Martin Luther King Jr. declared, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and our fragile democracy became weaker today.
After inviting presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, to the Democratic debate in Nevada, NBC/MSNBC rescinded their offer. Even after a judge ordered MSNBC to include Kucinich, the network was able to overturn the ruling moments before the debate began.
NBC and MSNBC are owned largely by General Electric Co., a substantial war profiteer, that has made billions of dollars constructing engines and nuclear reactors. They have also heavily funded Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. Meanwhile, Kucinich has been outspoken about both the war and corporate America. If it is not too presumptuous, one might wonder whether corporations, such as GE, may be exerting a role on politics that does not advocate the best interest of citizens.
Fascism can be defined as corporate control of the government. To the extent that big business is able to select which candidates will be viable, democracy fails, and fascist interests reign supreme.
This is not an isolated incident and our democracy is falling into a state of frailty. Candidates are excluded from debates. Notable names are missing from ballots. Michigan may not receive its delegate for the primary.
It is hypocritical that we attempt to spread democracy throughout the world while simultaneously failing to appreciate and protect our own democracy. I hope that as patriots and responsible, reasonable citizens we will continue to question and call attention to these issues for the sake of justice.
Michael Hoerger
2005 MSU alumnus
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