99Rise - Lawrence Lessig joins the march

[NCcoast]

Visalia, CA – On June 3rd, Harvard University Professor of Law and political activist, Lawrence Lessig, will be spending his birthday with over a dozen activists from the grassroots organization, 99Rise, on their 480-mile “March for Democracy” across the state of California, a campaign to raise awareness and mobilize the public around the issue of big money corruption in American politics. They plan to complete their march at the state capitol building in Sacramento on June 22nd, where they will demand that the state legislature publicly acknowledge what they are calling “the crisis of corruption” and take immediate action to end it.

“This nation was founded on the principle of one person, one vote,” said Kai Newkirk, co-founder and organizer of 99Rise. “Generations of Americans have shed blood, sweat, and tears to make that principle a reality, from the abolitionists to women’s suffragists, to supporters of The Civil Rights Movement. But now their hard work and sacrifice is being systematically undermined by the out-of-control political spending of a small wealthy elite. It’s time for our generation to step up and do whatever it takes to reclaim democracy for the people of this country. That’s why we’re marching to Sacramento,” Newkirk explained.

The statewide march comes on the heels of two Supreme Court decisions—Citizens United vs. FEC and McCutcheon vs. FEC—that have further enabled wealthy donors to contribute even larger sums to candidates running for political office. 2012 was the most expensive election in the country’s history, with a price tag exceeding 6 billion dollars, but with only 0.04% of Americans contributing more than $200 to political candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Newkirk recently made headlines for his interruption of Supreme Court proceedings and his subsequent arrest, the first time such an act of civil disobedience has been caught on video.

[Le Taz Hot]

1. K & R

(You knew I would.)

[daleanime]

2. K&R....

[sabrina 1]

3. One person, one vote!

It's ludicrous to claim that Corporations are people. Sometimes you wonder if they are trying to find out how much garbage people can be persuaded to believe. Some sort of test of how far they can go before people will finally say 'no'.

[Unknown Beatle]

4. "Some sort of test of how far they can go before people will finally say 'no'."

I think it will be "Enough!"

[Cha]

5. Thanks NCcoast

[xchrom]

6. du rec.

[NCcoast]

7. Thanks to all of you. I honestly believe that this action can bear fruit

We need to keep this action in front of people both here and in social media. Again, I think it's the right message and the right solution. And the length of the action allows us, the public, to network and build awareness of the event. It could be a model for other activists to conduct marches to their capitals with the same agenda.

[johnnyreb]

8. Evening KICK!

[NCcoast]

9. They're going to be in Fresno tomorrow

If you're in the area you might come out and march with then. It will be interesting to see what kind of reception they get there.