voidisyinyang Posted August 18, 2010 LOL! Yeah, I tend to piss off both Yanks and Rebels alike -- especially when I start talking about that war and conditions leading up to it, since the history books are seriously wacked. (And OMG! The fireworks that ensue when you point out that Lincoln was a racist bastard! (Quite literally, I mean...) I also tend to piss off both "progressives" and "conservatives" because both groups almost exclusively rely on emotion and selective "research" crafted to support their positions, rather than employing logic and the knowledge to be gleaned from 50+ centuries of human experience to craft the most reasonable position with the understanding that said position is necessarily in flux (cart-horse vs. horse-cart, I'd say). <sigh> The thing about the Bill of Rights is most curious, I think. The only reason it came into existance (against the better judgement of many of the Framers) is because that three-document format was what was in place in Britain and they were, after all, British citizens until then -- so it was a familiar structure. The argument against it (wisely, in my opinion) was that the Bill of Rights was superfluous because the Constitution clearly established the specific powers, negative rights and authorities of the federal government and specifically stated that anything NOT detailed in the Constitution (or in the Declaration itself, such as the origin of man's rights) was left to the individual or to the several states. Even worse that superfluous, even, because they rightly feared that future governments might twist the Bill of Rights (and subsequent amendments) into a specific and restricting set of positive rights that gave the federal government a doorway to reshape the public-private relationship in a way that grew the power and scope of the federal government at the expense of the individual and the several states. http://www.poclad.org/?pg=By_What_Authority&show=b080301.txt "The old fights of state against nation were largely smoke screens to hide an attempt by some private interest to invoke the aid of the Court in combating public regulation. In large measure, this is the case today." [in 1943]6 The underlying issue is not whether butter is better, or whether pink margarine is repulsive, or even whether food policy (or economic policy) should be a local, state, or national matter. The issue is who should decide public policy: the people acting through a legislature, or a handful of judges. Courts provided a more favorable forum than did legislatures for a "rematch" between corporations and states. Commerce clause rulings exempted corporations from the concrete exercise of state and local power, while delivering them into the kinder and gentler hands of the federal judiciary. In Gaveling Down the Rabble, I show how Supreme Court Justices since the 1870s used trade barrier language based on the Constitution's commerce clause to promote the corporate agenda by invalidating state and local laws that threatened corporate power. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voidisyinyang Posted August 18, 2010 (edited) Absolutely! I disagree with the premise that "state against nation" is largely a smokescreen because this totally tosses out the Constitution itself in the process but I totally agree that it has become a smokescreen and I especially concur with the timing mentioned in your snippet, as the 1870s ushered in a host of most foul changes. Activism does work -- I organized a coalition at the University of Minnesota to get that school to join the Workers Rights Consortium back in 2000. Finally there's been results: http://nccueagles.yuku.com/topic/4395/t/Activists-Sideline-Russell-Athletic-apparel-supplier.html http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/business/18labor.html?_r=1 The students even sent activists to knock on Warren Buffett’s door in Omaha because his company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns Fruit of the Loom, Russell’s parent company....In its agreement, not only did Russell agree to reinstate the dismissed workers and open a new plant in Honduras as a unionized factory, it also pledged not to fight unionization at its seven existing factories there. Mike Powers, a Cornell official who is on the board of the Worker Rights Consortium, said Cornell had canceled its licensing agreement because it viewed Russell’s closing of the Honduras factory as a flagrant violation of the university’s code of conduct, which calls for honoring workers’ freedom of association. He applauded Russell’s agreement, which was reached with the consortium and union leaders in Honduras over the weekend. http://counterpunch.com/ballinger08132010.html Several very recent student-driven victories have me really juiced, however. Russell Athletic caved after students got 110 schools to cancel orders; Knights Apparel (biggest seller to college bookstores) is now paying 3.4 times the minimum wage in the Dominican Republic factory “Alta Gracia”; the latest – and potentially greatest, due to implications – forcing Nike to pay a couple of million dollars because workers in two Honduras factories were cheated by Nike’s suppliers. Edited August 18, 2010 by drewhempel Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheWhiteRabbit Posted August 20, 2010 (edited) Okay after that how do we solve the problem?Show compassion to others and show others how to.It is contagious. I believe there was a Tao Te Ching verse marblehead posted a few days that applies.We have learned to mistrust and be cruel, and it will catch up to us until we deal with it.Edit: HERE is the link to Marblehead's post to which I was refering. Edited August 20, 2010 by TheWhiteRabbit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dainin Posted August 20, 2010 Path to Freedom: The Original Modern Urban Homestead A Family in the City An Urban Homestead A Homegrown Revolution Path to Freedom is a grassroots, family operated, original urban homestead located in the midst of Pasadena Surrounded by urban sprawl and just a short distance from a freeway, the Dervaes Family have steadily worked at transforming this ordinary city lot into an organic and sustainable micro-farm. This website documents the many steps the Dervaeses have taken and hopes to inspire fellow travelers on their own life-changing journey. Be inspired to take the first step... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Encephalon Posted August 20, 2010 Path to Freedom: The Original Modern Urban Homestead A Family in the City An Urban Homestead A Homegrown Revolution Path to Freedom is a grassroots, family operated, original urban homestead located in the midst of Pasadena Surrounded by urban sprawl and just a short distance from a freeway, the Dervaes Family have steadily worked at transforming this ordinary city lot into an organic and sustainable micro-farm. This website documents the many steps the Dervaeses have taken and hopes to inspire fellow travelers on their own life-changing journey. Be inspired to take the first step... Thanks for posting this link, Dainin! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
