World

Draped in the flag of freedom comes ...

by The_Cynic | January 23, 2010 at 06:22 pm

263 views | 36 Recommendations | 4 comments

... something that, to some, is quite unimaginable but now perfectly feasible - corporatocracy.

Roy C gave us this really well written piece. Written, of course with his slant on it, I can see why he would look upon the SCOTUS decision as a move to where unlimited freedom of speech should be allowed for all. Including corporations.

He did say that all sides should be heard and that when all sides are; you have a different view - I certainly agree. But, with Roy's piece he doesn't give all sides, just his own, which, as you see here, I am doing the same. Yet, as I feel that I am more entrenched in my political views rather than being a 'maverick' I looked at the Supreme Court's decision with left-leaning eyes. Once I did it came to me what could, and knowing US politics as I do, what will happen - I felt a shiver down my spine.

What has now happened is that with this vote any corporation will have equal access to the US TV airwaves - great for free speech, lauded by many on the right. Great indeed - but those who stand steadfast with that political hue - the vast corporations of the US are, in fact, not American owned.

Take a look here - add to this now, with an, in my opinion, idiotic ruling, you allowed Hugo Chaves free reign on US TV to influence how Americans should think. This can be said for BP, SmithGlaxoKline, Aegis Defense Services, Shell, De Beer's, Sony, and a plethora of others.

How many US corporations are invested heavily by Yemeni's?

Common-sense once again flies out of the window not at the higher levels of the corporate field, but at the grass-roots where some are influenced, again, by a blindness and distinct hatred of the left that they cannot, no matter how many times you ask, to think what is the real effects of what they are wanting.

Each law must apply to all, every single one of them. Saying that this ruling can only apply to wholly-owned American companies is naive at best, absurd at worst - though there will be some that will cry foul once FOX points out whom owns what - and they will, neglecting to add that they too are owned by Rupert Murdoch.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend Sign In or Join to post comments

nanute

at 03:03 on January 24th, 2010

Right you are. I touched upon this yesterday, Right wing Saudi dynasty endorses right wing FOX News dynasty

It will be interesting to see if the owners of the networks will be able to selectively choose which corporate political speech ads get viewed by the human type citizens. Will liberal, progressive corporations have conservative leaning media outlets, such as FOX News, deciding not to air progressive political free speech ads?

This newly created corporate personhood right is going to make free speech very expensive.

Hugh Askew

at 07:22 on January 24th, 2010

And one wonders if liberal dominated media like ABC, PMS, CBC, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, Air America....ooop, no more Air America.....will be deciding not to show Independent or Conservative free speech ads.

Will Time magazine continue to stifle independent thought, or will they change their business model and air conservative speech?

If the owners of the networks are able to selectively choose which corporate political speech ads get viewed by the public, Progressive (new code word for Liberal - per the Comosol) organs like CBS will have to decide if they want to be fair, or continue to try to dupe the American people.

That said - many of us that are not left leaning - are equally aghast at the implications of the ruling by the Supremes.

Left with a choice between deciding whether each individual piece of speech, literature, music, art, - is or is not, political advocacy - or doing away with the current restrictions, what real choice did they have?

nanute

at 08:11 on January 24th, 2010

Most of the major networks are owned by large National or Multi-National corporations. You may think some of the major networks are liberal in nature but a closer look of who controls the networks and who they support during elections is revealing:Who owns CNN? or MSNBC? ABC? : LA IMC

The larger question by this ruling is who gets to decide what is acceptable speech, and if the equivalent of yelling fire in a crowded theater will be permitted. Can a corporation with newly created free speech rights (on the left or the right), broadcast any speech with no limitations? Will it be the judgment of the media executives that decide what is permissible?

The choice that the court had, was to allow the restrictions imposed by Congress to remain. Instead, the Court took an activist approach in negating over 60 years of precedent, which ironically, Chief Justice Roberts assured the Senate that he would be deferential to during his confirmation hearings. Nothing positive can come from this ruling for the plight of average real life American citizens against monied corporate "citizens." The playing field has been altered beyond equality for all citizens (left and right), and the new activist conservative majority on the Court has shown quite clearly that corporate speech is equal to individual citizens speech. Shame on them.

Grace H

at 13:53 on January 27th, 2010

"American" corporations are not wholly invested in by Americans as evidenced by the world market declining as the US market declining. Thus, the decision is deplorable. Lobbyists et all already have enough influence as it is. They hinder true progress and change, leading to progress for progress sake.