Prof. Al-Arian speaks out about Jeb Bush

John F. Kennedy once said, “Mothers all want their sons to grow up to be president, but they don’t want them to become politicians in the process.” Jeb Bush is a politician. He is trailing major contenders in the Republican party for the top national spot. As a governor, he abused his authority that led not only to dismissal of Prof. Sami Al-Arian from the South Florida university where he had been teaching since 1986 but also his highly politicized indictment. [Because of his long activism for the Palestinian cause and defending human and civil rights, he was a political prisoner in the U.S. and spent over a decade in prison and under house arrest until the charges were dropped in 2014. He now lives in Turkey.]
"Unfortunately, politicians have generally acquired a reputation for being dishonest, deceitful, hypocritical, and power hungry. Perhaps most, but not all," Dr. Al-Arian writes. He opines that the very reason that public are dumping seasoned politicians like Jeb Bush is because of the distrust that they feel about them.  He says, "Indeed, a direct consequence of the dark side of politics that seeks power by any means is the destruction of democracy itself, as citizens shun and discredit established politicians in favor of novices and demagogues as demonstrated by the likely Republican primary voters in this election season. Exercising real power could be a noble thing when its practitioner values truth, honesty and humility over vanity." 
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