Occupy the Courts! Today – in over 100 cities across America...
By louisehartmann
Occupy the Courts! Today – in over 100 cities across America – demonstrators are rallying in front of federal courthouses – and in front of the Supreme Court here in Washington, DC – to protest the two-year anniversary of the Citizens United decision. The grassroots organization Move To Amend is spearheading the day of action to raise awareness and encourage people to fight back against the radical ruling of the Supreme Court that declared corporations are people and money is speech – and put our democracy up for sale to the highest bidder.
This week – Portland, Maine became the latest city in America to pass a resolution calling on Congress to amend the Constitution to overturn Citizens United and declare that corporations are not people. We saw the effects of Citizens United in the 2010 midterms when over $300 million in secret, corporate cashed was dumped into our elections – that’s more than 4 times more money than was spent in the last midterm in 2006 – and is why a wave of millionaire corporate shills saying they represent the Tea Party were elected to the House of Representatives. If we don’t do something about this – 2012 will be even worse.
So get out there, get active, and occupy the courts! Go to MoveToAmend.org for more information.
Comments
#2
When I hear about all these activities going on I feel sad that my husband and I are not so young anymore and find ourselves pulled and pushed in every direction to satisfy so many causes. We do belong to the party and we do participate in caucuses and meetings. We support our unions retirement council to make sure the members are politically informed. We donate money small amount of money to people like Elizabeth Warren and our local Dems plus the local and national party. However it is just not possible to do everything and be everywhere. Our hope is that a younger generation is out there doing what we used to do. We thank them for that.
#3
I would have enjoyed Occupying the Courts but I couldn't. I have one Occupy arrest and learned the hard way, I cannot afford free speech. $3,500 for an attorney and I haven't been arraigned yet. Cha-ching!! 5,000 voices have been pepper-sprayed, bludgeoned, scattered and stiffled. I am surprised anyone is left to Occupy the Courthouse steps. I urge everyone to go their local courthouse and get a first hand look at what's going on inside. Peace!
#4
I live in Vicky City, Victoria, BC.I was in all the Occupy protests.The national day of student protest is every Feb 1st, so get in front of the Legislature at noon.Last year at peak, we had 3,000 debt laden scholars.Education shouldn't be a debt sentence.May 1st, will be a national day of protest for the Occupy Movement, commemerating the 1930s On to Ottawa Trekkers-the Trekkies.We are also taking Mayday back from Kaputalism.It was very sad that they shut down the Occupy encampment here in Vicky just to set up a little rinky dink teflon skating rink.Vicky City Council has to know that as long as we are poor, the movement won't go away.
#5
We occupied the Federal Court building in Albuquerque today. I was disappointed with the turnout....about 150 folks. Weather was perfect. Pictures at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Albuquerque-Official-Burque/1310571...
#6
Bernie Sanders on Bill Maher show tonight..got kind of heated...sparks flew...between Bernie and the Republican leaning guest. Kudos to Bernie...defender of the people!!!
#7
Thom's monologue at the ending of RT was very riveting and educational!.....great show!
The Bill Moyer's show on PBS, tonight, was also very good...he had on David Stockman and Gretchen Morgenson.
David Stockman said that we no longer have a Free Market economy..that it was Crony Capitalism. (Not news to many, I'm sure). I had previously been using the term Laissez Faire Capitalism but I guess even Laissez Faire Capitalists are ticked off at Crony Capitalists which would be the more proper term to use to describe what they are today. The former took calculated risks and expected to actually lose money if their risks turned sour. They didn't expect a hand out from the Government every time. They also did not have to rely on bribing and even controlling the Government. Crony Capitalists basically owns the Government and controls them with no oversight or enforcement.
David Stockman sounded pretty convincing that our future is pretty ominous..because nothing has been done to correct the problems that led to Crony Capitalism. Obama has done nothing except to encourage the process.
They also talked about how over the years the bail outs, which have occurred several times since the bail outs of the Mexican Peso, in 1994, has led to our current failed Capitalism system. That was done without Congressional Support and done to bail out wealthy Americans who had interests that stood to take a beating. And the history lesson that Thom gave on RT shows that the economic war waged by rich people against the majority of the people reached way back 3 Presidents before FDR.
It has been the continual bailouts of very wealthy people that made very risky decisions and expected our tax-payers to bail them out that has created a very addictive and ruinous path to destruction for our overall economy...particularly for those 99% who are burdened with most of the taxes and who are suffering from many cruel realities...like no health care, housing, or even food for some.
David expects that we have not seen the last of the bailouts and expects another one very soon. He said the problem is that the Free Market Capitalists took risks and accepted their losses when they made the wrong decisions.
