Shasta and Goliath: Bringing Down Corporate Rule

"Mt. Shasta, a small northern California town of 3,500 residents nestled in the foothills of magnificent Mount Shasta, is taking on corporate power through an unusual process—democracy.

The citizens of Mt. Shasta have developed an extraordinary ordinance, set to be voted on in the next special or general election, that would prohibit corporations such as Nestle and Coca-Cola from extracting water from the local aquifer. But this is only the beginning. The ordinance would also ban energy-giant PG&E, and any other corporation, from regional cloud seeding, a process that disrupts weather patterns through the use of toxic chemicals such as silver iodide. More generally, it would refuse to recognize corporate personhood, explicitly place the rights of community and local government above the economic interests of multinational corporations, and recognize the rights of nature to exist, flourish, and evolve.

Mt. Shasta is not alone. Rather, it is part of a (so far) quiet municipal movement making its way across the United States in which communities are directly defying corporate rule and affirming the sovereignty of local government.

Since 1998, more than 125 municipalities have passed ordinances that explicitly put their citizens' rights ahead of corporate interests, despite the existence of state and federal laws to the contrary. These communities have banned corporations from dumping toxic sludge, building factory farms, mining, and extracting water for bottling. Many have explicitly refused to recognize corporate personhood. Over a dozen townships in Pennsylvania, Maine, and New Hampshire have recognized the right of nature to exist and flourish (as Ecuador just did in its new national constitution). Four municipalities, including Halifax in Virginia, and Mahoney, Shrewsbury, and Packer in Pennsylvania, have passed laws imposing penalties on corporations for chemical trespass, the involuntary introduction of toxic chemicals into the human body."

"But the nascent municipal rights movement offers something new in the way of political action. These communities are adopting laws that, taken together, are forming an alternative structure to the global corporate economy. The principles behind these laws can be applied broadly to any area where corporate rights override local self-government or the well-being of the local ecology. The best place to start, I would suggest, is with banning corporations from making campaign contributions to local elections.

The municipal movement could provide one of the most effective routes to building nationwide support for an Environmental and Social Responsibility Amendment to the U.S. Constitution of the kind proposed by Tikkun. In fact, the movement is already expanding. In Pennsylvania people are now organizing on the state level. Similar stirrings have been reported in New Hampshire.

What about your community?"

What about all community?

What about Earth?

It is time for unity in the comunity!

And, it its time to choose the life we leave to our children~

Move to Amend


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ESRA: Environmental and Social Responsibility Amendment to the US Constitution

The intent of the framers of this Amendment is to:

a. Protect the planet and its inhabitants from environmentally destructive economic arrangements and behavior, and to increase environmental responsibility on the part of all corporations and government bodies.

b. Increase U.S. citizens’ democratic control over American economic and political institutions and ensure that all people, regardless of income, have the same electoral clout and power to shape policies and programs.

c. Promote the well-being of citizens of the United States by recognizing that our well-being depends on the well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants, which in turn requires an end to poverty, wars, and violence, and the rise of a new global ethic of genuine caring and mutual interdependence.


Article One: The Pro-Democracy Clause
A. The First & Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution shall apply only to human beings...
B. Money or other currency shall not be considered a form of speech within the meaning of the First Amendment to the Constitution...
C. Congress shall regulate the amount of money used to disseminate ideas or shape public opinion in any federal election...
D. In the three months prior to any election for a federal position, all media or any other means of mass communication reaching more than 300,000 people shall provide equal time to all major presidential candidates...

Article Two: Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility
A. Every citizen of the United States and every organization chartered by the U.S. or any of its several states shall have a responsibility to promote the ethical, environmental, and social well-being of all life on the planet Earth and on any other planet or in Space with which humans come into contact.
B Any government office or project receiving government funds that seeks to engage ln a contract (with any other corporation or limited liability entity) involving the expenditure of over $100,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) shall require that those who apply to fulfill that contract submit an Environmental and Social Responsibility Impact Report to assess the applicant’s corporate behavior...

Article Three: The Positive Requirement to Enhance Human Community and Environmental Sustainability
A. Earth being the natural and sacred home of all its peoples, Congress shall develop legislation to enhance the environmental sustainability of human communities and the planet Earth...
B. In order to prepare the people of the United States to live as environmentally and socially responsible citizens of the world, and to recognize that our own well being as citizens of the United States depends upon the well being of everyone else on Earth...

