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So where are the conservative protests against activist judges?

Today, the US Supreme Court gave the US a giant push toward fascism (a corporatist economic system, which believes that the majority is unsuited to govern itself through democracy) by declaring that not only do corporations have free speech rights, but that corporations throwing barrels of money at politicians in order to buy legislation is free speech.

This decision throws away decades of legislation and even previous Supreme court decisions that restricted corporate power in politics. In any sense of the term, this is the epitome of an “activist court” that conservatives have complained about so bitterly in the past. Ironically, it was the five conservative members of the court who are the activists in this case.

Justice Kennedy, writing the (slim) majority opinion, equated restricting corporations from giving money to politicians to censorship, saying “The First Amendment confirms the freedom to think for ourselves.” I guess that means that this decision will also strike down laws against bribery and kick backs, too.

Tellingly, the decision does not affect limitations on individual giving to politicians, and so places the free speech “rights” of corporations over the free speech rights of ordinary peons people.

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4 Comments

  1. Mark wrote:

    I pledge allegiance to the Corporations of the United States of America, and to the influence for which they stand, one nation under Gold, divisible, with bonuses and raises for all the bankers.

    Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 3:44 pm | Permalink
  2. Mike wrote:

    Today we mourn the death of Democracy.

    Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 9:19 pm | Permalink
  3. Sammy wrote:

    Don’t you know, IK, it’s only judicial “activism” if the decision slants left of center. C’mon now, man, get up to speed!

    Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:06 pm | Permalink
  4. DenverJuggler wrote:

    Here’s a link to our new flag; courtesy of @GottaLaff on Twitter:

    http://www.thepoliticalcarnival.net/2010/01/photoh-our-new-flag.html

    Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 6:36 pm | Permalink

3 Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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  3. […] been reading arguments in favor of the Supreme Court decision removing restrictions on political speech by corporations. Some of these arguments come from people or groups I trust, so I was curious to see if they could […]