Open Thread – Move to Amend
A Move to Amend rally on Anchorage’s Federal Court House steps on the second anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling “Citizens United”
will be one of many rallies all over the country on (hopefully) all 100 federal court steps in the nation.
The ANCHORAGE CHAPTER OF movetoamend.org will host a rally on “Legalizing Democracy and Challenging Corporate Personhood” in an attempt to raise awareness to Overrule the Supreme Court and reestablish a government of, by, and for the people. The local educational rally will be at the Federal Court House @ 7th and C, from 11am-1pm on January 20th.
The rally will focus on how Anchorage can join the national movement against Corporate Personhood. Attendees will be able to show support by signing an endorsement of this resolution: Corportations are not people, money is not speech. Collected signatures will eventually go to the Anchorage Assembly.
“Corporate Personhood” commonly refers to court-created precedent that gives corporations constitutional rights intended solely for human beings. “Corporate personhood is not an inconsequential legal technicality. The Supreme Court ruled that a corporation was a ‘legal person’ with 14th Amendment protections before they granted full personhood to African-Americans, immigrants, natives, or women”, states David Cobb, a national spokesperson for Move to Amend and an attorney helping to lead the coalition.
“We are inspired by historic social movements that recognized the necessity of altering fundamental power relationships,” said Cobb. “America has progressed through ordinary people joining together—from the Revolutionaries to Abolitionists, Suffragists, Trade Unionists, and Civil Rights activists through to today. Move to Amend is a long-term effort to make the U.S. Constitution more democratic.”
“We are a diverse coalition with deep roots in communities nationwide. We recognize that amending the Constitution to restore the power of the people over corporations will not be easy, but we know correcting the Supreme Court is imperative to the progress of our nation,” stated Cobb.
Over 300,000 people have signed an online petition supporting a constitutional amendment at www.MoveToAmend.org which states: that money is not speech, a corporation is not a person, all corporations are subject to regulation, all campaign contributions will be disclosed and allows for no loopholes. The amendment will put people in charge of our government, and corporations in their proper place.
The local rally will take place on January 20th on the Federal Court House steps at 7th and C. For more information visit: MoveToAmend.org or the local facebook page.
OK, Iowans. Why the disparity in incarceration rates? (Not that I know that CA is any better).
“Black-white incarceration disparities are highest in the Northeast and Midwest and, overall, lowest in the South. Iowa, for example, has a black-to-white incarceration of 13-to-1 while Mississippi’s ratio is 3-to-1.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0121/Haley-Barbour-pardons-Why-were-the-forgiven-so-disproportionately-white
How do we get rid of the types of prejudice that cause these kinds of things?
Iowa likes to claim law enforcement doesn’t racial profile Hispanics,but they have a terrific record of gathering in people that look Hispanic randomly,almost to the exclusion of other ethnicities. If Iowans were that good at guessing,I would have won the lottery by now and I haven’t. Must be one of them there left-behind ones from dubya’s days as screw -up -in -chief.
I got the best news ever earlier today and have waited to share it until I had digested it. My neighbor across the section to the West brought over a meat tray and some Snickerdoodle cookies,his wife baked just for mikey. I have never had a snickerdoodle before and I consider myself the luckiest person in the world tonight. Everyone grab a snickerdoodle and we can salute neighbors in times of need. And I sure needed them snickerdoodles. Salud!
As one of them furriners, I had to google snickerdoodle. They sound really goodle. Slainte Mhor!
Sounds like what you might get if you crossed a sugar cookie, a mix of carmel, peanuts and chocolate, and pooodle trying to suppress a laugh.
Snickerdoodles are wonderful!
Good on your neighbor for being a good neighbor , also, too!
Mmmm…made some last week and they were mighty tasty. I love me some snickerdoodles!
Do you make yours with shortening or butter? I am a shortening person, myself. I don’t make them for health reasons.
And if they cheer up our Mike, then they’re worth all the crisco on the planet.
Better Half uses margarine when she makes them,,,,, they never last more than a day in this house….
It depends. I must confess that the batch I made last week was from a cookie mix. Betty Crocker, I think? They needed a stick of margarine, melted.
Probably not quite as good as from scratch, but they hit the spot on a cold, snowy day and the cinnamon made the house smell wonderful! 🙂
I also have a recipe for a snickerdoodle cake that someone from work gave me. Haven’t tried it yet but she says it’s delicious.
And you didn’t POST IT!????
If you made them with butter, they’d be good for you. 🙂
Mike, I had never heard before that you’d had such a deprived childhood. My condolences. I would have uploaded some smickerdoodles before this had I known.
I grew up on snickerdoodles, raised my kids on them, sent them in care packages to London to each of my kids when they were studying there, later to South Korea, The Netherlands, and Germany. Dad’s birthday was last week and we had snickerdoodles instead of cake–his favorite. I’m taking them to a meeting tomorrow. I’ve sent that darned recipe all around the world after my kids would share those cookies. They’re universal.
You will have to eat a lot of them to make up for lost time.
