Joe Conason at Alternet writes—The Man Who Drowned Democracy With 'Sewer Money':
This week marked the anniversary of the Citizens United decision, which exposed American democracy to increasing domination by the country's very richest and most reactionary figures -- modern heirs to those "malefactors of great wealth" condemned by the great Republican Theodore Roosevelt -- so it is worth recalling the false promise made by the justice who wrote the majority opinion in that case.
Justice Anthony Kennedy masterminded the Supreme Court's Jan. 21, 2010 decision to undo a century of public-interest regulation of campaign expenditures in the name of "free speech." He had every reason to know how damaging to democratic values and public integrity that decision would prove to be.
Once billed as a "moderate conservative," Kennedy is a libertarian former corporate attorney from Sacramento, who toiled in his father's scandal-ridden lobbying law firm, "influencing" California legislators, before he ascended to the bench with the help of his friend Ronald Reagan.
While guiding Citizens United through the court on behalf of the Republican Party's billionaire overseers, it was Kennedy who came up with a decorative fig leaf of justification:
With the advent of the Internet, prompt disclosure of expenditures can provide shareholders and citizens with the information needed to hold corporations and elected officials accountable for their positions. This transparency enables the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages.
As Jane Mayer's superb new book "Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right" reveals in excruciating but fascinating detail, Kennedy's assertion about the Internet insuring disclosure and accountability was nothing but a little heap of happy horse-product. "Independent" expenditures from super-rich right-wing donors have overwhelmed the opponents of their chosen candidates, promoting a durable Republican takeover of Congress -- often through the deployment of false advertising and false-flag organizations. [...]
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At Daily Kos on this date in 2003—Saddam's WMD: oil:
Nothing better than to wake up to this.
A senior U.S. Central Command official will provide a background briefing regarding Iraq's potential use of oil as a terror weapon.
Sounds like an Onion article, doesn't it?
Reader BZ, who brought this beauty to my attention, summed it up perfectly:
What's next? Sand as WMD?
Update: Upon further thought, this strategy starts making more and more sense. If Bush and Co. can pull it off, why stop with Iraq? It would provide ample justification to go after administration thorn-in-the-sides Venezuela and Iran. And at that point could we really ignore Saudi Arabia's "arsenal"?
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