Article: Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery, Money is Speech

Conservative victory: Justice Clarence Thomas (bottom left) wrote that he supported the decision but would have gone further and gotten rid of all spending limits entirely
(Image by Supreme Court) Details DMCA

It was bad enough when the Supremes declared corporations were people in the infamous Citizens United decision. Now they have decided that money is free speech. In other words, money is to be given the same constitutional protection as free speech.

The Washington Post explains it this way:

"A split Supreme Court Wednesday struck down limits on the total amount of money an individual may spend on political candidates as a violation of free speech rights, a decision sure to increase the role of money in political campaigns.

"The 5 to 4 decision sparked a sharp dissent from liberal justices, who said the decision reflects a wrong-headed hostility to campaign finance laws that the court's conservatives showed in Citizens United v. FEC, which allowed corporate spending on elections.

"'If Citizens United opened a door,' Justice Stephen G. Breyer said in reading his dissent from the bench, 'today's decision we fear will open a floodgate.'"

So there it is, the final nail in the coffin to free and fair elections. Bye-bye campaign finance rules. "We the people" is now "we the wealthy." The First Amendment protection of free speech was designed by the framers of our Constitution to protect our right to express our political opinions and exchange information and ideas without fear of governmental reprisal. By definition, it gives this right equally to every American citizen.

Now the Roberts Court has decided, a la Orwell, that some people are more equal than others. If James Madison wanted to equate money with free speech, he would've drafted it into the Bill of Rights back in 1787. He must be flipping in his grave. His protection of all citizens has become a guarantee that the vast majority of us will no longer have any say in our electoral process.

This decision must make billionaires like Sheldon Adelson laugh so hard they spit gold coins out their noses. Now Adelson can select from a bevy of eager Neocons up on his auction block. And the brothers Koch can purchase any candidate they think will best do their bidding on Capitol (Capital?) Hill. And the 99% of the rest of us? Well, we will march lemming-like to the polls and pull the lever for whichever corporate candidate the 1% has purchased and placed on the ballot. Our elections will now be about as free and fair as those in N. Korea.

What was that Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence? Something about what must happen whenever a government becomes destructive of our unalienable rights....