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[roadrunner]

"They despise America’s democracy and its fundamental freedoms more than any terrorist group in the world.

They have destroyed American democracy and its fundamental freedoms more ruthlessly and effectively than any terrorist group in the world.
 
They have sanctioned the murders of more Americans than any terrorist group in the world.

They loathe people of different races and/or religions.

They punish the innocent, but take extraordinary measures to protect the guilty.

They operate in shadowy black disguises.

They are known to the FBI, the CIA, the NSA and the Department of Homeland Security, yet none of these agencies have made the slightest effort to stop them.

They are Antonin Scalia, John Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, the four white racists and one self-loathing African-American who currently comprise the “conservative” majority on the United States Supreme Court. "

Scalia, Kennedy and Thomas were not satisfied with the partial destruction of democracy wrought by Bush v. Gore, particularly since democracy appeared to be restored during the 2008 presidential election. So, joining with Alito and Roberts, they decided to destroy it completely, along with most of the Bill of Rights, in the recent case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission by striking down laws that once limited the amount of money corporations could contribute to political campaigns.

Some of the best elements in America did try to readjust the laws to minimize the potential for corporations to use their vast financial resources to purchase political influence. Unfortunately five of the worst elements in America - Scalia, Roberts, Kennedy, Alito and Thomas—have ensured (with apologies to Abraham Lincoln) that the government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations will cause the government of the people, by the people and for the people to perish from the earth.

...from Pravda.ru  and I couldn't agree more!

Also, I find it very interesting that Russian commentators find the destruction of our democracy to be more appalling than many in our own country find this to be.

[David]

And don't forget the justices that cite international law in support of their opinions in direct violation of their oaths of office.

David

[roadrunner]

These guys are legislating from the bench, which they don't have the right to do. And this whole idea that corporations are people with their associated rights is idiotic. Today they give them first amendment rights and next they give them the right to bear arms. Then for sure it's all over.

BTW, I am beginning to see that the 10 toes of the image of Nebuchadnezzar, the 10 final 'kingdoms' (that have no kingdom yet) are none other than mega-corporations. They are the ones different from all the others, the ones who trample down and destroy, the final kingdom from which arises the beast from the sea. We are seeing the final kingdom taking shape. The supreme court is ruling in favor of the shadow elite who are establishing the one world government through corporations. Think about it....the tentacles of these companies are global in scope. There is no escaping their control, and they control everything, especially the money.

What I find additionally troubling is that at least some of these companies are CEO'd by professing Christians who claim they are 'doing God's work', for instance, the owner of Blackwater (now XE) and the CEO of Goldman Sachs.

[David]

These guys are legislating from the bench

Most all the justices have been doing that for decades.

BTW, I am beginning to see that the 10 toes of the image of Nebuchadnezzar, the 10 final 'kingdoms' (that have no kingdom yet) are none other than mega-corporations....and they control everything, especially the money.

Make that banking interests and I think you nail it.

David

[David]

I just did a Google search for the "world's largest private banks" and this  article was listed fourth.

List of World’s 10 Largest Banking Institutions 2008

Here is a list of the top 10 banking institutions in 2008. There has been a major shake up of the world’s financial institutions in 2008/2009 and the final result at the end of 2009 could have a very different look. These banks also offer some measure of Private Banking and some are full privacy banks and their scope is worldwide.

Private Banking is still a huge business. They cater to HNW or high net worth clients who want the best of everything the banks have to offer – stocks, derivitives, bonds, cash or currency management/transfers and all manner of financial management. But not all these banks are full 100% privacy Private Banks, but still offer a limited measure of asset protection.

Citi Group takes top spot in 2008.

Here are the top 10 biggest banks in 2008. (2007 rank in brackets).

1. Citigroup (1)...
2. Goldman Sachs (2)...
3. UBS (3)...
4. Credit Suisse (5)...
5. JPMorgan (4)...
6. Morgan Stanley (8 )...
7. Merrill Lynch (9)...
8. HSBC (6)...
9. Pictet & Cie (7)...
10. Deutsche Bank (11)...

More...

[Derek]

How does this ruling actually change anything in real terms?  It's not like big corporations have any trouble buying candidates now.  Barack Obama didn't raise $750 million at $20 a pop from little old ladies in Pasadena, regardless of what the FEC says.

All it does is allow the corporations to openly buy advertising time instead of funneling it through PACs, individual donors (like Norman Hsu did for Hillary, rounding up thousands of dummy donors who "contributed" the individual maximum), and "non-profit" advocacy groups.

And the hypocrisy of the hue and cry!  Where's the outrage against taxpayer-funded NGOs like USAID, the National Endowment for Democracy, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, and the International Republican Institute, which funnel American dollars into political campaigns in other countries?  If foreign influence in our political process should be illegal, then it should be just as illegal for us to meddle in the affairs of others!

