posted by perkiset on Jan 21
Unfortunately, we may well remember today as the day that the “great experiment in self governance” was finally undone.
Today, in an astonishing wave of judicial activism, corporatist judges (under the guise of being conservatives) voted to grant corporations personhood in a way that allows them to levy all of their vast power and finance against the government of the United States. In other words, my paltry campaign contributions are now in competition with General Electric.
But it doesn’t stop there. The ruling seems to allow for foreign held, and even multination conglomerates the same protections! Our future as a country may well now be in the hands of the board of directors for Toyota. I’m not being hyperbolic here: I’m restating the waves that are all over the blogosphere and RW media.
Read the ruling here: Supreme Court Ruling
This is a war that’s been quietly running for over a hundred years … today may be the final straw. This is the essence of why Fox can blather the way they do, or we still have debate about global warming (even though there is no real scientific debate, only political debate) or why health care in the US is labeled as a “socialist agenda” - because corporations with more money than God are allowed to “market” opinions that make money for them, rather than being in the populace of the U.S.’ best interest.
There are a variety of populist movements involved in getting a Constitutional amendment rolling that would eliminate corporate personhood and help us reclaim our democracy. I invite everyone to do so: no matter what party or leaning you are from, you have less voice with this sort of ruling in force. Here’s one place to start: Democracy Unlimited for a nice little local group or a national organization here: Move To Amend.org.
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January 21st, 2010 at 2:15 pm
We just went uber-fascist, we just don’t know it yet. The only thing that *might* provide some counter-balance is the GOP win in Massachusetts. I believe that will cause the Democrats to realize that the Obama presidential vote did not signal a more liberal constituency but rather a more POPULIST one –big difference!
Watch Obama and the Dems get whiplash as they jerk their strategy/policies around now. Wall Street is on the chopping block today, in fact.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Seems clear that Obama et al will need to come up with a new set of policies, from health care to judicial reform in about a week or they may be cooked.
This bit scares the bejeebers out of me.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:31 pm
BTW, nice to see you around RC
January 21st, 2010 at 3:05 pm
>they may be cooked.
They ARE cooked, sad to say. I’m a lifelong laissez-faire economist and center-right on social agendas so the closest fit for me politically would be somewhere between Libertarian and FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE Republican. Unfortunately, Republicans separated from sound fiscal policy with Reagonics.
Anyway, I voted for Obama as an anti-war vote …wars spend too much money. And all I got was more of the same.
January 21st, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Kucinich more right than wrong…
“Special interests ‘more entrenched than ever’…”
http://rawstory.com/2010/01/exclusive-kucinich-shreds-democrats/
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:55 pm
When a fiscal conservative is agreeing with Dennis Kucinich, then there’s room for us to find some strong common ground again in this country.
May 15th, 2010 at 8:50 pm
While the media shines a light on emotionally charged issues such as personal rights and freedoms, issues we passionately support, we may unwittingly support the corporations that would trade our freedoms in a heartbeat for profits.
Boo.
But this ties back to IP in general and makes perfect sense from the corporate perspective. Copyright for the individual lasts until some 25 years after their death. Corporations only die when those who profit from them choose to or are financially forced to abandon them. This includes the possibility of never.
Retaining mini-monopoly rights to intellectual property for as long as the dollars roll in. That’s the game. Pandering to our protection of and respect for the arts, artists, inventors and creators of all kinds is how public opinion is manufactured to this end.
Unfortunately, we’re a long ways away from realizing this shell game is even happening.
Great post perks!