Speak Up! Speak Out!

Corporate Power

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Overturning Citizens United - October 3, 2012

Grassroots movements are underway to overturn the Supreme Court decision know as "Citizens United" by amending the Constitution. Ginny is joined by long time Port Townsend community organizer Steve Hamm, representing the group "Move to Amend"; and Ken Dammand, retired Everett fire captain, and member of Occupy Everett, who is representing Washington Public Campaigns.

Steve and Ken address the historic background which set the stage for the Supreme Court decision, and outline how their groups and others are fighting it. In this early stage of the campaign, citizens are asked to encourage municipal, state, and federal legislators to pass resolutions addressing corporate personhood and money as speech.

To read the amendment Move to Amend has proposed, go to: http://www.movetoamend.org/democracy-amendment
To volunteer to contact your state legislators in Washington Public Campaigns' phone tree, send an email to: ken@washclean.org

Today's show is dedicated to Craig Salins, who until his recent untimely death, was the larger-than-life executive director of Washington Public Campaigns.

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Skagit Democracy School - August 22, 2012

SUSO's Jodie Buller speaks with Deymain Lesar and Scott Morgan from the local group Living Democracy Skagit, about the consequences of corporate personhood and the way that communities across the country are re-organizing the legal framework and leveling the playing field, with Democracy Schools and Citizens Bills of Rights Initiatives. Living Democracy Skagit is hosting a Democracy School on October 12 & 13 at the Skagit Food Co-op in downtown Mount Vernon.
For more information about this work:
Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund - http://www.CELDF.org Living Democracy Skagit meets every other Thursday at the Skagit Food Co-op, email Deymian for more information on their meetings and to register for Democracy School: dl.evergreen@yahoo.com
The Spokane Declaration - http://envisionseattle.org/2012/08/the-spokane-declaration-by-the-washington-community-rights-network.html
Bellingham's Initiative and the Coal Trains Fight - http://www.coalfreebellingham.org

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Coal Free Bellingham Campaign - June 6, 2012

Rick Dubrow and Stoney Bird join Ginny to discuss the Coal Free Bellingham Campaign. They are two organizers of an effort to get a ballot initiative passed in Bellingham which would ban coal trafficking within the city. Rick and Stoney talk about the limitations of the existing regulatory processes which have prompted other communities to pass this kind of legislation, why their group in Bellingham is attempting do it now, and what kind of response they are getting.

For more information:
website for Coal Free Bellingham: http://www.coal-free-bellingham.org
website for Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (think tank behind all this work): http://www.CELDF.org
Bellingham campaign phone number: (360) 389-3314
email: info@coal-free-bellingham.org

Events: July 21: Thomas Linzey, founder of CELDF, will be in Bellingham - details on Coal Free Bellingham website
Oct: Richard Heinberg, of the Post Carbon Institute will be in Bellingham. More at Living Democracy website: http://www.livingdemocracy.org

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Taking Back the Right to Self Governance - May 18, 2011

Environmental Legal Defense Fund. Mr. Linzey has worked for years to help communities protect themselves from corporate development project that would cause environmental destruction in their jurisdiction. He now helps municipalities design legislation to challenge the legal foundations that prohibit communities from governing themselves and creating a sustainable future. CELDF conducts "Democracy Schools" in communities throughout the country to train local leaders and activists to do this kind of work.

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Supreme Court decision in "Citizens United," and Corporate Personhood, part 2 - July 14, 2010

This is part 2 of our interview with Steven Reisler, practicing attorney and Chair of the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers' Guild, concerning the Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case removing limits to what corporations may spend in political advertising.

In this interview, Mr. Reisler discusses the nature of the modern corporation, what the legal standing of corporate personhood means in practical terms, and how this recent Supreme Court decision is being used to erode what's left of our democracy.

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Supreme Court decision in "Citizens United," and Corporate Personhood - July 7, 2010
Steven Reisler, practicing attorney and Chair of the Seattle Chapter of the National Lawyers' Guild, discusses the Supreme Court ruling in the Citizens United case removing limits to what corporations may spend in political advertising.

In this first of two interviews, Mr. Reisler puts this recent decision, and the legal status of corporations as persons into context, by reviewing the history of our court system and the role of corporations in our economy and politics since the late 18th Century.

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Paul Cienfuegos: Challenging Corporate Power - August 12,2009

This interview was conducted and produced by Stephanie Potter for "Recovery Zone" on KBOO radio in Portland. We broadcast it with her permission. You can access the original broadcast at http://kboo.fm/node/14909.

Paul Cienfuegos believes that the rights and privileges of "corporate personhood" can be challenged by citizens in their local communities. He gives workshops and lectures training people how to confront this fundamental basis for corporate power, as a more effective way of addressing corporate harms than doing "damage control" through regulation. In this fascinating interview, Paul traces the history which redefined corporations as "persons" and discusses how local communities in this country have successfully challenged this concept. Programs which assist communities is this effort include Program on Corporations, Law and Democracy http://www.poclad.org, and The Community Environmental legal Defense Fund http://www.celdf.org. A coalition called Envision Spokane http://www.envisionspokane.org is the first to introduce a ballot initiative challenging corporate rights west of the Mississippi.

Paul Cienfuegos runs an online bookstore: 100fires.com. He can be reached at 707-443-4483 or paul@100fires.com.

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