Black belt patriot Norris tells We the People Fest to improve U.S.
Posted by Laura Johnson/Plain Dealer Reporter September 29, 2008 08:39AM


KENT -- If Chuck Norris were granted one wish, he would walk through Congress with Ron Paul and watch as Paul, the Republican representative from Texas, pointed out corrupt politicians.

One by one, Norris would grab each crooked congressman and choke him unconscious.

"I keep sticking them in a pile, piling them up," said the martial arts star, who, at 68, looks as young and buff as in his "Walker, Texas Ranger" glory days. "The ones that are honest, they stay."

This is black belt patriotism, the kind of roundhouse-kick, to-the-point political philosophy Norris explains in his new book of the same title.

He's a big fan of Paul, and also former Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. He endorses Sen. John McCain for president, since he figures McCain will bring Paul into the administration.

But Norris wasn't at Kent State University Sunday to stump for the Republican ticket -- or even to recite his favorites from the pantheon of Internet-phenomenon "Chuck Norris Facts." (Though he is partial to the one that goes, "They wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mount Rushmore, but the granite wasn't tough enough for his beard.") Rather, as part of We the People Fest, Norris preached integrity and honesty, urged college students to persevere past obstacles and pressed them to improve the United States.

The three-day, first-ever festival, which included voter registration, political speakers, panel discussions, film screenings, a concert and a debate-watching party, aimed to underscore the importance of voting and to foster discussion, said co-organizer Christina Grozik, a KSU grad who heads the Ohio Film Office.

While pitching her own movie, "And the Winner Is ..." in Los Angeles last summer, everyone kept asking Grozik, "What's going on in Ohio? How's it going to play out in this election?" So she decided to plan a nonpartisan, multimedia, election-themed festival here.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones and Cleveland Councilwoman Fannie Lewis, both of whom died recently, supported the event, Grozik said. It drew thousands, from undecided college kids to conservative retired couples.

Matt Riddle, 44, of Tallmadge, came wearing a Chuck Norris T-shirt that said, "Chuck Norris doesn't need a weapon. He is one."

"I really like the idea of choking out all the corrupt politicians," said Riddle, a musician who studies tai kwon do. "If he were to run for president himself and use that as his platform, I think he'd win. No matter what your politics, we're all against corruption."

Next in line to buy Norris' book, KSU student Lee Helton, 18, agreed. But instead of choking out the corruption -- "a roundhouse kick would be better."