“God, Family, Republic” was the catch phrase, spoken by MichaelPeroutka, presidential candidate for the Constitution party, thatprovoked audiences members at Howard University’s Blackburn Centerto speak out against the use of Black college students as politicalendorsement opportunities.
Peroutka, representing the Constitution party,opened the panel held at Howard University’s Armour J. BlackburnCenter on Friday with a famous phrase from Thomas Jefferson. “Anyone who desires to be ignorant and free, desires what was andnever will be.” From his point of view, a vote for theRepublican or Democratic Party is a vote wasted. Citing manyfederal programs including Department of Health and Educationinitiatives, the candidate claimed that Democrats and Republicanshave stepped away from the Constitution and God in their leadershipof the American people.
Although the African American dominated,audience seemed to take his comments about the negative effect ofoutsourcing with ease, his views on President George W. Bush’srecent $60 billion proposal to fund the Department of Education,headed by Ron Paige, struck a chord from a middle-aged audiencemember.
Shedding light on an issue that continues tohaunt prospective and current Black college students, the audiencemember challenged that most students in attendance benefited fromfederally funded educational programs, which are continuing todecline.
Keeping the smile on his face, the LoyolaCollege graduate answered the question with caution. “I’m notagainst giving and receiving. If we do things we have noauthority to do, it doesn’t matter whether they’re good orbad.”
Korey Bowers Brown, a professor of AfricanAmerican history at Howard University also challenged thepresidential candidate whose name should be on the ballot in atleast 20 states.
Citing a section in Peroutka’s pamphlet, whichstates, “the Constitution Party will fight to… return to aRepublic of self-governing states whose laws are rooted in Biblicalprinciples,” Brown countered the politician’s claims with commentsabout Jim Crow segregation and its emergence from of Southernpolitical stronghold that advocated “self-governed states.”
“I want to go back to an American view of lawand government. We are all slaves of this tyrannical centralgovernment,” shouted Peroutka in response. “I want to go backto the principles upon which America was founded.”
A Florida A&M University student was thelast to question Peroutka’s platform. Considering the factthat African American women make up only 13 percent of thepopulation but 36 percent of those who receive abortions,Peroutka’s belief that women should not have the freedom of choicewas sure to draw criticism from the Black female-dominatedaudience.
“You claim to understand the meaning of “shallnot be infringed,” but yet you argue now that a woman, no matterher circumstances, should not be allowed to have an abortion. Could you expand on that?” asked the female student dressed in aburgundy suit.
“I will do everything in my right to end themurder of American children. I disagree that it’s a woman’sright to murder her child,” responded Peroutka causing commotion inthe audience.
In the pamphlet, members of the Constitutionparty charge that Americans should not waste their vote onDemocrats and Republicans, but based on the audience response, itis hard to tell if they will be supporting their candidate onNovember 2.
Constitution PartyMission Statement The mission of the ConstitutionParty is to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and ourposterity through the election, at all levels of government, ofConstitution Party candidates who will uphold the principles of theDeclaration of Independence and the Constitution of theUnitedStates. Itis our goal to limit the federal government to its delegated,enumerated, Constitutional functions and to restore Americanjurisprudence to its original Biblical common-lawfoundations. |
Taken fromwww.constitutionparty.org