I'd have more respect for the president if he'd followed his public spanking of the Supreme Court with the announcement of an Executive Order immediately cutting off funding for all such activities.

[roadrunner]

I agree we shouldn't be meddling in the affairs of other national elections, that's been a peeve of mine for years. We do it in the name of 'promoting democracy'....haha, if we were actually being democratic about it, we'd let them choose for themselves.

This ruling builds on the idea that the Supreme Court ruled previously that corporations have rights of personhood....they have the same rights as individuals, and they can influence elections, not secretly through other outlets, but openly. They have unlimited resources at their command, as they now have the right to use company income to pay for this, rather than any monies from individuals within the company. Think about it. Corporations are hardly limited to one country any more, and many of the 'American' companies are in name only. Many of our corporations are now owned by China. Citgo is an 'American' company owned by Venezuela. So we are giving Hugo Chavez the right to influence our elections, we are giving China the right to influence our elections. And there isn't one single thing we can do about it.

You'd have more respect for the president if he'd made an Executive Order to immediately cut off funding for all such activities? Are you saying you'd have more respect for the president if he'd act like a dictator by disregarding the separation of powers and usurping them himself? He can't do that according to our laws. And those laws are what helps prevent our nation from becoming a dictatorship. Are you saying we should junk them?

[Bluehorse]

The scriptures have many secrets. Finding the ballance and the application is very difficult. It's no different with "Law", which is also a means describing the world, our behavours, and our collective will. The essence of law is "identity": it must proceed from the definition of a "person". All things do.
I think the problem of law is rather like the problem of medicine. They both proceed from our fallen nature for which there is a constant search for "remedies". Indeed, as we travel through "life" the need for remedies only increases.
I think the main conflict is in the clash of universals versus particulars. Law can no more create a just society than can medicine produce eternal life. Both seek remedy, one before the courts and the other before the physician. Our laws are not perfect. Medicine does'nt "heal".
Law is the means of seeking remedy for injustice. A lawyer is in fact very like a doctor...he is an attorney AT law.  A physician is a doctor OF medicine. These two little prepositions conceal a very great truth. The same is true of the scriptures...it's the prepositions that matter.

The problem with being a "person" is that we are at effect. We come "under" the law for example. There is no escape from it. I like the way Robert Frost put it. "Life is too much with us." Christ put it this way: be anxious for nothing.

The powers in this world cannot provide all remedies. We go from one debacle to the next as they try. Yates said it another way: "the centre cannot hold". ( IMO the greatest poem of  the 20th century). It's time for us to seek deeper realities in spiritual things. Anarchy IS being loosed on the world. The most fundamental Biblical proposition of all is that we are NOT of this world. The more we seek remedy in this world the more we will be controlled of it, by it, and through it.

Biblical things can ony be understood by the spirit, 30 fold, 60 fold and a hundred fold.
What we need are some teachers who can be also be revelators. Our joy can only come from the giver of all good things because He alone is the true remedy. The rest is bandaids for our woundings.

[Christie]

Well, I might pay some attention at least, to that article from Pravda, if this country was ever a 'democracy' at all--but, it never has been--it was founded as a REPUBLIC--not a 'dim'ocracy--so, to say the Supreme Court has been somehow undermining our 'dimocracy' for decades now, is totally absurd on it's face--also, where does the author of that ridiculous article in Pravda[[which strangely enough means, "Truth" in Russian--a title it's never deserved since it's inception, btw] get off by claiming such things about the members of the Supreme Court?--they've done what?--destroyed our 'dimocracy', which has never been a part of our country's government?--and, how in the world have they killed more Americans/sanction more murders of more Americans than anyone else on earth--how did they do that, exactly?--

--if the Russian responsible for that article was seriously attempting to make a point that was worth anything at all, I think providing us with something to back up his accusations might have been nice--as it stands, it's nothing more than more mud-slinging, more yellow journalism--more 'hate speech'--against something having to do with the United States--and, nothing more than that--pity--because, if the author of that tripe really had cared at all, and had really been attempting to help out the citizens of our country, the article would have contained such facts and figures--and, at this point, I think we could use some decent support that would actually provide some concrete help for us in our current situation--

--yet, all that article offers us is more of what we've gotten from the Russians, among others, for what seems like forever now--reading that article offered us nothing more than a Tokyo Rose broadcast offered the allies during WW II, in my opinion, and was just about as harmful to us as Tokyo Rose, as well.

[David]

Hey Christie!!

[Christie]

Hi David!--how goes everything these days?!--nice to 'see' you again!

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