Stand up and FIGHT the Commodification of Democracy!

[Writer]

Today, democracy died. Instead of a democracy that supports "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," the Supreme Court voted today to re-write the U.S. Constitution in order to support "life, liberty, and the pursuit of property." It is, in effect, the commodification of the democratic process in this country, where speech appears in the form of quantified dollars. And it is through these means, instead of a reasoned argument, that decisions will be made. Democracy has died. In its place, a plutocracy has arisen.

The US Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States, but today's 5-4 decision opens the floodgates of populist insurrection. It is the moment when Americans must stand and ask themselves whether they are willing to fight for the American ideals of true speech, not commodified speech.

It isn't a ruling that benefits only corporations, it benefits everyone who carries coin. The ruling benefits the use of personal property in order to influence the direction of the country, and the organized collection of personal property in order to usurp true speech with the phony symbolism as represented by the American dollar. This evisceration of the public sphere by the private sphere unleashed by this hideous decision cannot be permitted to linger. It must be squelched.

We simply must take a stand to fight for a constitutional amendment that explicitly states that the exchange of money for the benefit of supporting elections is not a form of speech. Not only must there be a separation of church and state in this nation, but also a separation of commercial and public interests.

Stand up and FIGHT. Start HERE by posting links to every public petition, movement, and organized action that presses for a constitutional amendment that will break the link between the dollar and symbolic speech. Keep this thread kicked as well as the FIGHT to put an end to this travesty.

~Writer~

[Peacetrain]

1. Let me be the first to KICK

[Betsy Ross]

2. k&r

http://grayson.house.gov/2010/01/grayson-save-our-democracy.shtml

[Gregorian]

3. Barney Frank is working with the SEC to curb corporate behavior.

No link. But it's one avenue to pursue.

[midnight]

4. K&R.

[Writer]

5. Kick, because this isn't a joke. n/t

[tranche]

6. People on DU are too busy preparing to primary Obama.

[Writer]

7. The lack of fire surrounding this issue on DU is pretty shocking. n/t

[babydollhead]

8. kick it

[waiting]

9. k&r

Very important that this not remain the law.