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Unequal
Protection
The
Rise of Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights
Posted November 10, 2002, thepeoplesvoice.org
By THOM HARTMANN
www.unequalprotection.com
& www.thomhartmann.com
Contact: Louise@thomhartmann.com
New research uncovers evidence
that "corporate
personhood" doctrine is a mistake
Democracy is rule of
government “by the consent of the governed” – those human persons who
are citizens and voters. As
corporations take over functions of government and seize control of
politicians, democracy is eroded.
Because of a mistaken interpretation of a Supreme Court reporter's
notes in an 1886 railroad tax case, corporations are now legally considered
"persons," equal to humans and entitled to many of the same
protections once guaranteed only to humans by the Bill of Rights - a clear
contradiction of the intent of the Founders of the United States. The result
of this corporate personhood has been:
| |
Before 1886: Before
the Corporate Theft of Human Rights |
After 1886: After
the Corporate Theft of Human Rights |
| Rights and Privileges |
Only
humans were “endowed by their creator with certain inalienable
rights” and those human rights included the right to free speech,
the right to privacy, the right to silence in the face of
accusation, and the right to live free of discrimination or
slavery. |
While
to this day unions, churches, governments, and small unincorporated
businesses do not have “human rights” (but only privileges
humans give them), corporations alone have moved into the category
with humans as claiming rights instead of just privileges. |
| Politics |
It
was a felony for corporations to give money to politicians,
political parties, or try to influence elections: “They can’t
vote, so what are they doing involved in politics?!” |
Corporations
claimed the human right of free speech, expanded that to mean the
unlimited right to put corporate money into politics, and have thus
taken control of our major political parties and politicians |
| Business |
States
and local communities had laws to protect and nurture entrepreneurs
and local businesses, and to keep out companies that had been
convicted of crimes. |
Multi-state
corporations claimed such laws were “discrimination” under the
14th Amendment (passed to free the slaves) and got such
laws struck down; local communities can no longer stop a
Wal-Mart. |
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War |
Government,
elected by and for “We, The People,” made decisions about how
armies would be equipped and, based on the will of the general
populace, if and when we would go to war.
Prior to WWII there were no permanent military manufacturing
companies of significant size. |
Corporations
grew to enormous size as a result of WWII and a permanent arms
industry came into being, what Dwight Eisenhower called “the
military/industrial complex.” It
now lobbies government to buy its products and use them in wars around
the world. |
|
Regulation |
Corporations
had to submit to the scrutiny of the representatives of “We, The
People,” our elected government. |
Corporations
have claimed 4th Amendment human right to privacy and used
it to keep out OSHA, EPA, and to hide crimes. |
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Purpose |
Corporations
were chartered for a single purpose, had to also serve the public
good, and had fixed/limited life spans. |
Corporations
lobbied states to change corporate charter laws to eliminate “public
good” provisions from charters, to allow multiple purposes, |
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Ownership |
Just
as human persons couldn’t own other persons, corporations couldn’t
own the stock of other corporations (mergers and acquisitions were
banned). |
Corporations
claim the human right to economic activity free of regulatory
restraint, and the now-banned-for-humans right to own others of their
own kind. |
“If you wonder why
and when giant corporations got the power to reign supreme over us, here's
the story. Plus, Hartmann tell us what we need to do to regain our people's
sovereignty.”
--
Jim Hightower, America's #1 Populist
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Thom
Hartmann is the author of "Unequal Protection: The Rise of Corporate
Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights," and "The Last Hours of
Ancient Sunlight www.unequalprotection.com
This chart is copyright by Thom Hartmann, but permission is granted
for reprint in print or web media so long as this credit is attached.
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