Democracy, Thwarted.

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.

Comments

  1. rcjordan says:

    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.

  2. perkiset says:

    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.

  3. perkiset says:

    BTW, nice to see you around RC :)

  4. rcjordan says:

    >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.

  5. rcjordan says:

    Kucinich more right than wrong…

    “Special interests ‘more entrenched than ever’…”

    http://rawstory.com/2010/01/exclusive-kucinich-shreds-democrats/

  6. perkiset says:

    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.

  7. ITTO says:

    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! :-)

  8. Paul Motter says:

    Hi Ed! I just happened to check in here because I was in the neighborhood a few days ago. I read this, and lo two days later this pops up…

    http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/124565-democrats-have-raised-1-million-from-foreign-affiliated-pacs

    In part….

    “Democratic leaders in the House and Senate alleging GOP groups have funneled foreign money into campaign ads have seen their party raise more than $1 million from political action committees affiliated with foreign companies.

    House and Senate Democrats have received about $1.02 million this cycle from such PACs, according to an analysis compiled for The Hill by the Center for Responsive Politics. House and Senate GOP leaders have taken almost $510,000 from PACs on the same list.”

    So, while I agree with you that this is a bad ruling, I think you owe the right at last the nod of an apology for assuming we were the sole ones ready to benefit from this heinous plot. Hey, you CANNOT condemn the ruling and then condone the party you support using this “fascist tactic” to benefit the liberal agenda. That would be hypocritical.

    CHEERS, my friend.

  9. Edgar says:

    Hey Perk,

    I just thought I would drop by and share a BIG FAT smile with you. You know, over the election results last Tuesday. The American people are, apparently, still all about Hope and Change. Yes, they hope to change presidents real soon.

    Obama is such a wonderful communicator that everybody actually realized he’s a total Marxist. This historic wipe-out was of course a direct repudiation of Obama’s far left agenda. America doesn’t want it – not one bit of it.

    Wow, we’ve come a long way in a short time don’t you think? From tea bagging jokes to actually electing tea party people. Well, to be fair I should acknowledge that the Tea Party doesn’t actually exist as an official party, but, the people they backed all got into office.

    Okay, enough of the jokes – something serious now.

    Did you hear about how Obama okay’d a Targeted Assassination of and American citizen? What? What do you mean you didn’t hear about that on MSNBC? It’s right here http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/world/middleeast/07yemen.html?_r=1&hp

    Of course this radical Muslim cleric is an anomaly. Surely. I mean, we all know (those of us who aren’t bigots like the well known black liberal Juan Williams) that Islam is a wonderful religion and a peaceful religion. Islam is just…wonderful.

    Juan Williams -
    Do you also think that Juan Williams is a bigot? I sure do. Why, when I heard what he said, I shaved my head, tore my clothes and threw ashes all over myself. Then I fasted for a week. Thank God NPR fired his racist, Islamophobic ass. Maybe now NPR can get back to delivering unbiased, unfiltered news – without an agenda.

    Meanwhile, Juan Williams is walking around with a zipper on his mouth. At least his friends at Fox News (why is Fox News letting this liberal talk on their air time anyway? I thought it was all right wing propaganda. Don’t they know that Juan might spill the beans and tell the liberal side of some story at some time?) will help him get his zipper unstuck and give him a chance to express himself.

    We have three times as many troops in Afghanistan now – maybe Obama has thus earned another nobel peace prize.

    One more thing. Have you heard from our good friend the professor – WillyP? If so send my best regards and bid him good health from me.

    p.s. Does SFnathan (remember him?) now realize that Obama likes gay people about as much as Bush did?

    Peace brother.

    :D