Thursday, January 21, 2010

Proposed amendment would outlaw corporate personhood

It's finally happening, folks!

A proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that this blog has endorsed almost from the get-go is now the subject of a major grassroots movement!

But it needs your help. It can't pass if you don't work for it.

After today's Supreme Court outrage, a major effort to pass a constitutional amendment against corporate personhood is forming.

Neither the First Amendment nor any other constitutional right was ever intended to protect corporations. Our organisms-only constitutional rights club is supposed to be just that. But activist judges and lawmakers have nibbled away at this doctrine - even as they deprive people of the same rights they bestow upon corporations.

The new push for the corporate personhood amendment is designed to remedy today's ruling. The current proposal reads:

"Section 1. The sovereign right of the people to govern being essential to a free democracy, no corporation, limited liability entity, or other corporate entity created by state or federal law or the law of another nation shall enjoy the rights of free speech and expression protected for the people by the First Amendment.

"Section 2. Congress and the States may regulate the expenditure of funds by any corporation, limited liability company, or other corporate entity in public election activity.

"Section 3. Nothing contained in this Article shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press."


I'd broaden the first clause to say corporations shall not enjoy any of the rights that are supposed to be enjoyed only by people - not just the First Amendment. However, I'd leave unchanged the third clause in this work of brilliance, which safeguards the free flow of ideas - which has always been a right of the people.

You can read details about this amendment here:

http://www.freespeechforpeople.org/amendment

Will this amendment pass? It can be done. We fought a seemingly invincible giant like Pathway Family Center - AND WON! So surely we can pass this amendment.

Brings a whole new meaning to "Yes, we can!", doesn't it? We can. And we WILL. If you think we can't, ask PFC what we did to them.

I plan to post more details later about how the U.S. Constitution is amended. As it has not been amended since 1992, constitutional scholars are going to have to blow the dust off a procedure that hasn't been successfully used in 18 years.

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