Those two key ideas were written on protest signs and they were sung and shouted thru the 25 degree air when about 70 people of a variety of ages gathered near the federal courthouse on Marconi Boulevard. Columbus joined communities all over the country to mark the second anniversary of the US Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
Three of our city's organizers for Occupy the Courts spoke with the Columbus Free Press recently. Two of them also spoke with WCRS Columbus.
Bob Krasen, Doug Todd, and Michael Greenman work with Move to Amend, Central Ohio. Krasen said the word about today's protest is out to a fairly good number of organizations.
"Nobody really knows how many are going to come, but we’re hoping for a crowd of a couple hundred.”
Krasen said the demonstrations against the Citizens United decision can also be celebrations of activists coming together in common cause to defeat this threat to our democratic republic.
He said Move to Amend has crafted language that makes its amendment to the US Constitution the best among as many as seven other proposals
Fellow organizer Todd said giving corporations the rights of natural persons is the result of a long string of Supreme Court decisions going back to the 19th Century, but that Citizens United was the straw that broke the camel's back.
“It opens the floodgate, but even before Citizens United, there was already too much money in elections.”
Todd said the ruling has made it easier for super PACs to spend a lot of money on media
Fellow organizer Greenman said corporate power over major media outlets is only one part of the problem.
"Most of the major issues today that are a detriment to society, to quality of life, to freedom, to democracy, to the environment, and to education, come back sooner or later to corporate influence or corporate money."
This is at least part of the reason our political system is at an impasse, said Greenman.
"There is no way for our elected representatives to go against the significant wishes of the corporate will."
He said Congresspersons spend a lot of their time every day on getting money for reelection
Bob Krasen, Doug Todd, and Michael Greenman work with Move to Amend, Central Ohio. Krasen said the word about today's protest is out to a fairly good number of organizations.
"Nobody really knows how many are going to come, but we’re hoping for a crowd of a couple hundred.”
Krasen said the demonstrations against the Citizens United decision can also be celebrations of activists coming together in common cause to defeat this threat to our democratic republic.
He said Move to Amend has crafted language that makes its amendment to the US Constitution the best among as many as seven other proposals
Fellow organizer Todd said giving corporations the rights of natural persons is the result of a long string of Supreme Court decisions going back to the 19th Century, but that Citizens United was the straw that broke the camel's back.
“It opens the floodgate, but even before Citizens United, there was already too much money in elections.”
Todd said the ruling has made it easier for super PACs to spend a lot of money on media
Fellow organizer Greenman said corporate power over major media outlets is only one part of the problem.
"Most of the major issues today that are a detriment to society, to quality of life, to freedom, to democracy, to the environment, and to education, come back sooner or later to corporate influence or corporate money."
This is at least part of the reason our political system is at an impasse, said Greenman.
"There is no way for our elected representatives to go against the significant wishes of the corporate will."
He said Congresspersons spend a lot of their time every day on getting money for reelection