote counts, economic recession, government overspending, the funding of anti-government groups in sovereign nations, (i.e. Zimbabwe and Venezuela). McKinney was, and continues to be, the most vocal and active in creating policy that aims to reconcile the damaging affects of these occurrences, while also seeking to hold officials responsible. She remained a patriot as Capital Hill peer-pressure increased, and yet she still did not sacrifice her allegiance to the people.
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