Activists gather at the Pettyman Courthouse in D.C. today for Doug Hughes's indictment hearing. He faces 9 1/2 years in prison because he landed a gyrocopter outside the U.S. Capitol last month to deliver letters demanding members of Congress support reasonable reforms to get big money out of politics.
Doug's epic descent into the money-fueled corruption pit that is Washington became an occasion for Americans to come out and say they're mad as hell about this issue and they're not going to take it anymore.
We're tired of this make-believe democracy. We're tired of being told that our voices count. Once the Supreme Court decreed money equals free speech, it allowed big money to drown out the voices of every citizen. It's clear that the only thing that counts is money.
Doug wasn't going to stand by and watch the destruction of our democratic republic. And neither am I. Doug didn't take it lying down, he flew his concerns straight into the spotlight. At the Stamp Stampede, we're using monetary jiu-jitsu to flood U.S. currency with stamped anti-corruption messages to keep the momentum on this issue building.
Who is the real criminal -- the person who harmlessly flies a gyrocopter onto government grounds to bring attention to the fact that our Congress has been bought and sold to the highest bidder, or our politicians who seem more accountable to the ultra-rich than "We the People"?
If you throw Doug in Jail, I'm right behind him.