I found myself in the midst of a chaotic, violent scene unlike anything I’d experienced: the hateful words spewing from Klan members too cowardly to show their faces, and the pained reactions of the people opposing them. That day, I witnessed real hatred, real prejudice. I witnessed police brutality firsthand. And I was changed to my core.
In college, I became a social justice warrior. I studied urban history and sociology, examining issues like displacement and urban blight. I developed a passion for understanding and helping to remove social barriers for minority groups. While interning at the Falk Foundation, I had the incredible opportunity to work with the Formerly Convicted Citizens Project [FCCP], a nonprofit that works to assist people with convictions to apply for expungements and pardons, as well as to create policy change. During my time there, we successfully pushed for “Ban the Box” legislation in the city of Pittsburgh, which eliminated the conviction question on job applications, allowing applicants with criminal records to get their foot in the door. Since graduation, I’ve continued to work for FCCP as a pro bono consultant.
Prior to this, I was a patriot, through and through. I was raised in a military family, where I was taught about the greatness of this nation. I was also raised with strong, Christian values. I grew up proudly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in school. My parents took me to Washington, D.C., as a child to teach me about the history of America and to instill great respect for our forefathers and our soldiers. I was truly and deeply proud to be an American.
When I began to research my own illness, I was astounded by the things I discovered. Initially, I learned about our country’s for-profit medical system — a system that possesses a massive conflict of interest between pharmaceutical companies and Congress members, and between healing the people or keeping them sick. It’s no secret that our medical model is failing on a large scale. But once I dug deeper, it became clear why.
The discovery of the corruption within our government health agencies and within our Congress gave me impetus to continue researching. From there, I uncovered even more corruption, like the Monsanto cover-ups and the unfair seizure of organic farms. The further my investigation went, more corruption was revealed. To my complete disheartenment, I realized that our government was no longer serving its people. Rather, it was appealing to powerful special interest groups and lobbyists. Somehow, we needed to change that.
I can say that as a Christian, as a mother, as a conservative and as a patriot, Donald Trump was an obvious choice. Of course, I must acknowledge the derogatory remarks made by our President-elect, which I do not, in any way, condone. However, I feel that the mainstream media has used a few offhand remarks to create a massive smear campaign against Trump to distract voters from the truth about his opponent, and the corruption that surrounds her. And if we’re honest, our country has long-abandoned exceptional character as a prerequisite for political office. What really matters, at least in my opinion, is that we restore this nation to one that works for everyone.
Donald Trump represents an end to a long-standing era of a self-serving government. The people who have been part of the Trump movement recognize that.
The future of our great nation is uncertain, but I believe it is bright. For the first time in many years, I feel pride as an American. I feel hopeful that change is on the horizon. I believe that we’ve witnessed a silent revolution by electing Donald Trump as president, and I am confidently looking forward to him doing the job.
Kristin Koltick is a health & wellness coach, social media and marketing consultant, writer, blogger and speaker. Find her at www.kristinkoltick.com.
https://publicsource.org/investigations/im-mom-im-christian-im-american-patriot-and-i-voted-for-trump#.WFhGBH0m-fg
