The National Campaign to End Corporate Personhood and Demand Real Democracy!
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Joshua,
After last week’s postponement and rescheduling of the upcoming Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights hearing, it is time for a quick review:
In early June, Move To Amend (MTA) learned the hearing was set for July 17 and began an effort to elicit an invitation, which culminated in a national call-in day on June 29 to Senator Durbin's office. Unfortunately, Durbin's office has elected to allow only three citizens to speak at the hearing. And none of them include Move to Amend representatives. We have been invited us to provide written testimony, which we have done.
What have we learned so far?
• Move To Amend members are highly motivated and committed to our goal. In just several weeks time, we mobilized from local meetings with sub-committee members to a national action, which jammed the switchboards at Senator Durbin’s office. It is a very impressive outcome, which speaks volumes about the character and commitment of our membership.
We know what you know!
• Movements have never been lead by Congress. People like you are who lead social movements, through coalitions like Move to Amend.
• This inside-the-beltway effort is only one tactic within our larger strategy to empower and unite people from all walks of life to build a movement to let Congress know that they serve the people, not corporations, and to underscore the "We the People" in our Constitution.
What steps will we take next?
• MTA is joining with other organizations to collect citizen testimony, because that's what really matters. Considering how difficult it is to get in to testify before Congress, we figure it is best to testify directly to the American people.
We invite you to add your voice by submitting written and/or video testimony, and encourage you to be creative; think haiku, interpretive dance, or song to express yourself and explain why the amendment must go deeper than merely overturning Citizens United, it must make clear that a corporation is not a person and money is not speech.
We will succeed in our overall goal. Collectively, we are the ones Margaret Mead referred to when she said:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
In admiration and solidarity,
Ashley Sanders, Ben Manski, Daniel Lee, David Cobb, Egberto Willies, George Friday, Jerome Scott, Kaitlin Sopoci-Belknap, Laura Bonham, Nancy Price, and Stephen Justino
Move to Amend National Executive Committee |
We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.
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