The Senate will soon vote on an amendment to overturn Citizens United. History is calling!

[freshwest]

"We the People" are on the move!

By Jim Hightower - 7/5/2014

So many absurdities abound in our lives that there's a whole body of philosophical thought called "absurdism," as well as an entire catalogue of plays called the "theater of the absurd." And then there's Antonin Scalia.

This sour, scowling, and snarky Supreme Court Justice personifies the dictionary definition of absurd: "Utterly or obviously senseless, illogical, or untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish or false."

A right-wing dogmatist and extreme judicial activist who's full of himself, Scalia has been the court's chief monkey-wrencher for corporate interests, constantly messing with the Constitution to enthrone plutocratic money over our people's democratic politics. By black-robed fiat, he and his four fellow corporatists on the bench have managed to twist language and pervert nature itself by declaring that corporations are "people" and money is "speech." Thus, in their now infamous Citizens United edict of 2010, the five decreed that these huge, lifeless, paper constructs--without brains, hearts, souls, or tongues--must be free to "speak" in our elections by spending unlimited (and undisclosed) amounts of their shareholders' money to determine who wins public office...



A lot more at the link:

http://www.hightowerlowdown.org/node/3696

Money doesn't talk. It swears.

~ Bob Dylan

I hope Democrats get this done. They are already trying to get around Scalia's last shenanigans on women's rights with Hobby Lobby.

Nothing good can be expected from Scalia on women. He said, or at least as quoted on DU, that 'women have no rights under the Constitution.' That may some kind of fine point he was supposed to be making, but with the world wide attacks on women, it's not what an American justice should push.

He also said about the buffer zone case, that women had been getting 'special rights' with buffer zones. Where did we hear that before?

But he's only doing his job:



Despite the noisome demagoguery from the RW, we must rein in corporate personhood. It's not about repealing the First Amendment as Cruz says. It's not about an Article 5 Convention which Paul Ryan and the Koch brothers want to repeal the 14th with its Birthright Citizenship, Equal Treatment under the Law and Due Process clauses.

The right wants that very much and their voters will be out in force in November. Their intentions are clear, they've been telling us women shouldn't have the right to vote, that income taxes and Social Security are unConstitutional, and have swayed the public with their talk as they own virtually all the media and will not allow real dissenting voices.

We're in between a rock and hard place, let's get this done, and give a majority that can make this happen, or Equality will perish.

[Nye Bevan]

1. I can see that incumbent members of Congress would love that amendment.

It would enable them to severely restrict the campaigning of anyone who wanted to challenge them, while they would retain the advantages of power and name recognition. Meanwhile, the exception for "freedom of the press" is an enormous loophole, whereby the Koch Brothers (for example) could start their own newspaper, available as a print version, as an online videocast and also streaming on cable, where they could do all of the campaigning they wanted.

The ACLU opposes such a constitutional amendment and so do I.

[Uncle Joe]

3. How would this enable them to severely restrict the campaigning of anyone wanting to challenge them?

[Uncle Joe]

5. P.S. Do you believe newspapers are the wave of the future? n/t

[littlemissmartypants]

17. I believe and

That art can save the world. I nice little local paper and a noise maker.

[littlemissmartypants]

18. But then I love

Working my corner. Not everyone has that gift.
I love you.

[merrily]

26. Geez. Get a room!

j/k

[littlemissmartypants]

28. Vagina. nt

[littlemissmartypants]

29. Uncle Joe knows how to get this party started

And that's a fact.

[merrily]

32. I vote in favor of partying. nt

[Uncle Joe]

34. I love you too, darlin.

[littlemissmartypants]

35. One of my favorite songs.

How did you know? Thanks friend. I deeply appreciate how you shine here.

[Uncle Joe]

36. I appreciate you as well, littlemissmartypants.

Peace to you.

[littlemissmartypants]

31. Thanks for joining the conversation. .

[conservaphobe]

11. That is a stain on the ACLU's incredible, incredible history of advocacy.

And one that caused many divisions within their ranks.

[Uncle Joe]

12. I agree with the ACLU 98.75% of the time, but not on this. n/t

[merrily]

27. +1

[Nye Bevan]

33. I guess they don't want to give Congress the ability to ban books.

Which is another thing this amendment would do.

[merrily]

30. The Republican House will vote your way.

[Uncle Joe]

2. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, freshwest.

[sheshe2]

4. Awesome post!

"We the People" are on the move!

Thank you Jim Hightower

Yes, it's push back time. The GOP and Scotus have messed with our rights long enough! It's time to draw our line in the sand. We need to be aggressive and need to get the hell out there and vote in 2014!

Be Heard people. Be Heard!

GOTV 2014

Most excellent thread, freshwest.

[freshwest]

6. I've enjoyed Hightower for years. We need to get this done right. There are mentions on several OPs.

I'll post the links later on other takes on this.

Thanks guys for the Recs, hope this from Jim will inspire more action.

