Treason
It is often considered treason to attempt or conspire to overthrow the government, even if no foreign country is aiding or involved by such an endeavor.Wiki
Everybody knows that the dice are loaded
Everybody rolls with their fingers crossed
Everybody knows that the war is over
Everybody knows the good guys lost
Everybody knows the fight was fixed
The poor stay poor, the rich get rich
That's how it goes
Everybody Knows" is a song written by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen and collaborator Sharon Robinson. It has often been covered and used in soundtracks.
Everybody knows
Everybody knows
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Coca Cola
Pepsi
Kraft
McDonald's
Wendy's
Mars
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Proctor & Gambol
Amazon.com
Wal-Mart
Johnson & Johnson
Dell Computers
John Deere
MillerCoors
Hewlett-Packard (HP)
Best Buy
Walgreens
General Electric
Western Union
Well Fargo
Bank of America
Bristol-Meyers Squibb
ConocoPhillips
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Treason too strong a word?
The very act of having to ask the question suggests an autocracy is in power. Wisconsin has felt the laws protecting equality of basic human rights slip and slide from women, gay couples, people of color, public workers, and the elderly and ill people. Most of the legislative actions of GOP control were developed and promulgated outside the state. New laws affecting the drawing of vote districts, women's health, voter ID, and the curtailment of collective bargaining rights for public workers - did not evolve for the good of the people of Wisconsin. They were discussed and written in the offices of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) for the good of large corporations, some of which are listed in the column at the right.
When Scott Walker first took office ALEC was a secret. Today, the national lobbying group has written laws that effect each and every man, women, and child in the state. Here lies the treason. The state government has been overthrown. Laws are no longer being written for the benefit of the people within the state, but elected leaders have conspired to use their power to legislate solely for corporate interests. The reality of real people's lives are not even part of the discussion for new legislation. The interests of the voters have been intentionally ignored in favor of pleasing the interests of the wealthy campaign donors. Look at the list.
Twisting the Tenth Amendment
Wealth can buy legislative action, thus all the record money for lobbying firms surrounding government. Less obvious, but even more insidious is the power of wealth to buy the message. The little person - the nurse, the farmer, the small business owner cannot compete with the the ALEC/Corporate message. Language manipulation has become the most powerful tool in the hands of the new autocracy. Since the media is set up to grab attention in a few seconds, the autocracy takes full advantage of working words to embellish its qualities and hide its true diabolical nature in a tight knit of words that are often tested by polling for effectiveness.
An example of the "talking points" of ALEC regarding the 10th Amendment were discussed in a article in The Atlantic in 2011.
See how the shuffle of words as they might be heard in a news report, shifts the truth of the true meaning of language?
Garrett Epps Jul 11 2011 - The Atlantic
"...part of a new extremist movement that seeks to brand all major federal legislation -- not only labor regulation, but environmental laws, gun control laws, and Social Security and Medicare -- as violations of the "rights" of states as supposedly spelled out in the Tenth Amendment. Senator Jim DeMint last year phrased it this way: "the Tenth Amendment says powers not explicitly given to the federal government in the Constitution go to the states or to the people."
Is he right? Let's look at the text, which reads, in its entirety:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
The ALEC Autocracy seeks survival by "rebranding"
Branding is the ultimate marketing tool designed to use words and images to create plastic surgery over the scared, disfigured face of the ALEC autocracy. Much like a black mold, the ALEC treason grew and thrived in the dark. Hardly anyone was aware of its birth or existence before 2010. Finally, it became obvious that many of the laws being passed by GOP dominated legislatures across the country seemed to share the same "brand".
New right to work, voter ID, and anti abortion laws passed by state legislators had little to do with the personality or demographics of the state, but seemed to share a source and to be promoting a common agenda that had little to do with the more prominent concerns of constituents. The source was ALEC. The agenda was that of the corporations that funded its existence. For the first time in history, state legislators where not looking within the borders of the districts they served for legislation to improve the lives of the people that voted for them. Instead, they traveled out of the states to meetings conducted by ALEC. They brought back model legislation to enact laws for the benefit of the interests of corporate sponsors.
Here is the tyranny. It is clearly stated in one of the documents leaked to The Guardian. On page 20 the legislators are expected to sign the "Draft Chair Agreement" which reads:
Draft Chair Agreement p. 20
I will act with care and loyalty and put the interests of the organization first.
Legislators from across the country are meeting in the secret rooms of the ALEC Autocracy and are expected to swear allegiance to ALEC over their own constituents. This has been going on in for over 10 years.
Recently, in Wisconsin, a State Senator Leah Vukmir displayed her aggressive allegiance to "putting the interests of the organization first" when she ordered a reporter attempting to serve a FOIA request, out of her office. The leaked documents reveal that Senator Vukmir is not only a member of ALEC, but she is the "Finance Committee Chair".
Finance Committee Chair Senator Leah Vukmir has reiewed the financial statments for the period ending June 30, 2013 They are now before the Board of Directors of acceptance.
Leaked ALEC Doc p. 20
Interests of the ALEC Autocracy
The majority of the people in America today are in favor of background checks for gun owners, comprehensive immigration reform, and a fresh look at "stand your ground" laws. Yet, none of these wishes of the majority are in the interests of the ALEC Autocracy, so you will notice all of legislation is at a complete stand still. Autocracy over Democracy.
The "stand your ground" laws were brought into focus with the trial of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The light of attention that was shed on the ALEC Autocracy as the incubator of the "stand your ground" laws passed in Florida. Not good. It sent many of its corporate donors scurrying for cover. The branded mask of benevolence on which Coca Cola, Dell, Johnson & Johnson brands rest began to melt in the disinfectant of sunlight being shed on the ALEC Autocracy for which they were the major tax payers. But, ALEC was not about to give in. Like any good corporate automaton knows, all that is required when one brand is in trouble is to re-brand. The new brand they chose is almost as sacrilegious to Christianity as the ALEC Autocracy is to democracy.
Leaked Documents Reveal IRS Concerns, Funding Crisis At Corporate Lobbying Group ALEC
Ed Pilkington in New York and Suzanne Goldenberg theguardian.com, Tuesday 3 December 2
The Guardian has learned that the American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec), which shapes and promotes legislation at state level across the US, has identified more than 40 lapsed corporate members it wants to attract back into the fold under a scheme referred to in its documents as the "Prodigal Son Project".
The Prodigal Son Project
Yes. The ALEC Autocracy uses the biblical story of the Prodigal Son. As though the corporate interests who left the home of ALEC to go out in live in the common world of democracy at large, could now return home to the safety of a forgiving father's arms. Come home and continue to pursue your selfish interests in the home of the ALEC Autocracy. Democracy and working on a level playing field is not for you, my dear belated sons and daughters. We've hired a new plastic surgeon who will reshape your branded face along the formula of 501(c)(4) - where your ugly, selfish identity will be preserved in secrecy.
A letter included among the documents from Alec's lawyer, Alan Dye, warns that "though we do not believe that any activity carried on by Alec is lobbying, the IRS could disagree". It also makes clear that major potential donors are holding back because they are anxious about Alec's tax status.
"Alec has been approached by donors who are willing to make sizable donations, but insist that the donations go to a section 501(c)(4) organization," Dye writes.
