Jim Hightower: Top 4 Victories Handed to Corporate America by the Supreme Court -- So Far

[marmar]

via AlterNet:





Hightower Lowdown / By Jim Hightower

Top 4 Victories Handed to Corporate America by the Supreme Court -- So Far
"Judicial activism" is way too tame a phrase for what Chief Justice Roberts & Co did here. This was a coup -- a plotted overthrow to enthrone corporate political interests.

February 19, 2011 |


One of the great works of American political literature is Ambrose Bierce's The Devil's Dictionary, first published in 1906. From A-Z, Bierce offered about a thousand irreverent definitions of political, legal, and cultural terms, getting much closer to the truth of what the words really mean than the formal definitions you'll find in Webster's. For example, consider this stinger: "LAWFUL, adj. Compatible with the will of a judge having jurisdiction."

A century later, Bierce's elucidation of the term pretty well nails the Roberts Court, the five-man junta of Chief Justice John Roberts and his fellow black-robed corporados on the Supreme Court: Sam Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia, and Clarence Thomas. For these extremist judicial activists, 'lawful' is whatever they will it to mean, even if their rulings defy logic, reality, the will of the people, the Founders' clear intentions, legal precedent, common sense, and any sane measure of justice.

While the executive and legislative branches of government receive constant (and often scathing) media scrutiny, the daily decrees of the judicial branch are given only sporadic and mostly superficial coverage. Yet, at the judiciary's highest level, the Roberts Court has become openly and aggressively political, deliberately rigging the scales of justice to enthrone big corporations -- the least democratic force in our society -- over the rest of us.

From behind the imposing marble walls of Washington's majestic Supreme Court building, this slim majority of five unelected, unaccountable government officials with lifelong tenure has been hurling bombs at our democracy. They've hit us with decision after decision enhancing the power of corporations at the direct expense of workers, consumers, local communities, our air and water, voters, the elderly, and... well, anyone and everyone who stands up in court to resist the rise of corporate hegemony in America. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/teaparty/149861/top_4_victories_handed_to_corporate_america_by_the_supreme_court_--_so_far/

[indepat]

1. Is Hightower labeling this so-called felonious five a virulently malevolent form

of fascist? :patriot:

[JohnWxy]

2. RECOMMENDED. Roberts gave legal entities, Corporations, machines designed to make money, the rights

of citizens, of people.

I believe the words used were: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.". Corporations were not created by 'the Creator'. They are machines created by mere humans. They have no 'rights', anymore than an automobile has rights or a drill press has rights.

It is said Corporations can enter into contracts. But acutally, corporations do not sign the contracts. Humans who are given the authority to represent and bind the corporation in contract sign the contracts in the name of the corporation.

Corporations were set up to limit the liability of the stock-holders of the corporation. You can only sue the owners up to the value of the stock they hold in the corporation. There is no such thing as culpability of owners in any actions taken by the corporation in which they hold shares. There can be no 'rights' where there is no responsibility. the people of Love Canal or Bhopol India, know how much responsibility corporations assume (in any real sense of the word) for their actions.