Monterey members act on Citizens United anniversary for rights and protection of water

Monterey County (CA) AfD'ers, members of WILPF Monterey County, and other supporters leafletted at three local post offices on the first anniversary of the Citizens United decision. The group's two-sided leaflets spoke about Citizen’s United and asked people to sign the MovetoAmend petition, with contact info for local organizing. The other side supported a local campaign to buy out CalAm, an international corporation that provides water to the Monterey peninsula, and return water to local public control.

Chapter member Sue Hubbard writes, "At all the locations we found people very reception to the idea of taking corporate money out of elections with a low number of negative reactions. I personally was in Carmel which is a very wealthy area so I was heartened to find so many people who were strongly against Citizen’s United."

In addition to leafletting, Susan spoke on a local progressive radio station, and member Darby Moss Worth published the following letter in the Monterey County Herald:

Most Americans know that corporations are not people and that money is not speech.

But one year ago — Jan. 21, 2010 — the United States Supreme Court ruled that corporations have First Amendment free speech rights (Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission). This allowed corporations to spend unlimited amounts of bribery money on elections. Thus, the controversial "corporate personhood" was affirmed as the law of the land and ensured corporate domination of politics.

Personhood in the 14th Amendment can be traced to a decision made in 1886 to insert the term (Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad). Before that time, there were restrictions placed on corporations to protect the people.

The problem is growing corporate power. At this current time of general austerity, increasing unemployment and poverty, we cannot ignore the state of our nation and the increasing danger that our government is no longer of, by and for the people.

The Monterey County Alliance for Democracy urges you to sign the petition at www.movetoamend.com and join us for discussion and further action at 12:30p.m. on the first Saturday of each month at the Peace Resource Center in Seaside.