Article Four: Implementation
A. Any corporation which moves or seeks to move its assets outside the U.S. must submit an Environmental and Social Impact report to a grand jury of ordinary citizens...

Network of Spiritual Progressives

Action

If anything is for we the people and planet, this is a great beginning!
Stand~UNITED


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125 municipalities? To those reading this... Copy and paste. Send it straight to your local officials by commenting or emailing city/ county websites. It should take roughly 5 minutes.

reply to post by awake1234


This is absolutely the way we need to bring about change. Getting local.

There are so many ways we can undercut the global elite:

Local credit unions.
Buying local produce.
Shop al local co-op grocery stores (most offer local produce and more non-GMO food).
Methanol gas stations selling Methanol made locally from local biomass.
Shop at local businesses and keep the money in the community vs. going to Walmart.
Buy goods made locally or at least in the USA. If we demand it, they will produce it.

Saving money in the short run is loosing money in the long run.

reply to post by Americanist


thank you friend

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reply to post by pianopraze


you are exactly right

grass roots is just that - planting our roots (out of this system) back in the Earth that gives life

thank you friend

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Whoa. Gotta admit, I'm really high right here in this moment and just reading that is profound. I'm picking the scrapes of my soul exploded along the walls. I'm not even American (Canadian) but this here affects the whole world as Corporations know NO boundaries. To any reading, this here is the START of the Good Guys who want us to become aware of all the secrets, earthly and extraterrestrial races alike as they are the same ones FOR disclosure. This here.. Is the start of us looking around us and noticing all the wars, pollution, and poverty alike to help them out, to help the planet in becoming one with each other. Helping and becoming one with ourselves most of all. But before ANY of this comes to pass, a Third World War does indeed have to break out, and will be at a moment's notice. George Washington had that shown to him by our Makers who want us to become independent, to stand on our own two feet! This whole article goes WAY beyond just helping out small cities to big Cities, capitals of the world and countries. This IS the new seeds of the system. The old must crash down and be buried before the New can take place, to teach us the important lesson of unity and life. The Annuanaki (our Makers) are coming back, our brothers and sisters, not God, but creators, brothers and sisters. I'll do what I can to further spread this message around. Many thanks for the article. The whole post must be read, the meaning can't be broken down into a TLDR. I will see my brothers and sisters in the next dimension!

Wow this is the first good news in quite some time and it seems like you can make a change through peaceful means once people put their minds to it rather than emotions first.
I get very hyped up and emotional and angry like everyone else but also realize violence only leads to more violence and so if we lead by example through peaceful processes to bring down TPTB hopefully other countries will have heart to follow suit to save the future for their children

This is great news to hear people starting to screw their heads back on and stand up against the bully tactics that have been used. The corporations with all their power have neglected some important responsibilities for far to long. With the federal government failing to address these issues, the local governments have shown strength and integrity. I will be surprised if some corporations do not throw a hissy fit and try and take it to court, but the are going to have a hard time arguing against such simple and basic common sense. Well done.

reply to post by OneLife


thank you friend
your efforts are appreciated

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reply to post by laslidealist


agree, and it starts in the hearts of you, and everyone
thank you friend

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reply to post by kwakakev


absolutely,
the hearts of many hold sway over the intentions of few
unity in the community
thank you friend

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Aloha

to everyone reading this
there is the option, move to amend, and take Action
thank you all friends

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Hmmm, just so the municipalities are not overruled by the counties, states or federal regulations.

Good start though. You have to start at the smallest level and work your way up. If we can separate the government from the corporations, that is the first step. Without the government, the corporations have no powers.

I'm not far from Shasta and recently found out about weather modification equipment located quite close to where I am, and found out it was completely legal for PG&E to use it on "their" property. This is absurd to me, and I hope that my community is on the list to follow suit.

S&F

The insanity has to stop and it looks as though starting locally is the way to go, but this type of movement should stay centered around the problems and not try to politicize this in any way, or it will die fast.

~Namaste

Originally posted by awake1234


The intent of the framers of this Amendment is to:

a. Protect the planet and its inhabitants from environmentally destructive economic arrangements and behavior, and to increase environmental responsibility on the part of all corporations and government bodies.