[sheshe2]

7. Excellent! Thanks freshwest.

Re; Women and HL...

See what theHandpuppet posted on Boston's rally....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11384125

We are indeed fired up freshwest. It's all happening. you are so right, We need to get all of this done.

[freshwest]

9. There was this one, too:

Hundreds rally in Boston to support women’s rights

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/08/patrick-rallies-hundreds-gathered-city-hall-plaza-oppose-high-court-decisions-women-issues/QEsTzk28rJRObzH1skg1UO/story.html

http://election.democraticunderground.com/10025216047

There was a great pic there, it made me think of you!



But why is Patrick leaving office? What does he have planned?

I remember him when he spoke at the 2012 DNC and posted the video on your thread with this picture of him and Obama:



Gov. Deval Patrick's Rousing DNC Speech

Published on Sep 4, 2012

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's full speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

More on Governor Patrick:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deval_Patrick

Thanks for the picture of him with Obama. So many patriots out of the great state of Massachusetts. 2014 and 2016, here we come!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110219292#post5

[sheshe2]

13. I wish he would stay.

I love our Governor. I don't know what his plans are. It is my belief that Coakley will indeed be our next Governor....

I saw that thread and I posted this

Coakley told the crowd of women and men, “Let’s just not get angry — let’s get even.” She said the decisions are among many obstacles impeding women’s efforts to achieve full equality with men.

http://election.democraticunderground.com/10025216047#post30

Maybe he plans a run for President....hmmm. Maybe he does.

Thank you for all those wonderful pictures and videos, freshwest. Awesome!

[freshwest]

14. I'd love him to run. We need another feminist president!

From the Boston Globe:

Governor Deval Patrick told an energized crowd rallying in support of access to contraception and abortion Tuesday to not be discouraged by recent US Supreme Court rulings.

“You’ve got a Legislature, legislative leadership, and a governor who want to make this right,” Patrick told hundreds assembled at City Hall Plaza. “Come make a claim on your government and tell your stories, above all, because we have to build the record that will sustain the legislation I believe we can move and get enacted before the session ends at the end of this month.”

Cheers rose from the plaza, where the crowd had gathered to voice outrage at recent rulings that struck down a Massachusetts law banning protesters within 35 feet of abortion clinics and that approved of a religious exemption to the federal requirement that employers cover contraception in insurance plans...

I loved this:

“There was a time when the Supreme Court said that there weren’t any rights for me that white people needed to acknowledge or care about,” Patrick said. “Once upon a time, it was the law of the land that same-sex couples couldn’t marry, in Massachusetts or a whole [lot] of other places.”

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/08/patrick-rallies-hundreds-gathered-city-hall-plaza-oppose-high-court-decisions-women-issues/QEsTzk28rJRObzH1skg1UO/story.html

Got some truly great voices there in New England...

[sheshe2]

15. Oh yes....that quote.

“There was a time when the Supreme Court said that there weren’t any rights for me that white people needed to acknowledge or care about,” Patrick said. “Once upon a time, it was the law of the land that same-sex couples couldn’t marry, in Massachusetts or a whole of other places.”

[freshwest]

21. Obama looks so happy in all the pictures with Patrick. Thanks for the pic. And get the Koch$s out!

[littlemissmartypants]

23. Very nice. eom

[sheshe2]

25. :)

Gotta run. I went to bed at 6 AM yesterday. Gotta sleep!



See you later~

[littlemissmartypants]

19. I love watching the waves roll in. nt

[Cha]

8. Thank you, freshwest.. excellent OP.

[littlemissmartypants]

20. Indeed. eom

[conservaphobe]

10. I'll be watching that vote closely.

The 'NO' votes are not our friends.

[freshwest]

16. True. Look for two PMs.

[littlemissmartypants]

22. Thank you. nt

Love, Peace and Shelter.

[littlemissmartypants]

24. "Come make a claim on your government..."

I am in love.

[BootinUp]

37. "Unequal Protection": The Deciding Moment

Thom Hartman has written about the history of corporations as persons. I only just found it but looks really well done.


http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/375-unequal-protection-the-deciding-moment#14038056170401&action=collapse_widget&id=3679564

[freshwest]

39. What a great article and history lesson. VIDEO, too:

Thom Hartmann: Scott Walker is the face now - but the first culprit was 100 years ago.

The Big Picture RT

Uploaded on Mar 14, 2011

You may think what's happening across this country - like Scott Walker's efforts in Wisconsin - to strip rights from working people and give multi-million dollar tax breaks to corporations is something new. It's not.

It's why this is so hard to fight without momentum and our getting involved, as it's engrained in the fabric of American law and business and has been for generations. Thanks for bringing it here, I'm a long-time fan of Thom, no matter what venue he uses for advocacy.

[myrna minx]

38. I'm so glad to see the Dems taking the offensive on some of the most egregious rogue SC decisions.

Even if they fail, it shows there's push back.

[Mc Mike]

40. Rec. Thanks, fresh. Nt.