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Restore the Power to the People: Amend the Constitution! by William John Cox

But remember, this power of the people on top depends on the obedience of the people below. When people stop obeying, they have no power.  — Howard Zinn

by William John Cox
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
www.thevoters.org
January 28, 2010

Corporate Personhood

by Helen Cox, used with permission

larger view

¿Plata o plomo? Colombian and Mexican drug gangs ask government officials, judges and police officers which they prefer, “silver or lead,” when offering bribes and threatening violence.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision granting corporations the same free speech rights as natural persons allows them to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections and public affairs.

Corporations, foreign and domestic, can now force politicians to choose silver or lead when supporting or opposing corporate and foreign power interests.

Any politician who places the well-being of the public over corporate demands can count on well-financed negative publicity at the next election.  Moreover, corporations will be able to directly influence the election of state judges and the confirmation of federal judges.

With the Congress, White House and Supreme Court now up for sale to the highest bidder, we, the people of the United States of America, must exercise our fading power before it is lost forever.

The 11th and 12th Amendments clearly establish that the Constitution exists to protect the rights and powers of the people, not corporations.

It is our Constitution! We must amend it to ensure it protects us, not corporations.

The Power to the People Amendment

Section 1

Only natural persons shall be protected by this Constitution and entitled to the rights and freedoms it guarantees.

Section 2

Nothing contained in this article shall be construed to abridge the freedom of the press for non-person entities engaged in the gathering and reporting of fact, analysis, and opinion. In all other respects, Congress and the States shall regulate and tax non-person entities as necessary for the public good.

Section 3

This article shall become operative once it has been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three-fourths of the States thereof.

William John Cox is a retired prosecutor and public interest lawyer, author and political activist. His 2004 book, You’re Not Stupid! Get the Truth: A Brief on the Bush Presidency is reviewed at http://www.yourenotstupid.com, and he is currently working on a fact-based fictional political philosophy. His writings are collected at http://www.votersevolt.com, and he can be contacted at u2cox@msn.com.

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From the archives:

Fixing A Bad Supreme Court Decision by Joel S. Hirschhorn

Overrule the Court: Sign the Motion to Amend

Supremes Murder the First Amendment: Whaddaya Gonna Do? By Gary Corseri

Michael Moore on Haiti, the Supreme Court Decision on Corporate Campaign Financing, and Why He Calls the Democrats “Disgusting”

Democracy in America Is a Useful Fiction by Chris Hedges