Patriotism, politics and voices of dissent

(FinalCall.com) - The closer the country gets to Sept. 11, the louder discussions of patriotism and calls for loyalty will be. It is understandable that the horror of the attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, the crash of a commercial airliner in Pennsylvania and the deaths of innocent people evoke a stubborn determination not to yield to terror.

But exercising the right to dissent and the right to have political leaders deal with serious domestic issues is not treason. It is the bedrock of American democracy and the right of the governed to question those elected to serve the people.

A major demonstration by civil rights organizations has been planned for Sept. 13, two days after the anniversary of the horrific attacks on America. The protests will challenge what some activists are calling a lock out by the Bush administration.

Civil rights, labor, women�s groups and others want to march on the Justice Department to demand that President Bush enforce equal protection laws and end a "lock out, no talk" policy toward those who are not in lock step with the Republican Party. Actually these groups didn�t vote for Mr. Bush anyway and their call for dialog may seem at first glance to be a strange one. After all, in America�s winner-take-all political system, to the victors go the spoils and those who are on the losing side have to wait till the next election.

The problem with the Bush victory is that there are serious questions about who won the 2000 presidential election. Mr. Bush didn�t win the popular vote and only won the White House via a Supreme Court decision that hinged on controversial activity in Florida�the state where his brother serves as governor.

Though this issue was buried under the tragedy of Sept. 11, it was bound to surface again. The country was too divided over the election for the wound to heal without a serious attempt at reconciliation. With the White House engaging in saber rattling and war talk against Iraq, these strains could resurface even more quickly.

Mr. Bush may want to talk about the war on terrorism, but the problems at home remain: problems in education, the massive incarceration rates for Black males, worker safety, enforcement of existing civil rights laws, fair contracting, corporate crime and police brutality.

The world�s only superpower has problems, real problems.

Appeals to patriotism won�t make the problems go away and attacking the voices of dissent won�t make things better. America needs leadership, true leadership, that is not overly skewed by partisan politics and devoted to narrow special interest groups.

The Bush administration has closed its doors, according to Rev. Jesse Jackson, and has attempted "to impose upon our constituencies leaders of Mr. Bush�s ideological satisfaction, our rights have been under attack."

Whether in New York, or Chicago, or Milwaukee, or Florida, or Oklahoma, or Texas, or California, Blacks and Latinos have been facing "domestic terror" by officers of the law, the Rev. Jackson complained.

The Sept. 13 protest also coincides with the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference which is set to begin Sept. 11. Neither the Black Caucus meeting, nor the civil rights protest, are likely to draw much reaction from Mr. Bush. He will dismiss their criticism as the rantings of those who have always opposed him. That might be true, but a president has a duty to at least listen to the concerns of all the people.

FinalCall.com