Crony Capitalism as it has come to be not only expects Government to bail them out, after making wild and reckless speculations, but they have become so strongly controlling of the government that there is no possibility of oversight or enforcement of wrongdoing. In short, the criminals are running the show. The system is corrupt.
David didn't say the system was corrupt but it is. He did point out that Obama appointed the very people that caused the problem and has done nothing to fix it so bailouts won't happen again.
Gretchen Morgenson, a NT Times reporter and author of a couple of books on investing, money, the economy and her latest..."Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon" pretty much agreed with David Stockman and added a lot more to the story.
They both praised the brave and dedicated people who are part of Occupy Wall Street and said that this shows that the American people have finally got it and will no longer just take it. They said that trying to correct the system in the usual ways...calling representatives, voting, etc will no longer make any difference. It will take an overwhelming uprising of the people.
This was a really interesting and educational show. I highly recommend it. I am so glad Bill Moyers is back!
#8
Eric Holder and Head of DOJ’s Criminal Division Were Partners for a Firm Which Used to Represent the Big Banks, Fannie, Freddie and MERS
Obama’s Department of Justice isn’t prosecuting any big fish.
Indeed, the Obama administration is prosecuting fewer financial crimes than Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush or Bill Clinton.
This is true even though the big banks – such as Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan and Wells Fargo – committed some fraud, but their entire business model is fraudulent. See this, this, this, this andthis.
The same is true of Fannie, Freddie. And even more so with Mers, where its entire purpose – from day one – was fraudulent. Here, here, here, here and here.
So why haven’t the fraudsters running these chop shops been prosecuted by Attorney General Eric Holder, and the head of the DOJ’s criminal division Lanny Breuer?
Reuters helps explain why today:
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer, head of the Justice Department’s criminal division [watch this to get a sense of Breuer], were partners for years at a Washington law firm that represented a Who’s Who of big banks and other companies at the center of alleged foreclosure fraud, a Reuters inquiry shows.
The firm, Covington & Burling, is one of Washington’s biggest white shoe law firms. Law professors and other federal ethics experts said that federal conflict of interest rules required Holder and Breuer to recuse themselves from any Justice Department decisions relating to law firm clients they personally had done work for.
Both the Justice Department and Covington declined to say if either official had personally worked on matters for the big mortgage industry clients. Justice Department spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said Holder and Breuer had complied fully with conflict of interest regulations, but she declined to say if they had recused themselves from any matters related to the former clients.
Reuters reported in December that under Holder and Breuer, the Justice Department hasn’t brought any criminal cases against big banks or other companies involved in mortgage servicing, even though copious evidence has surfaced of apparent criminal violations in foreclosure cases.
The evidence, including records from federal and state courts and local clerks’ offices around the country, shows widespread forgery, perjury, obstruction of justice, and illegal foreclosures on the homes of thousands of active-duty military personnel.
***
While Holder and Breuer were partners at Covington, the firm’s clients included the four largest U.S. banks – Bank of America, Citigroup, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo & Co – as well as at least one other bank that is among the 10 largest mortgage servicers.
***
Covington represented Freddie Mac …. [and] MERS Corp …. Court records show that Covington, in the late 1990s, provided legal opinion letters needed to create MERS on behalf of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase and several other large banks.
***
Covington in 2004 also wrote a crucial opinion letter commissioned by MERS,providing legal justification for its electronic registry. MERS spokeswoman Karmela Lejarde declined to comment on Covington legal work done for MERS.
This isn’t as bad as Department of Justice lawyer John Yoo’s letter justifying torture by the Bush Administration, but it’s arguably somewhat analogous, as it is a legal opinion trying to justify blatant illegality.
No wonder top financial crime expert Bill Black says that we have to fire Eric “Place” Holder and all other government officials who are blocking prosecution of the criminals who caused the economic crisis.
Indeed, it makes one wonder whether the Department of Justice still dispenses justice … or has turned into a “protection racket” for the rich and powerful.
Of course, most of the rest of boys in D.C. are not much better.
#9
DOJs Criminal Division must be made up of....criminals! And Obama's Department of Justice is really Obama's Department of Just Us!
#10
An event that hopefully will effect.
- my webcam
#11
Write a Letter to Your Court Clerk.
Tell them you wish to protest ........
And Volunteer for 6 months of Jury Duty ..
THAT, more than anything else would stun them
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Obama Pushes Hard to Protect Big Banks from Fraud Prosecutions … But We Can Stop HimPosted on January 20, 2012 by WashingtonsBlog
Because Obama is making a giant push to pressure the states attorneys general to settle all of their mortgage-related fraud claims against the banks for pennies on the dollar.
Yves Smith – who has an ear to the ground on this – warns that a settlement which hurts consumers and the economy will happen very quickly if people don’t raise a ruckus.
Smith is asking people to call their state attorney general (not their elected reps) to oppose the settlement