Glad you have such good neighbors. You’re a lucky fella.
Wuz I depraved because I wuz deprived or deprived because I was depraved? How do you define nelghbors? I read somewhere once that any one in need was a neighbor. Works for moi.
Snickerdoodles
1 C. soft shortening like Crisco. Not butter or margarine
1 1/2 C. sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 C. flour
2 t. cream of tartar
12 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400°
With electric mixer or wooden spoon, thoroughly mix together the shortening, sugar, and egg in a large bowl until light.
Add the cream of tarter,baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Add flour, beating in slowly and scraping sides of bowl until well combined.
Combine the 2 T. of sugar with the cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll dough in balls the size of small walnuts. Roll the balls in the cinnamon mixture. Place about 2″ apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 9-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from sheet and cool on paper towels.
That sure sounds like what I’m eating.
It was a great rally. A little on the cold side, but well attended, all things considered. I liked the sign that said “Honk of you’re a person.” I didn’t hear too many corporaitons honking their horns.
HT to someone on the daily caller.
Conflation of arse with ass when used to convey stupidity, shows the speaker’s ignorance of language, lack of awareness of their own limitations, and an egotistical contempt for the audience. Half Governor Palin’s use of the British vulgarism in this context to avoid the acceptable use of ass in order coyly skirt TV sensitivities, is too clever by half. Palin is both a fool and a knaive , and literally does not know her buttocks from a male donkey.
show more show less
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/19/palin-dumb-arses-in-media-overplayed-their-hand-with-gingrich/#ixzz1k2gQsdar
I wish I could have been there, and I wish this had been better-advertised. I’d heard about it previously, but forgot about it until yesterday; I went to check movetoamend.org and Anchorage wasn’t listed! At that point I thought it wasn’t happening at all.
The Republicans—-A club of liars
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,800850,00.html
I don’t remember where I read it, but somebody said the Republican field was the most modestly intellectually endowed in memory.
They would be modestly intellectually endowed if they were running for governor.
They would be modestly intellectually endowed if they were running for mayor or a metropolis.
They would be modestly intellectually endowed if they were running for congress.
They would be modestly intellectually endowed if they were running for small town mayor.
Many of them have great experience, yet, they are still intellectually under powered–like a 1967 VW van in the Sierras. Trust me. I know.
I am an extremely bright person. I pick things up like that. I can work long hours on little sleep. But I am nowhere near bright enough or perceptive enough to be President. And I am leaps and bounds beyond these guys.
plus you are not a sociopath. i would vote for you in a heartbeat.
I have had the good fortune to share a Baileys with Bubbles in her bed!
She is not mad!
hey, hey now… I LOVED my VW 66 Bus … it was ONLY underpowered when going UP hill!! … and the wipers didn’t work too good in Fla thunderstorms,,,,
Oh, the wipers! I forgot about those! Flip . . . . . . . . flop. . . . . .. . . flip. . . . . . . . flop
We had our ’67 bus in ’76. If was entertaining to watch people fuming behind us on Hwy 17 as we chugged up at what seemed like 3mph.
We used it on our honeymoon after a friend’s stepfather’s cabin that we were going to use burned to the ground. It was fun!
Are you getting any rain? I hope so.
Thanks for posting, Lacy Lady. The field has shrunk to half its former size, but the klown kar keeps rolling.
Alito, Scalia and Thomas should be arrested, tried for treason, convicted, sentenced; and sent to Alcatraz. just put them there. give them a pound of guv’mint cheese, a Godfather’s pizza and a blanket. LOL!
oh yes. also. too. they will need company and entertainment so put Herman Cain, the Koch’s and the rest of the GOP contenders in there with them. that will make America a little bit safer and a nicer place to live for us all.
Last I heard Native Americans had taken possession of Alcatraz and would probably not appreciate such garbage being dumped in their laps again. It is long past time to cut NA slack and get out of their lives so they can live the way their customs dictate.
But Alcatraz is a fun place to visit! And it provides revenue!
Send them to Nome, where they’ll have to use heating oil from Russia! That oughta gag them!!!!!!!
Well, I guess that’s not fair to the Nomians, or Nomites, or . . .what do you call yourselves?
And I’m very glad you got heating oil. It would be a shame to have to chop down the tropical rain forest all around town just to heat the house.
See America! Visit Alcatraz!
http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm
I wonder why the Mavricky Mystery Tour Bus didn’t drive there?
that’s fine. Nome is good. we will send them there instead.
Mike glad to hear the people got Alcatraz back. now we need to return it to the pristine island it once was.
Well, duh. The residents of Nome are called “Gnomes.”
Of course! Silly me!
Alcatraz is WAY too good for them, bubbles. And Nome is in Alaska, and we love our Alaskans. My vote is to strip them of US citizenship and force them all to relocate — how about the polygamist compound where Willard’s dad was born?
that will work Zyx. i am all for stripping them of their mansions, their cars, their art, their jewels, their ill gotten monies, their women and last but not least their citizenship. i would then love to see which countries would embrace them and allow them entry. i have a feeling their options would be limited.
