Judy's Homegrown Blog

Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on February 9, 2012

I found this in my inbox today, and thought I’d pass it along. It gave me goosebumps!

Today we start chipping away at the idea of corporate personhood — city by city and state by state. We’re starting in Montana, because the U.S. Supreme Court recently blocked a ruling by Montana’s highest court banning corporate campaign contributions.

That’s right: the U.S. Supreme Court handed federal elections over to corporations in the Citizens United decision, and now its preventing states from enacting their own safeguards against the corporate takeover of our democracy.

Don’t let this happen in your state! Sign up to be part of the Amend 2012 team in your state.

Montanans decided more than 100 years ago to keep corporate money out of candidate campaigns, and the Montana Supreme Court upheld that very law in December. But the U.S. Supreme Court still thinks Citizens United should be the law of the land. We disagree, and I’m betting you do, too.

So we’re launching a state-wide campaign on behalf of a constitutional amendment that restores democracy to the people: Stand with Montanans. Common Cause and its coalition partners are filing ballot initiative language today with the Montana Secretary of State to establish a new policy declaring out that corporations do not have the same constitutional rights as people.

Your role in this effort is critical.

If this campaign for Montana inspires you, please sign up to be part of the Amend 2012 team in your state?  Your democracy will thank you!

Thanks for all you do,

Bob Edgar
Amend2012 (a project of Common Cause)

Red Baron peach blossoms

Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on February 8, 2012

“Cherish the spirit of your people and keep alive their attention…if once they become inattentive to public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors shall all become wolves.” –Thomas Jefferson

Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on February 6, 2012

We here at Writeindependent.org actively seek out candidates that run under the mainstream media’s radar. We frequently end up on their email list, and read content you won’t see anywhere else. The following is a quote from a presidential candidate’s mass email:

“We should mention that the expenditures for this primary election is paid by large corporations which support these pre-candidates in order to obtain favorable commitments and special favors ignoring the needs of 99% of the population, people like you and me, the same people they do not care about or take into account.

“On the other hand, we have the independent candidates [who] do not represent any political party and much less have commitments to large corporations, in reality they are the only candidates who represent the interests of 99% of the people of our nation.”

–Paul Chehade, candidate for President of the United States

We are promoting a more open environment for candidates to run; a more level playing field. We think it shouldn’t cost over a million dollars to bid for a congressional seat. If you agree, please donate today to help us get the word out to your fellow internet users.

Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on February 5, 2012

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Originally posted on Writeindependent.org on February 2, 2012

Who needs war when the corruption of our government will bring American down from within?

People complain all the time that there’s a “conspiracy” bringing out government down. It’s no conspiracy; it’s just plain and simple selfishness.

Nothing corrupts like luxury. I’m not talking about massages once in a while that work the aching pains out of your muscles, or a café latte that warms up your fingers and insides. I’m talking about the kind of luxury that happens when you can finally afford to stop flying coach or business class or first class because now you’re flying private jets.

Nobody is saying it, but I’ll say it here: you should be ashamed of yourselves! This has got to stop, and because you won’t stop yourselves, we, the American people, are going to stop you. (I feel like the mother telling her kids: “don’t fight, play nice.”)

It’s not because we want to keep you from flying private once in a while. It’s because you’re ruining our economy. It puts a lot of people out of work, makes living conditions intolerable for a huge segment of the population, and it skews our view that we were given a wondrous planet to live on and enjoy, when a few selfish people are keeping the rest of the world held down.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: money absolutely needs to flow. And when it gets pent up and hoarded, it putrefies. The reason our economy sucks right now is because too few people have too much money. They have no imagination for how to create jobs to improve this situation. And the money rules our government, our media, our very thoughts about who to trust and who not to trust. They are like monkeys holding onto the nuts in a slim-necked jar, trying to control every aspect of life to keep the nuts while missing the point.

I’ll give you a hint on who not to trust: if a person would rather throw his companion under the bus than help him up, he’s the kind of person who will claw his way to the top, no matter how many people he has to step on to do it. Don’t you think they would also step on YOU if you got in the way of their selfish goals? If your elected official is running negative ads, it’s a sure sign that s/he is that kind of person.

That’s why we have the congress we have today: they don’t care about their fellow citizens. They only care about one thing: getting ahead. So next time you see one of their ads, think about this. And then find someone who stands on principle, not on the bodies of the dead.