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In a scathing attack on the decision rendered by The Supreme Court on January 21, The Liberty Tree, a progressive activist and educational organization, in conjunction with The Move to Amend The Constitution to state clearly that constitutional rights were meant for living, breathing human beings and no other entity, released the following statement:
They’ve gone after our tax dollar. Our public services. Our jobs. Our schools. Our military. Our votes. Our future. Our freedoms. And the federal courts have helped them every step of the way.
Since Thursday, the internet, newspapers and people around kitchen tables across the country have been ablaze with outrage over the Supreme Court's action to open the floodgates to corporate money in our elections. Over 40,000 of you have joined with us in launching a long-term campaign to amend the Constitution and others have begun to follow your lead.
We think you'll agree that it's time to raise a ruckus! Over the weekend we prepared some ideas for things you can do and materials to get you started. Please check out our new Take Action section right now at:
Here's some of what you'll find there:
In the words of Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
We agree, which is why we've also included ideas for group action like:
Large corporations have used our legal system for decades to make enOrmous profits at the expense of our health, our communities, the environment and our democracy. Let's seize the moment and make the Citizens United v. FEC decision the last straw that breaks corporate rule once and for all!
Do you have other ideas for action? Let us know! If you make templates or example documents, costumes, flyers, props or other materials, we'll post them. See you in the streets! As The Court ruling emphasizes its insistence that corporations are persons, many see legislative action as probably ineffective. Any law put into place by legislation to combat The Court’s decision, as well intended as it may be, will just be another law that corporations can say infringes upon their “constitutional rights”. The Supreme Court, which used no precedent is its January 21 decision, has set a precedent that can now be used to finalize the “birth” of the corporate person. Its decision places The Court in the position of having to side with corporations from here on out in cases in which corporations claim their “constitutional rights” are being violated.
The Liberty Tree, along with a plethora of other organizations, believes that it is only through a constitutional amendment claiming once and for all that The Constitution of the United States of America was written to protect the individual human being and no other entity, can The Supreme Court be forced to urrender its view that human beings and corporations are one in the same.
There have been arguments that corporations are a collection of human beings with a common goal, as are unions. Although this argument is logically unassailable, we all know that each human being who belongs to a union or is employed by a corporation is protected by The Constitution, if that human being is an American citizen. How can a corporation, with so many different personalities working for it, speak with one mind? Some of the best minds of corporations aren’t even American minds!
Furthermore, although corporations and unions are made up of individual human beings, corporations, for the most part, have much larger treasuries than unions and, in fact, seem, as part of their goal to outright govern The Former United States of America (The FUSA), want to eradicate unions altogether. The corporations are in the business of making a profit for the highest tier employees and the lower tier worker, while on the front line of making that profit for the corporation, is seen as a pawn to manipulate in order to increase profits. That manipulation many times involves discarding the lower tier employees and hiring less qualified contractors who don’t feel any loyalty to the corporation or its processes. Though this reduces the costs, it lessens the quality and integrity of the corporation. It does, however, allow the CEO and upper management of the corporation to increase their take of the profits.
Unions are seen by corporations as obstacles to larger and larger profits because they protect the rights of the front line workers, without whom, ironically, many corporations wouldn’t be able to make a dime.
As it is the responsibility of The Supreme Court to interpret constitutional law, an amendment to The Constitution stating that human beings were the intended recipients of the protections offered by The Constitution will make it clear to The Supreme Court that corporations do not fit that category and are not entitled to protections elaborated in The Constitution.
1) Spread the word! Tell your friends about the Motion to Amend
2) Educate Others! Write a letter to the editor to explain what Citizens United ruling does and let others know how they can take action. Make sure to mention the MovetoAmend.org website. Our website has useful tips and sample letters to help get you started.
1) Hold a Funeral for Democracy! Organize a mock funeral outside your closest federal building, with mourners, music, speakers, and eulogies for democracy. Let everyone know that the U.S. judiciary has made democracy illegal by granting away our rights to corporations. Take video to post on YouTube, invite the media, and make sure your political officials are invited to speak in memory of democracy.
2) Organize a Study Group or Kitchen Table Discussion! Most folks do not have a deep understanding of what corporate personhood means to democracy and elections. Bring your friends, family, co-workers, fellow students, or neighbors together for a discussion about why this happened, what it means and what needs to be done. We provide materials to help get you started and readings to discuss.
3) Pass a Democracy Resolution! We include a model resolution to start from. Your political party, rotary club, city, township or even state can pass this declaration calling for a Constitutional Amendment to Legalize Democracy and Abolish Corporate Personhood. We also provide some materials to get you started if you'd like to take action at the municipal level.
ALL THAT AND MORE IS HERE:
http://www.movetoamend.org/take-action
To friendship,
“How hard it is, sometimes, to trust the evidence of one's senses! How reluctantly the mind consents to reality.” - Norman Douglas”
Michael
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