“End ‘Corporate Personhood’ and Other Power Grabs”
In its January 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that big business corporations can give as much money as they want to election campaigns. By a 5-4 majority (all 5 were appointed by Reagan or George W. Bush), they overturned a century of settled law that had protected election campaigns from excessive corporate interference.
This decision further entrenched the bizarre notion that money is “speech” and that corporations are “persons” with free speech and the same civil rights as living, breathing human beings. The Citizens United decision is part of a bold escalation of big business power grabs that are often referred to as “corporate personhood.” In addition to buying elections, these giant corporations also are increasingly aggressive in trying to manipulate regulatory agencies.
After that decision, the US Supreme Court heard arguments about whether corporations also have privacy rights like human beings do. Naturally they want to avoid exposure of their various crimes and corruptions. If they could claim a constitutional right to privacy like human beings do, they could further avoid accountability to the public.
Aleta DeBee and Bert Lewis are the two guests for this TV interview for the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s March 2011 TV program. Both guests are active with Move-to-Amend Olympia, part of the nationwide movement to pass a Constitutional amendment that would firmly establish that money is not “speech” and that only human beings – not corporations – are persons entitled to constitutional rights. For information see www.movetoamend.org and watch the Olympia FOR’s March 2011 TCTV program.