Laudable goals, but I am concerned over this because it seems to make the environment more important than people.

b. Increase U.S. citizens’ democratic control over American economic and political institutions and ensure that all people, regardless of income, have the same electoral clout and power to shape policies and programs.

Excellent idea in concept. I would reserve judgment until I found out more about actual implementation.

c. Promote the well-being of citizens of the United States by recognizing that our well-being depends on the well-being of the planet and all its inhabitants, which in turn requires an end to poverty, wars, and violence, and the rise of a new global ethic of genuine caring and mutual interdependence.

This sounds like communism or at least extreme socialism.

Article One: The Pro-Democracy Clause
A. The First & Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution shall apply only to human beings...
B. Money or other currency shall not be considered a form of speech within the meaning of the First Amendment to the Constitution...

With you so far

C. Congress shall regulate the amount of money used to disseminate ideas or shape public opinion in any federal election...

Bad idea. You have a serious conflict of interest here with the receivers of money deciding on how much money they are allowed to collect.

D. In the three months prior to any election for a federal position, all media or any other means of mass communication reaching more than 300,000 people shall provide equal time to all major presidential candidates...

Change that to ALL candidates. Major just leaves us stuck with the same two parties. Also allow the same for all elected positions.

Article Two: Corporate Environmental and Social Responsibility
A. Every citizen of the United States and every organization chartered by the U.S. or any of its several states shall have a responsibility to promote the ethical, environmental, and social well-being of all life on the planet Earth and on any other planet or in Space with which humans come into contact.

I don't like the sound of this. What exactly does this entail? For example, I believe man made global warming is a hoax and cap and tax nothing but a way to steal American's hard earned money.

B Any government office or project receiving government funds that seeks to engage ln a contract (with any other corporation or limited liability entity) involving the expenditure of over $100,000 (adjusted annually for inflation) shall require that those who apply to fulfill that contract submit an Environmental and Social Responsibility Impact Report to assess the applicant’s corporate behavior...

Opportunity for graft like you would not believe. Who would this paperwork be submitted to? How do we ensure their honesty?

Article Three: The Positive Requirement to Enhance Human Community and Environmental Sustainability
A. Earth being the natural and sacred home of all its peoples, Congress shall develop legislation to enhance the environmental sustainability of human communities and the planet Earth...

Hell No! Sounds like agenda 21 tripe to me.

B. In order to prepare the people of the United States to live as environmentally and socially responsible citizens of the world, and to recognize that our own well being as citizens of the United States depends upon the well being of everyone else on Earth...

Again, sounds like agenda 21. I don't like the sounds of this at all. The "cure" you propose is just as bad as the current disease.

Article Four: Implementation
A. Any corporation which moves or seeks to move its assets outside the U.S. must submit an Environmental and Social Impact report to a grand jury of ordinary citizens...

If they don't like you money and power grab, you just take it anyway? All in the name of "fairness" of course.

If anything is for we the people and planet, this is a great beginning!
Stand~UNITED

I am not so sure about that. I would prefer a return to strict Constitutional government over the totalitarian socialism you seem to be proposing.

This is terrific news! maybe i should move thier we need to bring democracy back* and abolish capitalsim. all its done, is made the evil ones richer, us more poorer, destroyed and ruined citys..that never happened under democracy..well by government it didnt like it is today and wall street being in congress. gangs ruining a neighborhood ar e another thing, or local people and slobs.

reply to post by awake1234
Is this a bill that is going to the House and Senate. Someone needs to really get the word out on this thanks. If it is a bill do you have a number for it? Wonder if Congress woman Gifford was working on that?

reply to post by awake1234


Sorry, ixnay on my last comment, just read through your amendment thingy.

C. Congress shall regulate the amount of money used to disseminate ideas or shape public opinion in any federal election...

Wow, what the hell is that? Shape public opinion?

D. In the three months prior to any election for a federal position, all media or any other means of mass communication reaching more than 300,000 people shall provide equal time to all major presidential candidates...

So, who is going to determine major? The dems and repubs.

B. In order to prepare the people of the United States to live as environmentally and socially responsible citizens of the world, and to recognize that our own well being as citizens of the United States depends upon the well being of everyone else on Earth...

Wow, you sound like a damn New World Order and communist freak.

HEY, I would like to rescind my flag on this THREAD!

reply to post by awake1234


Thank you for posting this. This put a smile on my face and made me happy.
And thank you for the spiritual progressives link.