I hope you both have a great Memorial Day Weekend.

It’s interesting that the spying of the federal government on behalf of corporations is so blatant.

Yep. The ALEC link above (and ALECwatch) are really instructive.

Basically, ALEC is the corporate group that writes the Federal and state laws and regulations the megacorps deem neccessary for greater profits and the social control required to keep them on top.

[2] People for the American Way describes ALEC as “a right-wing public policy organization with strong ties to major corporations, trade associations and right-wing politicians” with an agenda that “includes rolling back civil rights, challenging government restrictions on corporate pollution, limiting government regulations of commerce, privatizing public services, and representing the interests of the corporations that make up its supporters.”[3]

The current chair of ALEC is Representative Delores Mertz, a Democratic Party member of the Iowa House of Representatives.

I first learned of ALEC and the “animal enterprise terrorist act” (AETA) – a nasty piece of Federal law that literally makes civil disobedience in any business that can claim to have anythig to do with animals a Federal crime – from Lauren Regan and her great work at the Civil Liberties Defense Center

(if you can give ‘em some love, folks, that would be great)

Join in Fighting the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA)

We are inviting you to join the nationwide grassroots Coalition to Abolish the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA), a critical venture protecting your right to dissent that needs your active participation. Learn more about AETA. Check out our AETA tri-fold. Please feel free to reprint and distribute.

The CLDC is working to halt a similarly bad act, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, S 1959 (the twin of HR 1955, which passed 404-6 in October), which is before the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Senate. According to one source, Sen. Susan Collins, the sponsor of the bill in the Senate, realizes there has been opposition to the bill, and is open to hearing from her constituents.

Will Potter – at GreenIsTheNewRed – covered AETA in a story that made Project Censored’ Top 25 list

They did it. Corporations, industry groups and the politicians that represent them rushed through legislation labeling activists as “terrorists” on the first day back from Congressional recess. Just moments ago the House passed the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act as part of the suspension calendar: in other words it was put on a list of non-controversial bills to pass with one swoop by voice vote.

[snip]

Representative Bobby Scott, often called the go-to guy in the House on civil liberties and civil rights issues, came out swinging in support of the “eco-terrorism” bill. Not only did he not oppose the legislation, he lined up with the corporations, industry groups and conservative extremists in full support of it. Scott, a Democrat, said existing laws have been “reasonably effective” but “gaps and loopholes” prevent law enforcement from going after animal rights “extremists.” Scott failed to note, even in passing, that the existing law – the Animal Enterprise Protection Act – was used to successfully prosecute the SHAC 7 on “animal enterprise terrorism” charges for running a website. Scott dishonestly ignores this crucial bit of information, and said that activists are “taking advantage of the fact that” AEPA doesn’t cover “affiliates and associates” of animal enterprises: but that was, precisely, what the SHAC campaign was all about.

Disturbingly, Scott said in passing that civil disobedience would be covered in the bill– something other supporters of the bill have denied– but he tried to ease public fears by saying that the civil disobedience must cause disruption and loss of profits, and “it must be proven that such losses were specifically intended.” Bobby Scott, who frequently praises the achievements of the civil rights movement, stood on the House floor and advocated the inclusion of the tactics used by that movement in a “terrorism” bill. The only things that’s different between then and now, between the civil rights and animal rights movement, is the cause.

Representative Thomas Petri, a Republican from Wisconsin usually in stark contrast to Scott, said much of the same. He had the nerve to stand on the House floor and say, with a straight face, that “current federal law,” including the AEPA, has been “inadequate” in going after animal rights activists. Petri knows full well that ALL the crimes listed in this bill are already crimes, that the original bill has been used successfully, and that the animal and environmental movements have never claimed a single human life. Petri and the corporations that support him call the existing legislation “inadequate” because, in their mind, the true threat is not the underground wing of the movement, but the movement itself. That’s where this vague and overly broad legislation comes into place, wrapping up civil disobedience, undercover investigations and other non-violent activity as “terrorism.”

So – to sum up – the megacorps decide which traditonal legal tools for public action (like lunchcounter boycotts) to criminalize, the megacorp-funded ALEC draws up the law, and the megacorp-purchased Congress passes ALEC’s law.

What a country – for the megacorps.

Let’s take it back for the rest of us.

We ARE everywhere: when we remember that, we’ll win.

That fact is why America’s home-grown oligarchs have used Federal law enforcement since 1918 – ninety years! – to suppress our collective voice and wishes.

When – as in the New Deal – we even come close to coming together, the oligarchs lose.

They’ve spent sixty years clawig back the gains we made in the 30’s and 40’s. Now – with the failure of the conservative “movement” – we once again can put our collective good ahead of the megacorps and the upper 0.1%.

We are everywhere, and we are are very strong.

I’m thinking this is because a normally intelligent person wouldn’t have anything to do with this stupid shit

JoFish…love the expression “greedheads”. Certainly says it.

That candidate needs to articulate a politics that includes a philosophy of Constitutional governance and not jest a politics that articulates relationships of power.

citizen norske. i so hope you are right. but the fact is that he has not done this. i hope he does – but i don’t intend on waiting on any politician to lead the way. the only reason i have hope is that if we lead, i have hope he will follow. my inspiration has nothing to do with either candidate and all to do with people who are willing to speak and act in support of the values we say we support.

gotta go…. catch you later….