The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is a radical undermining of our sovereign self-governance. It ushers in government of, for, and by The Corporations. It goes well beyond stolen elections -- which can now legally be bought elections.
But that's not the worst of it. This decision actually goes far beyond the circular legal argument that, since the court has ruled previously that free speech equals money, limiting corporations from spending money to influence elections has a chilling effect on free speech (money). If this is confusing, don't worry it's not you. The court had to reach for this.
Citizens United is merely the last straw in a haystack of (successful) corporate attempts to extend corporate constitutional "rights" to corporate persons ever since the U.S. Supreme Court blurred the distinction between "natural persons," or real living human beings, and "artificial persons" -- corporations -- in 1886.
Since the 1886 Santa Clara decision, literally hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of local, state, federal, and international laws that attempt to protect our environment, our elections, our safety and health, and our right to organize have been overturned as a result of this doctrine. Armed with human rights and legal privileges, corporations have amassed enormous wealth and power and disabled democracy on all three branches of our government. Even a partial list shows the range of regulations falling to the new corporate rights doctrine, from those concerning clean and fair elections; to environmental protection and energy; to tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, and health care; to consumer protection, lottery, and gambling; to race relations - and more!
Our Republic and democratic process has been hijacked by corporations through illegitimate usurpation of rights intended for human persons. This is a call to action! It is time to change the rules.
What can people do? When Congress passed the USA Patriot Act that undermined civil rights and civil liberties, hundreds of communities, some counties, and at least three states adopted Anti-Patriot Act measures. Similarly, but on a bigger scale, we could start a grassroots movement at the local level to pass municipal legislation or resolutions that defy the Court and strip corporations of their personhood (human rights) status. We could strike any corporate personhood language from State law -- or State constitutions, a harder process.
It is fine that for-profit corporations and other business entities exist, but they should exist to serve people. Corporations are not people and they should not be guaranteed the rights of people. A legislature can give corporations whatever privileges deemed appropriate, but granting corporations the legal status of living, breathing, and eventually dying, natural persons is a grave mistake. Their huge wealth, coupled to human rights, makes corporations far more powerful than people.
Action to abolish corporate personhood (e.g., artificial persons with human rights) in a municipalities, counties, and states could be the forefront of a movement to push this issue right back to the federal level and force Congress to consider amending the U.S. Constitution to do the same.
People could also join the largest and most politically, geographically, and racially diverse coalition to respond to the Citizens United case. The Campaign to Legalize Democracy aims to amend the U.S. Constitution to end the illegitimate legal doctrines that prevent the American people from governing ourselves. First and foremost, the campaign will move to amend that only human beings are entitled to constitutional rights.
Within one day of the decision's release, over 20,000 Americans had signed on to the Motion to Amend the Constitution. This campaign aims to fix the root of the problem - corporate personhood - not only the symptoms like campaign financing, election financing, and free speech issues that were raised in the Citizens United case.
The main thing is to get involved with the grassroots movements to protect democracy from unchecked corporate power.
It cannot be overstated: The ruling in Citizens United leaves ordinary citizens little power to keep corporate influence out of democratic decision making. We must unite to reverse this outrageous ruling -- and the underlying morally wrong premise that corporations and other artificial persons are entitled to real human rights.
All aboard for democracy!
Riki Ott is director of Ultimate Civics, a co-organizer of the Campaign to Legalize Democracy. She lectures nationally on the democracy crisis. Learn more and sign the motion to amend the Constitution to affirm rule by the people, not corporations!
-the patriot act
-10% (actually closer to 17%) unemployment
-a 3 decade long mass transfer of wealth from the middle class to the rich
...how long before we have anarchy in the streets?
There are also some other sites where readers should review and sign other petitions. These petition for anything from lodging a general protest to federal campaign legislation to a constitutional amendment. Try these:
http://action.citizen.org/t/10315/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=2190
http://pol.moveon.org/fairelectionsnow/
http://salsa.mydccc.org/o/30019/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4
http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1029.php (see "Million Fax March" writeup)
Here's another more radical approach--also innovative! Impeach the five justices:
http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1030.php (again, see "Million Fax March" writeup, and this is a different petition than above)
If you like any of the above, copy and paste here to send it to your Representative and Senators and Obama. Here's a site where you can get their links by entering your zip code:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/
If the community a corporation resides in deems it to be harmful, then that corporation should close the doors, lay off the workers, and move to a location that is more friendly to its interests.
They say you are exploitive of the community and 'the people'. You should stop that exploitation and cease operations there. Let the newly liberated people take care of themselves. Let them build their coffers with the tax revenues of 'the people'. Let them supply the material needs of 'the people' in their newly enlightened status.
Let them suffer in their enlightenment. They are begging for this to happen. Grant them their wish.
Second even AR greates pupil - Allan Greenspan - now admits that the underlying intellectual argument of AR is intrisincally and empirically false - People acting in their self interests is not enough to ensure good behaviour - because it assumes people are rational and that there is perfect information two things that DO NOT EXST OUT SIDE OF FICTION
What would happen if a corporation colsed its doors and didnt use political manipulation - some one else would do the job - and get the profit - and abide by the community standards - the problem is that they wont shut down so we have to have government of the people by the people for the people to stop the exploitation
This is what I would do. That is why I am advocating it. AR has had some of her 'pupils' eventually reject her ideas. This does not negate her ideas, simply that those individuals no longer believed in them. I'm sure they had their reason, I do not suppose to interpret them. Greenspan never made the link between the Capitalism he advocated and the mixed environment he found himself in. Simply, Capitlaism is incompatible to this invironment, which is why you don't see Capitalism. You may find pieces of capitalism, but that is as close as you get.
I am only hoping you who wish to chain those very people that fund your grotesque actions abandon you to the ideals you propose.
Any local laws would be deemed illegal.