Oh, Alaskans would be happy to ask the Healy to drop them on the ice off the coast a number of miles . That would be ok.
Or Chuginadak Island would be ok too.
The AVO peeps in there via satelitte reasonably often so we could semi keep an eye on them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Volcano
Chuginadak island looks perfect. I do prefer the ice off the coast, however. When the sea ice disappears and they drown, do you think they’ll still be denying global climate change? Probably …
actually ,,,, Guantanamo might be a really good place for them….. what’s good enough for those held outside the normal justice system should be just fine for them to experience…..
I stopped at “strip them.” I could go with that, as long as I don’t have to look and it’s reaaally cold out.
I love Alaska and the people who live there (with a few notable exceptions), and I hate to sully your wonderful state with refuse, but I think I have the perfect solution for where to send that little band of mongrels.
I do believe that the US Fish and Wildlife Service could use some folks on Rat Island in the Aleutians to monitor the island and keep and eye out for a reinfestation of brown rats. There they could do something useful and they’d certainly be able to easily identify those of their own kind!
Newt and Mitt are making the headlines this side of the pond. Not in a good way. Also too, the crooner from the White House has scored bigtime! 🙂
I watched the video of the President singing this afternoon and when it was over I was grinning from ear to ear and spontaneously exclaimed (to me, myself and I who were the only people in the room), “That was adorable!”
I have NEVER before referred to a President as ‘adorable’.
The singing shocked me (who knew he had such a nice tenor voice?) and the Obama grin, giggle and comment to whomever was standing in the wings were…well…..adorable! He had that same cute, slightly smug expression on his face as he did on the baby whisperer video when he looked back at Michelle.
Our President is coool and has oodles of charisma. Romney or Gingrich couldn’t hope to pull off something like that in a million years.
He is adorable!
Be still my beating heart… 🙂
Citizens United is a legally bizarre decision, but the SCOTUS (or at least the K-RATS) has shown that it is willing to stand on its head to maintain the advantage it created for corporate money in the political process. Here in AZ, we have what is known as the Clean Elections Law to provide public campaign funding. One of its provisions, intended to maintain funding parity, would have incremented funding for publicly funded candidates based on the spending of opponents who were not running publicly funded campaigns. SCOTUS ruled that provision unconstitutional on grounds that it would restrict free speech. We NEED a legal redefinition of Corporation, some actual campaign/election reforms, and a Federal Elections Commission that is not itself a political toy that can be manipulated (or emasculated) by one party for its own advantage. And I suggest the redefinition of Corporation should move back toward restricting their activities to their originally chartered purpose, as was originally the case. (Of course, getting the RATS out of the SCOTUS would be good, too.:)
The Supreme Court voted 7-2 to give an Alabama death row inmate a new trial because his prestigious NY law firm quit the case and didn’t notify the defendant. Scalia and his con-joined at the ego evil twin Thomas dissented. Scalia says defendants should be held accountable for their lawyers actions. Scalia is willing to let innocent people die on technicalities.
A couple weeks before that , Thomas was the lone vote against granting a new trial in a case involving a prosecutor
withholding exculpatory evidence in the original trial.
Lord love the rwnj on the Scotus,cuz I sure as hell don’t. Real beauts,aren’t they?
Stephen Colbert live in SC. The crowds are huge!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/20/stephen-colbert-herman-cain-rally-live_n_1219204.html?ref=comedy
Herman Cain is on now.
So old HC is now a sideshow monkey.What an enormous step up for the serial aldulterer who doesn’t adult.
Yup!
If we don’t elect Herman Cain, China might get nuclear weapons.
Ooo… Good one. Bravo!
Herman is still busy looking for Becky becky stan.
Isn’t she in line to be Newt’s wife #4?
If Newt doesn’t get her first!
While an amendment would be a permanent solution, I hope citizens from all states put great pressure on their representatives to propose/pass legislation to blunt this decision, starting with: require frequent, transparent accountings of all donors to PACs, Super PACs, and federal campaign accounts of Congresspeople.
Shine a bright light on who is buying our legislators.
Second, ban all past Congressmen from becoming Washington lobbyists. Permanently.
fanned and faved.
loved your comment CO Native. made me think of this: George Carlin; It’s a Big Club and You Ain’t in It.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5dBZDSSky0&feature=player_embedded#!
Loved George Carlin! My favorite: what does a dog do on his day off? His job is to lay around… 😉
Totally agreed. And it should apply to Alaska also.
As one of my favorite signs from OWS said, I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.
And that should be on the other side of the tee shirt. I LIKE that tee shirt. Where can I get one?
Could they start with AT&T?
If corporations are people, does that make Romney a serial killer ?
🙂 !
The picture sums it up nicely.
Agreed.
This is a nice way to start off the day. I guarandarntee you that it will make you smile.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/20/obama-al-green-apollo-theater_n_1218070.html
I want him to sing more. That was fun.